Anyone following supply chain news in recent years has undoubtedly noticed the warehousing sector’s rapid adoption of robotics, and data shows that trend won’t slow down any time soon.
In 2021, VC-backed startups in the robotics sector received triple the amount of investment than the year before. The year 2022 has been a little slower but has already seen upwards of $5 billion.
In April of this year, Amazon announced plans to create a $1 billion Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund with the intention of investing in businesses in the customer fulfillment, logistics, and supply chain sectors. Warehouse robotics startups have been among its early investments, including California-based Mantis Robotics, Oregon-based Agility Robotics, and Israel-based BionicHIVE.
Technology market advisory firm ABI Research released a report last year detailing continued significant growth for the warehouse robotics market, led by its projection that global revenue for commercial warehouse robots will reach $51 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 23% beginning in 2021.
"The warehousing industry has ramped up its automation efforts considering the increased order volume and labor shortages fueled by the pandemic,” the report summary stated. "In addition to technology solutions such as augmented reality-powered smart glasses and handheld devices with enhanced capabilities, autonomous, collaborative, and mobile robots are proving to be the most popular and fastest-growing productivity-enhancing solution in the warehouse workspace.”
The report elaborated that commercial warehouse robots have moved far beyond their initial "exploration” phase. Early adopters of the technology are now relying heavily on robots as key parts of their facility operations following significant improvements in software and integration. ABI analysts added that software vendors now offer enhanced performance metrics that facility operators can use to maximize their robotic fleets.
