The Association for Advancing Automation said robot purchases across North America in the second quarter rose to 12,305, up 25 per cent from the same period last year, marking the third consecutive quarter of record sales. (The Logic)

Talking point: Despite a tough economic environment with record job vacancies and rising costs, businesses seem to be ready to invest in automation. The automotive industry has long been the frontrunner of robot purchases and represented 59 per cent of orders in the quarter ​​from April through June. But over the last few years, food, consumer goods and life sciences businesses have adopted the machines at higher rates, said the association’s president, Jeff Burnstein, in a press release. The trend shows “the ongoing need to automate warehouse logistics for handling the exploding growth of e-commerce,” Burnstein said.