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On account of excessive rates of interest, elevated stock, and sluggish demand, the worldwide equipment business has been dealing with a tricky yr in 2024. This has affected gross sales of commercial automation parts to machine builders and OEMs, together with movement management merchandise, stated Work together Evaluation.
Regardless of this, progressive applied sciences proceed to create new alternatives for movement management, attracting new entrants to the market via product launches or partnerships. Work together Evaluation right here discusses two new progress areas it has recognized from its analysis and conversations with producers: sensible conveyance know-how and robots with machine-integrated management.
Good conveyance know-how
Good conveyance know-how is a multi-carrier transport know-how and is obtainable as both linear or planar methods. The marketplace for linear methods has surged over the previous three years, with gross sales income rising from $237 million in 2020 to $488 million in 2023.
By 2029, gross sales of linear methods might exceed $1.1 billion, practically 5 occasions the market dimension in 2020, in response to Work together Evaluation. Planar know-how continues to be in its trial interval, producing gross sales of practically $20 million in 2023.
Because the analysis agency started monitoring sensible conveyance market knowledge in 2020, the meals, pharmaceutical, and normal packaging industries had been the primary utility markets for such conveyance methods. Nevertheless, over the previous two to a few years, the panorama has modified with the fast penetration of sensible conveyance merchandise within the Asian market, and a pointy enhance in gross sales from the battery and electronics industries.
Inspired by the expansion momentum, new entrants are quickly coming into the market. As proven within the chart under, the variety of suppliers virtually doubled in 2023 in contrast with the yr earlier than. As of final month, 12 extra firms have launched new linear sensible conveyance merchandise in 2024.
Most not too long ago, German rotary indexer and conveyor producer TAKTOMAT introduced its new linear sensible conveyor system powered by SEW Eurodrive on the Motek commerce present. TAKTOMAT’s key purchasers are primarily from the automotive sector, so the brand new product is predicted to have purposes inside this business.
New distributors haven’t acquired significant market share, because the provider base has not but consolidated, famous Work together Evaluation. Nevertheless, it stated it expects distributors to extend their presence, particularly of their native markets: China, Japan, and Europe.
The provider base for linear sensible conveyance methods has expanded, significantly within the Asia-Pacific area. | Supply: Work together Evaluation
Past this, Work together Evaluation has additionally carried out analysis with firms planning to launch new sensible conveyance know-how merchandise inside the subsequent few years. Most of them are suppliers of movement management parts equivalent to linear motors and servo merchandise, or conveyor producers.
After the cyclical downturn within the equipment business involves an finish, we count on the income and provider base of sensible conveyance methods to see promising progress in Europe and North America, pushed by developments in battery manufacturing and warehouse automation.
Naturally, rising demand for sensible conveyance know-how represents a rising marketplace for movement management merchandise, together with servo and direct-drive applied sciences. Relatively than providing sensible conveyance methods in their very own portfolio, some distributors are supplying key parts to system suppliers.
For instance, many automation firms, together with Rockwell and Siemens, have partnerships with Planar Motor Inc. (PMI), which makes planar sensible conveyance merchandise, to equip PMI methods with servo drives and controllers.
Machine-integrated robots
The time period machine-integrated robots refers to robots which can be absolutely built-in into machine management platforms, both by eliminating robot-specific controllers or by retaining robotic controllers however integrating the programming platform into the machine methods.
The primary strategy is extra frequent for these machine-integrated robots presently deployed, which embody custom-made robots made by machine builders or OEMs.
In 2023, world machine-integrated robotic shipments reached practically 20,000 models, of which shipments within the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific areas accounted for 31%, 41%, and 28% respectively. From 2023 to 2029, the market is projected to develop at a compound annual progress fee (CAGR) of 14.6%.
In contrast with the usual industrial robotic market — with annual shipments of greater than 520,000 models — the machine-integrated robotic market is presently a lot smaller however is predicted to develop at a sooner fee.
Regular progress is forecast for machine-integrated robots over the following 5 years. | Supply: Work together Evaluation
Engineer scarcity drives automation demand
The scarcity of skilled engineers is among the main drivers of progress for the machine-integrated robotic market. By integrating robotic and machine controllers, engineers can management machines and robots in a unified growth surroundings, with out utilizing robotic programming languages. This helps cut back challenges for each machine builders and finish customers find or coaching engineers and operators for robotic machines.
OEMs’ motivations to construct robots in-house can be fueling the adoption of machine-integrated robots. Machine builders and integrators more and more have the aptitude to construct mechanical components for robots, with some OEMs selecting to make robots by themselves to avoid wasting prices.
In custom-made eventualities, OEMs construct particular robotic kinematics in-house, with a normal automation controller enabling the sensible integration of OEM-made robots with machines.
New entrants and partnerships are rising the variety of methods obtainable for machine-integrated robots. Robotic producers, machine builders, and movement management system suppliers are all actively introducing new merchandise and options.
For instance, Rockwell Automation partnered with autonox Robotics in 2023, having beforehand entered a partnership with Atom Robotic in late 2022. Now, robotic arms from three distributors could be straight outfitted with Rockwell PLCs.
Most not too long ago, Siemens confirmed new cooperation agreements with collaborative robotic makers Common Robots and Jaka, additional increasing the vary of robots that may be straight programmed on its platform.
Within the meantime, movement management suppliers additionally work carefully with machine builders to offer options for OEM-made robots. For instance, SEW presents a Parallel Arm Kinematics Package to OEMs seeking to make their very own delta robots.
In China, many packaging equipment producers exhibited machines with choosing robots made in-house on the current CIIF tradeshow.
Movement management has room to develop, finds Work together Evaluation
The surging sensible conveyance market and the emergence of machine-integrated robots supply new alternatives to movement management suppliers. Pushed by the tendencies of digitalization, flexibility, and ease of use within the manufacturing business, each applied sciences are anticipated to extend their penetration within the equipment business.
Regardless of present challenges, many suppliers are getting ready methods for the following progress cycle. Firms with aggressive merchandise and options will acquire a bonus when demand inevitably picks up.
In regards to the writer and Work together Evaluation
As a analysis analyst primarily based in China, Samantha Mou offers assist within the industrial automation sector. Mou has a grasp’s diploma in economics and has expertise, whereas working in Germany, of conducting market analysis in industrial gear and car parts.
Work together Evaluation stated every of its workforce members has greater than 15 years of expertise in know-how and market analysis. The agency has workplaces in Irthlingborough, U.Ok.; Austin, Texas; and Shanghai, China.
Editor’s observe: This article was syndicated from Work together Evaluation.