Sales of industrial robots have reached a strong recovery: A new record of 486,800 units were shipped globally – an increase of 27% compared to the previous year. Asia/Australia saw the largest growth in demand: installations were up 33% reaching 354,500 units. The Americas increased by 27% with 49,400 units sold. Europe saw double digit growth of 15% with 78,000 units installed. These preliminary results for 2021 have been published by the International Federation of Robotics.

Iceland remains the world’s most gender-equal country, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden
With a widening gender gap in the labour force, the cost of living crisis is expected to hit women hardest
COVID-19 set gender parity back by a generation and a weak recovery isn’t compensating for it

Germany ranks 3rd in cybersecurity. In economic and social conditions, the country ranks 5th.

In print, inkjet and electrophotography (toner) print continue to threaten to displace offset litho in multiple applications as the market space adjusts to an increasingly digital future. The Future of Digital versus Offset Printing to 2027 tracks the dynamics of this competition across the next five years, profiling how the latest technology developments will redefine the sector.

War in Ukraine, China’s strict COVID-19 measures and a host of other factors have combined to drive up inflation and raise the spectre of food insecurity
Finance leaders, central bankers and economists warned that if recession is coming, it will mainly affect countries that have not come out of COVID, or are highly exposed to Russian energy, or are already in fiscal difficulties

Growing demand for release liner across an increasingly broad application base has resulted in new and expanded in-depth coverage for AWA Alexander Watson Associates’ newly-published AWA Global Release Market Liner Annual Review 2022.

Inkjet and electrophotography (toner) systems are continuing to redefine the market for publication, commercial, advertising, packaging and label print through to 2032.

Labeling and product decoration are critical to the packaging industry, combining the essential information to identify a product with the sales enhancement properties of branding and on-shelf visibility.

The Smart Industry Readiness Index is the first international programme to benchmark the current state of manufacturing globally
Data from nearly 600 manufacturing companies across 30 countries reveals new trends and identifies leading industries
Semiconductors, Electronics, and Pharmaceuticals sectors are frontrunners in digital transformation, with top companies focusing on connectivity and digital process integration
Productivity and quality-linked performance indicators are key focus areas for both multinational corporations (MNCs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) alike, but flexibility and speed are fast-emerging areas of priority
The International Centre for Industrial Transformation – an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization – has been established to work with both public and private sector partners to scale the SIRI Programme internationally

Following the news that the US Navy will install 3D-printed components on its submarines starting this year;

James Marques, Associate Analyst at GlobalData Aerospace, Defence and Security, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

The World Economic Forum is pleased to announce that it will hold its Annual Meeting 2022 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 to Thursday 26 May. Under the theme, Working Together, Restoring Trust, the Annual Meeting 2022 will be the first global in-person leadership event since the start of the pandemic.

Recovery from COVID-19 pandemic will continue but it is losing momentum
Inflation, record fiscal debt levels and COVID-19 combine to present a complex obstacle course for policy-makers
Europe is unlikely to see a similar rise in inflation as in the United States