It should be good times for the next 5 years for all types of robotic picking systems (e.g., Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), robotic picking arms, etc.) in terms of both units sold and revenue generated).
That according to an updated forecast from the researchers at Interact Analysis, which tracks the warehouse automation market closely.
According to Interact, units sales of robotic picking systems globally will grow at a rate of 42% annually from 2023 through 2030, In absolute terms, the research firm says that in 2023, 2,286 units of picking robots were sold worldwide (excluding Amazon), with this figure forecast to jump to 26,599 (excluding Amazon) by 2030.
In dollar terms, Interact says that in 2023, the robotic picking system market was about $303 million, with the market expected to grow a huge tenfold to $3.3 billion by 2030. That comes from projected growth of 20% annually over the period. (See graphic below.)
What’s driving that rapid growth? Interact not surprisingly cites an increase in warehouse labor costs as the dominant factor, with companies increasingly turning to automation as part of the antidote to the labor coat woes.
Other key factors in the growth of picking robots include rapid technological developments by the robot makers, with 50% of them started within the past five years and more OEMs entering the market each year.
That vendor growth is being fueled by a strong environment for funding robot startups. Interact says that 2024, robotic picking vendors have cumulatively secured a total of $2.6 billion in investments.
Interacts’ bullish forecast for the order picking market is actually down a bit from its previos projection. That, the company says, was the result of a series of factors, which include: a reduced estimate of full-time equivalent workers (FTEs) performing static manipulation tasks; supply side uncertainty caused by some suppliers facing closures or acquisitions between 2023 and 2024; and a global slowdown in investment growth across the wider warehouse automation market.
(See More Below)
|
CATEGORY SPONSOR: SOFTEON |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Still, 42% growth in unit sales for the next five years must have many providers being positive about their chances.
Interestingly, Interact finds that customers have lately been less attracted to Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) pricing models, which usually involve a monthly subscription fee, in favor of CapEx purchasing models.
Interact says that there was a decline in RaaS deployments in 2023.
Rueben Scriven, research manager at Interact Analysis, had another interesting observation, saying that “Case picking has exhibited a faster adoption rate than each picking, reflecting a wider industry trend towards investing in automation for upstream distribution centers which typically handle pallets and cases, rather than downstream fulfillment centers which are more likely to handle eaches.
Any reaction to this report from Interact? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback section below.
|
