Why US Robot Suppliers Are Moving to Non-Sale Models

What IFR's 2026 survey actually reports

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) says traditional equipment sales remain the main monetization channel for professional service robots worldwide. Non-sale models, the IFR's term for leasing and service-based arrangements, keep growing in popularity. The line that matters most for US facility teams comes from the IFR's World Robotics 2026 service robot summary: non-sale models are already the dominant business model among the US suppliers in its survey.

The wider market is large and growing fast. Global professional service robot shipments rose 24% to almost 250,000 units in 2025, according to IFR figures as reported in its release. Transportation and logistics was the largest application, with 117,500 units sold, up 21% and 47% of the market.

Read that US finding with care. It describes the suppliers the IFR surveyed, not every robot company in the country, and the material we reviewed gives no US supplier-level split of share or revenue.

Equipment sales versus leases in the budget

Under an equipment sale, the facility team usually asks for a large capital amount at the start. The robot becomes a fixed asset on the books, while service, repairs and software support arrive as separate costs. Finance teams then compare one big request against operating lines that are hard to forecast, and the uncertain lines tend to surface during the busiest weeks.

A three-year lease changes the shape of that conversation. The cost sits in a steady operating line for the term, so the question moves from how much capital to find now to how many hours the robot must cover across three years to justify its place in the operation. That shift matters most for mid-sized sites that cannot easily absorb a large one-time request.

The model only works as well as its bundle. A lease that leaves service to a separate contract rebuilds the old problem under a new label. Compare robot lease options by what they include, not only by how the lease is structured.

Why non-sale models are gaining ground

IFR's stated rationale is that non-sale models make automation more accessible, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, and let companies scale robotic operations as demand changes. For a facility team, the second half of that sentence carries the weight. A new shift, a larger floor or an added building can bring in units without a fresh capital request.

The IFR's 2025 report, published in October 2025, cited non-sale fleet growth of 31% to more than 24,500 units, and it also cited 42% growth in non-sale models in 2024. Those figures describe earlier periods, so treat them as evidence of direction rather than a clean trend line.

A supplier also gains from the arrangement. When it keeps a unit in service for the length of a lease, it has a reason to keep that unit working, which is one reason financing and service tend to travel together.

How a fixed quote after a site assessment works

At Service Robot Co., we are an OEM-neutral integrator. We pick the right robots across manufacturers, then lease them through financing, deploy, integrate, train and service every unit under RoboCare, our service program, backed by regional service engineers in every state we service. One vendor covers the lifecycle instead of six.

Our 3-year robot lease starts with a site assessment, and the customer receives one fixed quote afterward. The assessment comes first, so the number reflects the floor, the traffic, the charging spots and the hours the robot must cover, not a guess drawn from a catalog.

Risk, downtime and what the fixed quote covers

A fixed quote moves cost uncertainty for the term into a single document. It does not remove the operational risk of a robot that stops mid-shift. That risk is handled through service terms, so the quote should be read alongside the response commitments attached to it.

Ask how the quote handles a unit out of service, what coverage applies during that time, and how the site keeps working while a repair is done. Those answers belong in writing before signature, not in a sales conversation after go-live.

Where the survey data stops

Four limits matter. First, IFR's service robot figures come from a sample of 238 suppliers, and the IFR states that the data is not projected to the whole industry. Second, the summaries we reviewed give no US supplier share or revenue breakdown, so the US finding cannot be sized.

Third, we found no global percentage split between traditional sales and non-sale models for 2025. The claim that sales remain the largest model rests on IFR's qualitative wording. Fourth, the survey describes how suppliers sell, not what a given lease costs or how it fits your site. The IFR's full supplier chapter is the place to confirm any US detail before it reaches a board memo.

Questions to put to a lease quote before approval

A lease quote is only as useful as the terms behind it. Before a finance committee approves one, get written answers to these points:

None of these answers depends on survey data. They depend on your site, your hours and the paperwork, which is where a sound lease decision gets made.

• What the three-year term covers beyond the robot, including deployment, integration, training and RoboCare service.
• How service response works when a unit stops during a shift, and what coverage applies while it is out of service.
• How the quote responds if floor area or operating hours change during the term.
• What the end of the term requires, including condition checks and the steps for renewal or return.