Mobile robots occupy warehouses: more than 500,000 by 2030

The supply chain industry is accelerating the automation of warehouses, given the boom in e-commerce and labor shortages. In addition to solutions such as voice picking and exoskeletons that take some of the burden off of people, mobile robots have become the most common solution for increasing productivity in the warehouse.

According to consultancy ABI Research, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of global mobile warehouse robot shipments will reach 40% between 2021 and 2030, meaning that more than half a million mobile robots will be in warehouses around the world by the end of the decade.

In addition to mobile robotics, sales of solutions such as automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS) systems are also booming. Analysts expect the market, led by companies such as Swisslog, Bastian Solutions and Körber, to exceed $18 billion by 2030 - representing a 9% CAGR growth over the period under review.

The RS segment includes various computer-controlled systems for the automatic placement and retrieval of goods from specific storage locations, ideal for large volumes of goods moving in and out of storage.

According to statistics, 95 billion shipments were delivered worldwide last year. This volume is expected to double by 2026, with an average annual growth rate of 14% over the period under review.

All of this raises a legitimate question: How will the process of pushing people out of the workplace in favour of automation end? Will humanity find new professions to replace those given over to robots?

Of course, progress has already made unnecessary, for example, lantern operators and representatives of this profession are not left. But there were not so many of them, and progress was not so rapid. Today the rate of robotization in various spheres is visible to the naked eye, and no one thinks of the consequences yet.

Source: abiresearch

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