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September 24, 2008
By: CartPro
Category: Future Trends, Material Handling, Products, logistics
Automation and third world development are expected to drive the 5% annual global growth predicted in the material handling industry, according to a new study released by The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm (see our previous post). Durable goods will continue to lead demand, but opportunities in nondurable goods are also anticipated.
In 2007, durable good manufacturers led global demand for material handling equipment. Over the next five years, material handling growth will be led by a massive worldwide increase in motor vehicle production followed by increased demand for durable consumer goods, particularly electronics. However, rapid scientific and technological advances in nondurable goods, particularly the chemical and food and beverage industries, are also expected to create new demands for material handling products around the world.
Rapid industrialization in developing countries in Asia, the Pacific, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Mideast and Latin America will increase demand for conventional material handling products such as industrial carts, tugs, trucks, lifts, conveyors, hoists, production line movers, cranes, etc. However, the Freedonia Group expects automated material handling products, including robots and automated guided vehicles (AGV), to post the best gains as industries in the U.S., Western Europe and Japan move to increase automation. Software, systems design, project management and other high-end services to these markets are also expected to post significant increases. Economic and manpower issues will drive the march toward automation and increased productivity in western markets with an emphasis on automated equipment and systems that can be easily integrated into large-scale automated factory and warehouse environments.
High fuel prices, environmental concerns and worker health and safety issues will also play an increasing roll in shaping material handling demand, particularly in U.S. markets. The current shift away from fuel-intense gas-powered trucks to more energy-efficient battery-operated material handling movers and tugs that was sparked by high fuel prices is expected to accelerate. Escalating medical, insurance and workers’ compensation costs will likewise drive a move toward ergonomically designed material handling equipment and systems.
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September 22, 2008
By: CartPro
Category: Future Trends, Material Handling, logistics
Navigating the U.S. economy has been a bumpy ride of late for industry and consumers alike. There is hope for a smoother future, particularly in material handling, but the road to success may lead outside America’s borders.
World market demand for material handling equipment and systems is expected to increase 5% per year through 2012, according to a new study, World Material Handling Products, by The Freedonia Group, Inc. The Cleveland-based industry research firm expects major market gains to come from growth in fast-developing countries in the Asia/Pacific region, Eastern Europe, Africa/Mideast region and Latin America. Growth in these markets is expected to eventually outstrip sales in the U.S., Western Europe and Japan. However, in the near term, the study predicts “renewed strength” in the Japanese material handling market and “acceleration” in the U.S. market driven primarily by automated products such as robots and automatic guided vehicle systems (AGV).
The Fredonia Group report analyzed the $93.8 billion world material handling industry in 37 major national markets worldwide, predicting global industry growth to $133.5 billion, including price increases, by 2015. Rapid economic growth, increased manufacturing output, greater fixed investment activity and rising motor vehicle production in China, India, Turkey, Mexico and Russia, particularly, will lead demand and sales gains. China, a major producer and exporter to Asian markets, is predicted to account for 30% of total material handling sales growth.
The material handling products demanded by these developing markets will come primarily from U.S., Europe and Japan which are home to the largest and most advanced material handling equipment and systems producers. High-value products, technical expertise, advanced production systems, capital availability and trained labor will give western material handling firms a pronounced sales edge in developing markets. However, that edge may be short-lived. China, with its vast low-cost labor pool, has become a major producer and supplier to Asian markets. While quality and safety issues haunt Chinese-produced products, the country has shown amazing adaptability in other product markets and could become a major world material handling competitor within the next decade.
Next time: Which material handling products will see the greatest growth?
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June 27, 2008
By: CartPro
Category: Future Trends, Material Handling, Products, Warehousing
If you have kids, you’ve probably seen trailers for the new Disney-Pixar animated film WALL-E. Robots like WALL-E and his cohorts represent the wave of the future in material handling, though let’s hope they get the kinks worked out before they start installation. Can you imagine the chaos if a bunch of inept robots was allowed to run amuck on your plant floor? Life, after all, is not a movie. The hero almost never arrives to save the day in the final seconds of a plant emergency!
Robot prototypes that allow us to glimpse and plan for the future of material handling are already on the market. British tech firm RTS Flexible Solutions has introduced a 3-D vision-based robot automation system that can grip complex shapes and profiles, pick at variable heights and even perform some inspection and defect rejection actions.
“Advances in technology mean we can deliver applications which have been difficult for conventional 2D technology,” commented RTS managing director David Bradford. While 2D vision-guided robotic automaton works on grayscale, color or line-scanning vision systems, the new 3D system can process on X, Y and Z coordinates. For the first time this allows a robotic application to accurately gauge height, depth and surface contours, opening new possibilities for material management.
It will be a while before robotic applications can effectively perform many material handling functions, but that day can already be glimpsed on the horizon. Computer software and management skills are more apt to define material handling workers of the future. It’s going to be a whole new ball game!
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