Based on the latest research conducted by FMI, the global automated material handling systems market is expected to register a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period. In 2023, the market valuation is expected to be USD 34 billion. By 2033, the value is anticipated to surpass USD 81.8 billion.
The growth rate of the market is supported by some factors mentioned below.
Due to the thriving e-commerce industry, the market share is predicted to expand at an exponential rate throughout the forecast period. With customers preferring online shopping, their needs evolving, and severe rivalry among online retailers, the demand for automated material handling systems is expected to surge.
Automated material handling systems can handle a wide range of product stock keeping units (SKUs), huge SKU ranges, and lead time in the e-commerce market. This enables e-commerce businesses to efficiently meet rising customer demand. As online shoppers' preferences for customized and personalized products grow, e-commerce enterprises are finding it increasingly difficult to fulfill complicated requests using manual methods.
Customers also want these customized purchases to be delivered at reasonable rates and at the same time as standard orders. Due to the growing popularity of customized orders, manufacturers have been improving the efficiency of their picking and sorting operations.
Asia Pacific is expected to hold the dominant market share during the forecast period. Soaring industrial automation application, adoption of robots by leading countries including China and Japan is expected to surge the market share. The expansive e-commerce industry is also driving Asia Pacific's automated material handling systems market share.
In December 2021, KION Group established a new forklift truck manufacturing facility in China to provide supply chain solutions. Furthermore, governments in the Asia Pacific region are emphasizing a lot on workplace protection and reliability. This is effectively accomplished by integrating automated material handling equipment with the daily operations.
| Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
| Automated Material Handling Systems Market Value (2022) | USD 28.8 billion |
| Automated Material Handling Systems Market Expected Value (2023) | USD 34 billion |
| Automated Material Handling Systems Market Forecast Value (2033) | USD 81.8 billion |
| Automated Material Handling Systems Market Expected CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 9.2% |
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With businesses worldwide looking to automate their functions and deliver the products before the estimated time, the market is in for robust growth. With the growing e-commerce sector, and key players investing huge amounts for improvising logistics, it is expected that sales of automated material handling systems would surge. However, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in a shortage of raw materials which are useful for the manufacturing of this equipment.
This led to a price rise, as a result of which the sales saw a dip. On these lines, the researchers have opined that the anticipated CAGR may take a dip. The historical CAGR for the market was 12.2%, while the anticipated CAGR is 9.2%.
Short-term (2023 to 2026): This period would be all about gathering the momentum. After recovering from a near economic collapse, the manufacturers would be looking to regroup. By assisting end users specifically to improve the value chain, providing utmost safety, and ensuring minimum labor interference, the demand for these systems would increase.
Medium-term (2026 to 2029): During this timeframe, the market might see more and more buyers owing to the ability to make use of Near Field Communication. The establishment of this wireless technology on a large-scale basis would assist the manufacturers in identifying materials. This would save loads of time, as manufacturers can employ the labor on other aspects, and the technology involved would make the process of sorting faster. This coupled with the implementation of IoT would make the material handling systems way more precise and fast paced.
Long-term (2029 to 2033): The market would certainly carry forward from where it left in terms of growth during this period. Complete automation may certainly lead to the ignorance of certain important characteristics, which can only be accomplished through human intelligence. Owing to this, the market might witness the rise of cobots. Known to work in synchronization with human beings, the cobots have the ability to increase the precision of business. Instead of following a pattern, these can achieve agile transformation whenever required, which would certainly change the fate of any business for good.
Owing to the rising popularity of customized orders, producers and logistics companies have started enhancing the effectiveness and frequency of their picking and sorting operations. Furthermore, because of the added sophistication, the collection and processing of personalized orders increase the likelihood of errors.
Automated material handling solutions, such as robotic pickers, ASRS, AGV, automated sorters, and conveyors, handle customized orders more quickly, while also increasing accuracy.
Due to the commencement of COVID-19, theautomated material handling equipment marketis growing primarily due to increased demand for ASRS in the e-commerce industry. Many businesses, includinghealthcare, e-commerce,and food and beverage, have adjusted their operations. Global demand for industrial and consumer goods has risen as well.
