Market Trends of Warehouse Automation Industry
Retail to Have a Significant Growth
- Warehouse automation is used in various retail activities, including e-commerce and grocery. For warehouses, automation has multiple advantages, from boosting production to lowering labor-related risks. E-commerce warehouse automation consists of implementing technologies in logistics facilities to boost operational performance. According to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, Total e-commerce sales for 2022 were USD 1,034.1 billion, an increase of 7.7 percent (±0.4%) from 2021. Total retail sales in 2022 increased by 8.1 percent (±0.9%) from 2021.
- To address this massive demand, warehouse automation is rapidly expanding to transform manual warehouses into automated fulfillment operations, which are proving vital to meeting customer demand at scale while managing operating costs in the future. Currently, many retailers are increasingly implementing warehouse automation solutions that seek to handle the growing scale and complexity of their e-commerce logistics operations and meet the ever-increasing demand of their customers more quickly and cost-effectively.
- A retail warehouse can be outfitted with various automated solutions to carry out all tasks, from automatic handling equipment for storing products to digital systems that maximize product organization. Big retailers are utilizing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and the next level of automation-automated mobile robots (AMRs)-working alongside workers to simplify the fulfillment operations of their e-commerce and omnichannel facilities.
- Moreover, to meet the rapidly expanding e-commerce sector and consider the lessons learned from the worldwide pandemic, leading retailers strive to make warehouses responsive, resilient, and dependable. For instance, in April 2022, Amazon established the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund (AIIF), a USD 1 billion startup funding program that will be used to "spur supply chain, fulfillment, and logistics innovation," focusing on automation and workplace robotics.
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Asia-Pacific is Expected to Hold Significant Share
- The market for warehouse automation in the Asia-Pacific is expanding significantly due to the rising number of industries in the region and their integration with automation to increase the return on investment (ROI). The Asia-Pacific warehouse automation is predicted to be dominated by China with the growing production, sales, and trade of automation products.
- Moreover, The warehouse automation industry is expected to benefit from China's dominance in the manufacturing sector as the Chinese government plans to transform China from a manufacturing giant to a global manufacturing power under the national plan "Made in China 2025". This plan includes strengthening Chinese robot suppliers and further surging their market shares in China and abroad.
- The demand for warehouse automation includes an automated supply chain, further supported by favorable investments. The country has been marked with several investments to further the market's growth studied, with major key players expanding into the region and introducing funds by venture capitalists in emerging start-ups with potential.
- Manufacturing has emerged as one of the high-growth sectors in India as well. For instance, the Make in India program places India on the world map as a significant manufacturing hub and provides global recognition to the Indian economy. The Made in India campaign has bolstered multiple new launches in industrial robots in the country, thus driving opportunities for warehouse automation.
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