The transition to renewable energy is creating new business opportunities for robot and automation companies in Norway. The energy sector is diversifying to other sources outside of oil & gas and increasing demand for automation.

These are among the findings from a newly released market overview of robot and automation companies in Norway published today by HowToRobot.com in collaboration with the Norwegian Society of Electric and Automatic Control (NFEA). The overview covers 171 robotics businesses across 298 locations in Norway and shows that the energy sector plays a relatively large role in Norway’s automation industry.

The market overview reveals that 17% of robot and automation suppliers in Norway serve the energy sector, making it the 6th most popular industry by number of suppliers – ahead of the automotive industry. These findings highlight Norway's strong position in this segment compared to other automation markets.

"The Norway findings underscore a global shift: robots and automation aren't limited to manufacturing anymore. Often, they align with sectors that hold significant economic weight in their respective markets, like energy in Norway," says Søren Peters, CEO of HowToRobot.

Demand for automation in renewable energy

Norway’s energy sector is facing a growing need for automation to support its expansion into renewable energy according to Karin Sundsvik, General Manager at NFEA.

“The big shift towards green energy can’t be achieved with manual labor alone and will require further investments into robots and automation,” she says.

Inspection and quality control is a common application for automation in the energy sector, also highlighted by the many suppliers specializing in this area. 23% of the robot and automation companies in Norway supply solutions for automated inspection and quality control, making it the 2nd most popular application by the number of suppliers according to the market overview.

Some of the key growth areas within renewable energy in Norway include offshore wind, solar energy, and the large-scale production of batteries for industrial use. As Norway’s labor costs are among the highest in the world, automation will be needed to increase the profitability of renewable energy investments in these areas, Karin Sundsvik says.

“Renewable energy projects are creating more demand for robots and automation. They will require more businesses from the automation industry to specialize in this area,” she concludes.

Highlights from the report

The newly released report is based on research into robot and automation businesses in Norway conducted by HowToRobot.com in collaboration with NFEA. Some of the key findings include:

• A total of 171 robot and automation companies are based in Norway. The robot and automation industry includes integrators (46% of businesses), robot manufacturers (21%), sub-component suppliers (22%), distributors (8%), and advisors (4%).  
• The industries served by most robot and automation companies in Norway include logistics (56 companies), metal & machinery (50), robotics (43), food & beverage (36), other (32), and energy(29).  
• Most robot and automation companies in Norway specialize in applications for handling & picking (61 companies), inspection & quality control (40), and packing & palletizing (35).  
• While many robot and automation companies in Norway date back to the 1980s, the industry boomed with new businesses established in the 2010s. 66% more robot and automation companies were established during 2003-22 than in 1980-99.

The market overview contains market insights about the Norwegian robot and automation industry, including company statistics and a complete data sheet with information on each business. The report is available at HowToRobot.com.

About HowToRobot

HowToRobot.com is the leading global automation marketplace that connects buyers with suppliers of robots and automation solutions. Every day, we match businesses in need of automation with relevant suppliers and solutions from our fast-growing network of robot and automation companies. Our market insights, guides, and digital tools help businesses understand their automation needs and connect them with the solution specific to their needs.

About NFEA

The Norwegian Society of Electric and Automatic Control is a politically independent membership association with a focus on electricity and automation. NFEA consists of more than 300 companies and teaching/research institutions. NFEA works with networking, competence development, and increased competitiveness for Norwegian Industry. NFEA is a National Member Organization in Ifac & Industry Association Member of IFR. Learn more at nfea.no.