Dutch industry is experiencing a clear shift in the use of robotics. Whereas previously mainly traditional, stationary robots were the norm, flexible robotic arms - the well-known cobots - are rapidly gaining ground. This is according to new research by reichelt elektronik, conducted by research institute OnePoll, among industrial companies in the Netherlands.
Although stationary robots are still the most commonly used, the rise of cobots is undeniable. Currently, almost half (45%) of companies use stationary robots, while more than a third (35%) already work with cobots or other light robotic arms. Mobile robots are also widely represented with the same proportion (35%).
Role of cobots
"The role of robotics in industry is visibly changing," says Malte Janßen, responsible for Product Management Robotics & Electromechanical Components at reichelt elektronik. "Whereas automation was long about fixed, large-scale applications, we now see a clear shift towards flexible solutions that can be more easily adapted to changing production processes. Cobots play an important role in this, as they are closer to companies' day-to-day operations."
Investment plans
This development is underlined by companies' investment plans. For example, more than a third (37%) of the respondents say they intend to invest in cobots within two years. This puts them at the top of the list of planned investments, followed by mobile robots (30%) and stationary robots (29%). These figures show that companies are not only continuing to automate, but in doing so are increasingly opting for solutions that can be flexibly deployed and relatively easily integrated into existing processes.
Cobots offer opportunities
In this respect, the appeal of cobots is not only in flexibility or cost advantages. A large majority of companies (67%) indicate that cobots offer capabilities that traditional robots do not, while 65% say they would prefer robotic arms to stationary robots in the future. It is also notable that cobots appeal to new user groups. Of the companies that have invested in them, 62 per cent said they did not yet use robots for this purpose. This suggests that cobots not only complement or replace existing applications, but also lower the threshold for companies not previously working with robotics.
Deployment in practice
In practice, robots are mainly used for physically demanding (52%) and repetitive tasks (41%), while transport (38%) and pick-and-place activities (36%) are among the most common applications. It is precisely in this type of work that flexible robots offer clear advantages. Because they are easier to program and can operate safely alongside people, they are suitable for production environments where processes change regularly and human labour and automation increasingly co-exist.
New phase
That robotics is now widely adopted in Dutch industry is shown by the fact that almost 4 in 5 (79%) companies use one or more forms of robotics. At the same time, the figures show that the development of robotics is entering a new phase in which flexibility, accessibility and cooperation with people are key.
Not a replacement but a widening
"What we are seeing is a clear shift from traditional, fixed automation to more flexible forms of robotics," says Janßen. "Cobots enable faster response to changing production needs and lower the threshold for companies that have not worked with robots before. At the same time, stationary robots remain indispensable for applications where power, speed and continuity are crucial. So it is not about replacement, but about broadening the robot landscape."
Foot: Representative survey by OnePoll commissioned by reichelt elektronik, April 2026; Source: reichelt elektronik,
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