Denso Wave vs FANUC: Industrial arms & cobots compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

FANUC ranks 6 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 94; Denso Wave ranks 59 with 81. FANUC is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress and positioning. Level on technology, firepower and leverage. Denso Wave is based in Agui, Japan, FANUC in Oshino, Japan. FANUC: Public, founded 1972. Denso Wave is named in 0 signals and FANUC in 111.

Denso Wave →

Agui, Aichi, Japan · Robotics · Systems / Industrial arms & cobots · denso-wave.com

Denso Wave develops COBOTTA products and launched COBOTTA LAB Modules, placing it in industrial collaborative robot systems. Its QR Code Calibration and monitoring capability also supports RC9/COBOTTA robot controllers.

Robotics 100 · rank 59 · score 81

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment8
Production8
Commercials8
Progress6
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower10
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED is a Denso Corporation subsidiary (75% owned) that develops, manufactures and sells automatic identification equipment (originator of QR Code), compact industrial robots and cobots (COBOTTA, COBOTTA PRO, VS/HSR/VMB series), programmable controllers and IoT systems. For the year ended March 31 2026 it reported 49.4 billion yen sales (company primary source; FA/robot products 24%). In August 2025 it began providing the modular laboratory automation system COBOTTA LAB Modules, with software updates (QR calibration January 2025) and exhibitions through 2026. Distinguishing combination of auto-ID heritage with high-speed compact robots drawn from Denso production technology.

Facts, with sources

  • JPY 49400000000denso-wave.com
  • 100-500mprtimes.jp
  • COBOTTA LAB Modulesprtimes.jp

8 facts on file.

FANUC →

Oshino, Yamanashi, Japan · Robotics · Systems / Industrial arms & cobots · Public · founded 1972 · www.fanuc.co.jp

FANUC builds and supplies industrial robot arms, collaborative robots, welding and painting robots, and integrated robotic automation systems for manufacturing, machining, assembly and material handling.

Robotics 100 · rank 6 · score 94AI Core · discarded · score 88

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment10
Production10
Commercials10
Progress10
Technology8
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

FANUC is a Japanese industrial-automation leader ($7.2B group in robotics and CNC) with robot capacity of 11,000/month (actual ~8,000/month) and 750,000 cumulative robots (as of 2021). It is a structurally dominant arm and CNC maker. Current unit output and recent dated events were not captured this pass beyond the IFR capacity data.

Latest signals

  • FANUC demonstrated its generative-AI-powered Physical AI CNC system at JIMTOF2026.MONOist (ITmedia)
  • FANUC and Microsoft are integrating factory-floor and enterprise data through Copilot.MONOist (ITmedia)
  • FANUC America opened the FANUC Training Academy in Auburn Hills, Michigan as the largest U.S. corporate robot and industrial automation education center.Robot News

111 signals name FANUC.

Facts, with sources

  • Technology demonstrated for importing robot motion simulations from ROBOGUIDE into NVIDIA Isaac SimThe Robot Report
  • Setco’s robotic spindle demonstrated in a FANUC machining system at IMTS 2026.RoboticsTomorrow
  • Setco’s robotic spindle showcased at IMTS 2026www.roboticstomorrow.com — 2026-09-14

136 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Denso Wave or FANUC: which is ahead in robotics?

FANUC ranks 6 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 94; Denso Wave ranks 59 with 81. FANUC is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress and positioning. Level on technology, firepower and leverage. Denso Wave is based in Agui, Japan, FANUC in Oshino, Japan. FANUC: Public, founded 1972. Denso Wave is named in 0 signals and FANUC in 111.

How do Denso Wave and FANUC compare?

FANUC ranks 6 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 94; Denso Wave ranks 59 with 81. FANUC is ahead on deployment, production, commercials, progress and positioning. Level on technology, firepower and leverage. Denso Wave is based in Agui, Japan, FANUC in Oshino, Japan. FANUC: Public, founded 1972. Denso Wave is named in 0 signals and FANUC in 111. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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