The food & beverage sector is another high-level adopter of mobile robots. Within this segment there is a large number of cases and pallets which need to be moved, a task well suited for a robot to complete. It is a sector with very predictable end demand, said Sharma, and there is a growing direct-to-consumer model occurring, all of which lends itself to growing use of mobile robots.
Mobile robot revenue potential is strong in the semiconductor manufacturing sector as well. Trade wars are moving production away from China and Taiwan, he said, and there is a greater emphasis on eliminating as much manual labor as possible in this industry because of the high material costs associated with semiconductors.
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Larger Robot Payloads Expanding Use Cases
The payload capabilities of AMR conveyors are increasing, enabling customers to move more material around their facilities. Initial robot designs provided 500 kg carrying capacity and now some are up to 1,500 kg.
Sharma said there are two main factors driving robot manufacturers to increase the carrying capacity of their products – one is that it offsets price declines because they can offer customers more for their money by enabling them to move more material; the other is the fact they can be used across more workflows because they are getting bigger and more capable.
The ability to now use a mobile robot in various areas of a facility is helping drive their large-scale adoption.
Automated Fork Trucks Present a Major Opportunity
Sharma said automated fork trucks is a major opportunity area for the mobile robot industry. Through 2027, market penetration for these types of robots is projected to be less than 2% based on current trends.
As with other segments of the industry, the need to lower labor costs as well as the lack of skilled labor will drive growth of the market which is projected to be worth $3.5 billion over the next 3 years. The need for increased safety in facilities and accuracy, and the ever increasing need to move more material will help drive the market as well.
Fork trucks are used to move a range of materials around facilities, especially large, heavy items and so further uptake of automated options could greatly benefit the productivity of various operations.
Although not every fork truck is going to be replaced by an automated version, said Sharma, in those situations where these vehicles are highly utilized it may make sense to do so.
