More than 500,000 mobile robots will be shipped to warehouses worldwide by 2030
The supply chain industry has ramped up efforts to automate warehouses, driven by the e-commerce boom and labor shortages. Alongside solutions such as voice picking with headsets and exoskeletons that reduce human effort, mobile robots have become the most common option for boosting productivity in the warehouse sector.
Warehouse automation is the process of automating the movement of inventory into warehouses, within them, and out to customers with minimal human involvement. As part of an automation project, a business can eliminate labor-intensive tasks involving repetitive physical work as well as manual data entry and analysis.
For example, a warehouse worker can load an autonomous mobile robot with heavy packages. The robot moves inventory from one end of the warehouse to the shipping area, while software tracks the movement of that inventory and keeps all records up to date. These robots improve the efficiency, speed, reliability and accuracy of any task.
Categories of warehouse automation:
- Basic warehouse automation: this type of automation involves simple technology that helps people perform tasks that would otherwise require more manual labor.
- Warehouse systems automation: this type uses software, machine learning, robotics and data analytics to automate tasks and procedures.
- Mechanized warehouse automation: this type uses robotic equipment and systems that help people carry out warehouse tasks and procedures.
- Advanced warehouse automation: this type combines mechanized warehouse robotics and automation systems that can replace labor-intensive human processes.
According to ABI Research, a global technology market consulting firm, the compound annual growth rate of worldwide mobile robot shipments to warehouses will be nearly 40% from 2021 to 2030, exceeding 500,000 global shipments in 2030.
“Productivity technologies can deliver much higher return on investment when properly combined with other technologies. For example, by combining location tracking data with a voice solution, warehouses using a Warehouse Execution System (WES) can optimize workflows by minimizing the distance traveled depending on where the worker is”
Besides mobile robotics, solutions such as automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) have also grown rapidly. Led by innovators such as Swisslog, Bastian Solutions and Körber, the global AS/RS industry is projected to exceed $18 billion by 2030, growing 9% annually from 2021 to 2030.
AS/RS consists of multiple computer-controlled systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined storage locations, making it ideal for the large volumes of goods moved into and out of storage. This trend is consistent with the fact that the logistics sector has seen high volumes over the past year. Global parcel volume reached 95 billion in 2020. It is expected to double by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 14% from 2020 to 2026.
“As the shift to robotics takes place in busier warehouses, manual workflows can be automated, or workflows traditionally performed by highly specialized and inflexible machines may soon be handled by robots that can be moved and retrained as needed”
All of these findings are drawn from ABI Research's Smart Warehousing market data report. This report is part of the company's supply chain management and logistics research service, which includes research, data and ABI Insights. The market data spreadsheets contain detailed information, market share analysis and highly segmented forecasts for specific services, providing a detailed understanding of where opportunities are emerging.
ABI Research provides actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators and decision-makers worldwide. Our research focuses on transformative technologies that are fundamentally reshaping industries, economies and the workforce. ABI Research's global team of analysts publishes pioneering research, often years ahead of other technology consulting firms, enabling clients to get ahead of their markets and competitors.
Naturally, all of the above raises an obvious question: how will the process of replacing people in jobs with automation end? Will humanity find new professions to replace those given to robots? The pace of robotization across various sectors is plain to see, but no one can yet predict the consequences of such progress.