The marketgrowth is projected to be hampered by the high operating and maintenance costs.Automationin the production process necessitates seamless operations, which results in greater operating expenses. Increasing preference for rentingequipmentmay also hamper the overall growth.
Small and medium-sized businessesplay an important role in a country's economic growth.SMEs assist businesses with the raw materials and components they require. TheseSMEs'supply chains rely heavily on material handling operations. The large upfront expenses of deployingautomated material handling systems, on the other hand, preventSMEsfrom fully automating their supply chain processes.
Some key businesses reduce their initial expenses by rentingindustrialvehicles, leasingequipment, or purchasing usedequipment. This as well is anticipated to stymie newequipmentpurchases.
| Region | North America |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 9% |
| Region | Europe |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 8.2% |
| Region | Asia Pacific |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 8.6% |
| Region | Asia Pacific |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 7.7% |
| Region | Asia Pacific |
|---|---|
| Country | South Korea |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 6.9% |
In the United States, there are regulations based on a maximum weight a worker can lift. However, with the application of automated material handling systems, no such restrictions are imposed. They can lift weights worth hundreds of kilos, without any breaks, as a result of which the output increases by more than 5x times.
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| United States Market Expected Size (2033) | USD 18.6 billion |
| United States Market Absolute Dollar Growth | USD 10.7 billion |
| CAGR % 2017 to 2022 | 11.8% |
The IoT market in the United States is currently growing at a rapid pace. As per the estimates, the IoT market in the country is expected to surge at a CAGR of 23%. IoT is being increasingly implemented in these handling systems, as these help in maintaining the coherence of the material handling systems with various processes.
United Kingdom is mainly meant for its stringent measures on quality control. The ability to reduce contamination happens to be one of the most important criteria. The automated material handling systems work particularly well in the environments which are sensitive to even the small particles in the air. Thus, the deployment of these systems can assist the units achieve certification of class 1000, or even class 10. This also leads to lower levels of contamination.
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom Market Expected Size (2033) | USD 3.7 billion |
| United Kingdom Market Absolute Dollar Growth | USD 2 billion |
| CAGR % 2017 to 2022 | 10.8% |
The stakeholders in the United Kingdom are also spell bound by the ability to carry out their tasks independently. This had led to improvement in cycle times, as a result of which the operators can be assigned to other important areas of the business.
China is the market leader when it comes to the e-commerce market. In 2022, China reported sales worth USD 2 trillion. This is despite the fact that the country reported massive losses in a lot of sectors. The material handling system is used in the e-commerce sector, as it helps in the transportation of goods. Moreover, these systems also help in the automation of processes, which drastically reduces the order processing time.
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| China Market Expected Size (2033) | USD 5.6 billion |
| China Market Absolute Dollar Growth | USD 3.1 billion |
| CAGR % 2017 to 2022 | 11.4% |
In the processes that involve manufacturing at a large scale, the automated material handling systems have the ability to identify the missing material. As the Chinese manufacturers are known for scaling up the production capacity, such capabilities would certainly help the businesses grow.
The upgrade of warehouse facilities and increased outsourcing of logistics activities to the Japanese players is expected to propel the market growth. Apart from that, Japan is also meant for its massive semiconductor market.
In 2021, the semiconductor market in Japan generated a revenue of more than USD 45 billion, and the market is expected to grow at a robust rate of 16.3%. The material handling equipment is mainly used in the assembly of the semiconductors. These also help to load and unload work in process parts from one or more storage units. These factors are expected to drive the automated material handling equipment market.
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Japan Market Expected Size (2033) | USD 4.6 billion |
| Japan Market Absolute Dollar Growth | USD 2.4 billion |
| CAGR % 2017 to 2022 | 10.3% |
The South Korea supply chain management market is expected to showcase above-average growth after a couple of years of hibernation. The application of automated material handling systems helps push, store, and retrieve these materials. Moreover, South Korea is one of those nations which is at the forefront of the industry 4.0 revolution.
