Supply Chain Research

Industrial robot maker Fanuc expects its earnings to drop by 24% in the coming year, citing in part risks from a China-U.S. trade war. The robotics industry is exposed given both machines and components are included in America’s section 301 list of duties that may be applied to Chinese goods. However, almost all of Fanuc’s U.S.-bound shipments came from Japan in the past year. Notably they fell 9% in the first quarter on a year earlier after improving for seven straight quarters. The direct impact overall on U.S. robotics imports will be minimal as China accounted for just 3% of deliveri...