NEW DELHI, Sept. 19, 2024 -- According to LogisticsIQ's latest report (5th edition), Warehouse Automation Market is expected to grow to $55 Billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 15% between 2024 and 2030. The drivers of growth are the growth in the e-commerce industry, multichannel distribution channels, digital services, increasing e-grocery penetration and dark stores, globalization of supply chain networks, emergence of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and increasing demand for same day / same hour delivery.
Market Trends and Key Drivers
- E-Commerce Boom and Its Impact on Logistics
The exponential growth of the e-commerce industry has significantly transformed the $5 trillion global logistics industry. Online retail requires more complex logistical processes, including individual picking, packing, and shipping, which contrasts with the bulk transportation model of brick-and-mortar retail. This surge in online retail, coupled with the increasing need for faster delivery times, is putting immense pressure on logistics providers to automate. - Challenges and Market Conditions (2021-2025)
In 2021, warehouse automation companies had a huge order intake, however, revenue growth was constrained by supply chain disruptions. Thus, the industry entered in 2022 with a backlog of orders, which was eventually reduced by 2023 due to macroeconomic uncertainties. In 2024, order volumes began to rise again, but cautious capital expenditure from retailers slowed down investments due to inflation, low consumer spending, and geopolitical tensions. We expect order volumes expected to rebound in 2025 as retailers aim to meet increasing consumer demand. - Emerging Technologies and Market Players
The past few years have seen the emergence of cutting-edge technologies like automated picking systems, mobile manipulators, and automated cold storage solutions. Significant investments in companies like Symbotic, Geek+, Fabric, and Exotec Solutions reflect this growth. At the same time, established players such as Dematic, Honeywell Intelligrated, SSI Schafer, and Toyota Advanced Logistics continue to innovate. Additionally, major retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Amazon, Ocado, and Carrefour are actively adopting these technologies to enhance their supply chain capabilities. - Apart this, piece picking players such as Righthand Robotics, Nimble, Fizyr, Kindred, Covariant, OSARO, Plus One Robotics, Berkshire Grey, and AWL have established a new attractive capability for order picking in ecommerce fulfillment as picking is least automated process in existing warehouses.
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Industry Consolidation in Warehouse Automation Market
Over the last decade, the warehouse automation market has experienced significant consolidation. Traditional industry players are acquiring innovative technology leaders to stay competitive and address evolving market demands. Notable examples include:
- Rockwell Automation's acquisition of Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors
- Zebra's acquisition of Fetch Robotics
- Toyota's acquisition of Vanderlande, Bastian Solutions and ViaStore
- Honeywell's acquisition of Intelligrated and Transnorm
- Jungheinrich acquired Magazino and Arculus
- SSI Schafer acquired DS Automotion
- ABB acquired ASTI Mobile Robotics and Sevensense
- KPI Solutions acquired Kuecker Logistics Group, Pulse Integration, QC Software
- Körber acquired Cohesio Group, Siemens Logistics, HighJump
- Teradyne acquired MiR, Energid, AutoGuide Mobile Robots
These mergers and acquisitions reflect the ongoing shift towards automation and the integration of cutting-edge technologies across the supply chain.
Read full report on the Warehouse Automation Market Size, Growth, Share, Trends, and Forecast
Key Markets and Growth Opportunities
- Top Markets: The United States, China, and Germany account for more than 50% of the demand for warehouse automation, with strong market penetration in Europe, particularly in Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. Western Europe represents around 30% of the global market. Emerging markets in APAC, particularly in India and Southeast Asia, are also showing strong growth potential, as are regions like the Middle East and Latin America.
- Emerging opportunities: Latin America is still under-penetrated with regards to automation; however, things are set to change and market is set to observe a high growth in Brazil and Mexico. Within Europe, Central and Eastern Europe is a fast-growing region, with Poland and Czech Republic emerging as logistics hub and showing good growth prospects.
- Grocery Industry: The grocery sector is a key area for warehouse automation, driven by the need for high-frequency deliveries and the growing demand for online grocery services. Grocery distributors ship high cubic volumes of merchandise to retail stores with frequent deliveries to ensure product freshness. Grocery distribution center operations are amongst the most labour intensive of any industry. Grocery automation market is expected to reach over $7 billion by 2030.
- AGV and AMR Market Growth: The market for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is projected to experience rapid growth, with a CAGR of over 20% by 2030. AMRs, which can operate without external guidance systems like optical tape or sensors, are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of deployment in existing warehouse infrastructures.
- We expect AGVs/AMRs to have more than 20% market share by 2030 in this market led by players such as Seegrid, Balyo, Hai Robotics, Geek+, GreyOrange, HikRobot, Quicktron, Locus Robotics, Fetch Robotics (Zebra), 6 River Systems (Ocado), Teradyne (MiR, AutoGuide Mobile Robots), Rocla, JBT, ek-robotics, Omron, Rockwell Automation (Clearpath Robotics, OTTO Motors). We further see more consolidation and M&A in the mobile robots space as larger System integrators look to complete their product portfolios.
Order Picking and Automation Trends
- Manual vs. Automated Picking: The order picking process remains one of the most labor-intensive tasks in the warehouse, especially in e-commerce fulfillment. While manual picking is still preferred for operations with a large variety of SKUs, automated picking systems and robotic solutions are gaining traction. Technologies such as RFID, pick-to-light, and pick-to-voice systems help improve efficiency even in semi-automated environments.
- Piece Picking Robots: Companies such as Righthand Robotics, Berkshire Grey, Osaro, and Covariant are leading the charge in developing piece picking robots that are ideal for e-commerce fulfillment. These robots significantly reduce labor costs and increase throughput, offering a high return on investment for businesses.
What will you get in this report?
- 500+ Pages, 290+ Exhibits and 350+ Market tables for
- 7 major Industry Verticals (eCommerce, Grocery, General Merchandise, Apparel, Food & Beverage, 3PL, Wholesale)
- 10 Technologies (Mobile Robots, AS/RS, Conveyors, Sortation, Order Picking, Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Palletizing and Depalletizing Robots, Overhead systems, Software (Warehouse Management, Warehouse Execution, and Warehouse Control), and MRO services.
- 6 regions and 28 countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Nordics, China, Japan, India, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico)
- Pivot-friendly Excel file with 350+ market tables including forecast till 2030
- In-depth analysis of 700 companies in the ecosystem with more than 140+ company profiles
- Focus Group Discussion with 100+ key industry stakeholders across the value chain to collect the first-hand information to validate our analysis
- 2 Analyst Sessions to brainstorm further
- Investment details with 150+ M&A and 750+ funding deals
- LogisticsIQ™ Exclusive Market Map (~700 Players across 15+ categories)
About LogisticsIQ
LogisticsIQ is a dedicated market research and advisory firm in Logistics & Supply Chain sector, empowering decision makers from top fortune 1000 companies, financial and research institutions, private equity and high potential start-ups with market insights to make better decisions. We enable this by analysing the right mix of the best data, the best research methodologies, and the best industry panel to deliver value to our clients.
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