With increased robot orders of 45%, the automotive industry was the primary growth driver in 2014. North American companies ordered a total of 27,685 robots valued at $1.6 billion during 2014. The fastest-growing application for robots is welding at almost 60% growth. It is expected that manufacturers will significantly increase their use of robots over the next decade. By 2025, it’s expected that 1.2 million additional advanced robots are expected to be deployed in the U.S. USA Today had the story.