Industry 4.0 is expected to drive the South Korean economy, as it is adopted by the manufacturing sector, which contributes nearly 30% to the GDP. The automated material handling systems are expected to be an essential part of industry 4.0, as the concept is entirely based on automation.
| Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| South Korea Market Expected Size (2033) | USD 2.7 billion |
| South Korea Market Absolute Dollar Growth | USD 1.3 billion |
| CAGR % 2017 to 2022 | 8.9% |
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| Segment | Product |
|---|---|
| Attributes | WMS |
| CAGR (2017 to 2022) | 12% |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 8.9% |
| Segment | System Type |
|---|---|
| Attributes | Unit Load |
| CAGR (2017 to 2022) | 11.8% |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 8.6% |
The WMS segment is expected to be highly preferred during the forecast period. The warehouse management system is believed to be one of the most crucial aspects of the business to link the supply chain processes.
These also make use of software, which tends to increase the efficiency by making use of barcode technology, mobile computing, and web-based applications. The manufacturers are on a mission to automate manual processes and capture data. This has led to the development of automated WMS, which helps in inventory control as well.
According to system load evaluation, theunit load sub-segmentis predicted to increase at a high rate. This can be attributed to thee-commerce industry'sexpansion. The unit load enables the simultaneoushandlingof many commodities, resulting in shorter order lead times and loweroperational costs.
The pallet, which is the most common form of unit load platform, assists in the transportation and storage of goods. Most importantly, the unit load assists in increasing the space, and in a lot of cases, this increases the warehouse value as well.
The new players in the market are solving shortcomings in the short-haul logistics by implementing a robot-as-a-service business model. Robotic solutions are being developed for improving short-haul routes, which considerably reduces forklift labor. These also improve the lead time in the logistics.
Ware: The start-up has been providing an enterprise-grade supply chain digitization platform. Ware has been building technology at the intersection of robotics and machine learning, thereby leveraging the power of drones to transform the way warehouses tracks inventory. In October 2020, Ware raised USD 2.5 million in seed funding. The team said that it would make use of these funds to further its artificial intelligence capabilities.
The key players operating in the market are accelerating their efforts to achieve a decarbonized society. These actions are expected to work in tandem with the sustainability action plan developed by the manufacturers.
Owing to this, they have started working towards developing photovoltaic systems, switching to renewable energy plans, etc. In December 2022, Daifuku had accelerated company wide efforts to achieve decarbonized society. Shiga Works, which is Daifuku’s core manufacturing plant, had already transitioned to 100% renewable energy.
Key developments in the market:
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
| Kion Group | Kion Group employs nearly 40,000 workers. With more than 1.6 million forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, the company has been generating buzz in the market. Over 8,000 installed systems of various sizes were used by customers. With operations in more than 100 countries, the solutions offered by the company improve the flow of material and information within factories and warehouses. Kion Group is the dominant manufacturer of forklift trucks in Europe. The company is also the world’s leading provider of warehouse automation. |
| Daifuku | Daifuku has always focused on material handling since 1937. The world-class systems operate by combining conveying, storage, sorting, picking, and controls. The company is not only a world-class manufacturer, but a system integrator as well. This enables Daifuku to provide total support ranging from consulting to tele-sales. The company has been into providing remote monitoring of equipment operation and preventive maintenance services. On an industry level, Daifuku has been providing services for intralogistics, cleanroom, automotive, airport, auto wash, and electronics sector. |
| Toyota Industries | Toyota Industries was founded in 1926 to manufacture and sell automatic looms. Since then, the company has diversified and expanded the scope of its business domain to include textile machinery, automobiles, materials handling equipment, etc. Toyota Industries has always nurtured the inventiveness of its employees. The company also seeks to create a climate of cooperation, so that the employees and companies can realize their full potential. |
The unavailability of sufficient infrastructure remains a significant challenge for service providers.
The automated material handling systems could register a 9.2% CAGR through 2033.
The key drivers are the growing e-commerce market, and the adoption of robots.
Total sales are projected to create USD 81.8 billion revenue opportunity by 2033.
Sales of such systems in Japan could increase at 16.3% per year rate through 2033.
| Estimated Market Share in 2023 | USD 4,411.5 million |
|---|---|
| Forecasted Market Size by 2033 | USD 6,555.9 million |
| Projected Market Growth Rate from 2023 to 2033 | 4.5% CAGR |
| Market Size Value in 2023 | USD 5.4 billion |
|---|---|
| Market Forecast Value in 2033 | USD 6.9 billion |
| CAGR (2023 to 2033) | 2.5% |
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