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Work together Evaluation’ survey gave insights into what finish customers anticipate from autonomous cellular robots. | Supply: Adobe Inventory
Cellular robots have turn into an important a part of the automation panorama in recent times. For finish customers, they provide flexibility, scalability, and effectivity for varied industries and purposes. However what do clients truly need from cellular robots, and the way do they consider and choose completely different applied sciences and distributors?
Work together Evaluation, a market analysis agency, revealed the outcomes of its 2024 Cellular Robots Purchaser Survey. The worldwide survey coated the preferences, expectations, and challenges of finish customers of cellular automation. The corporate talked to 300 patrons and customers of cellular robots, protecting completely different firm sizes, sectors, and areas.
With the survey, Work together Evaluation hoped to make clear the present and future adoption of cellular robots, the components that affect buying selections, and the ache factors and advantages of utilizing cellular automation.
Cellular robots are widespread with bigger producers
The survey confirmed that cellular robotic adoption is rising throughout completely different industries, however not on the similar tempo in every sector. Ninety-five p.c of respondents mentioned they already use some type of cellular automation of their services, akin to automated forklifts, platforms, conveyors, and autonomous cellular robots (AMRs). This proportion, nonetheless, different drastically by firm dimension and sector.
Bigger corporations, with revenues over $1 billion, have been extra seemingly to make use of cellular robots than smaller ones. Producers, particularly these within the automotive, electrical, and semiconductor sectors, have been additionally extra seemingly to make use of cellular robots than retailers, third-party logistics (3PLs), or different industries.
Seventy-one p.c of respondents mentioned they solely partially automated their workflows with cellular robots, indicating there’s nonetheless room for enchancment and enlargement of cellular automation.
Relating to rising applied sciences, synthetic intelligence was essentially the most generally talked about rising development that clients have been all in favour of, particularly when it got here to cellular automation.
Alternatively, clients weren’t very acquainted with the VDA 5050 normal for communication and interoperability. Solely 20% of respondents mentioned they have been totally conscious of it, and solely 8% mentioned it was or would quickly be a compulsory requirement of their buying decision-making between cellular robots and fleet managers developed by the German Affiliation of the Automotive Trade (VDA).
Clients extra involved with value than loyalty, says Work together Evaluation
On common, respondents used 3.4 completely different cellular robotic manufacturers. | Supply: Work together Evaluation
Work together Evaluation’ survey revealed that value and integration difficulties are the principle boundaries and drivers of cellular robotic adoption, and that these have been two main components for each know-how and vendor choice. The most typical cause for not utilizing cellular robots was the excessive worth or perceived lack of return on funding (ROI), adopted by environmental components akin to flooring suitability, house constraints, or local weather.
Clients should not loyal to at least one cellular robotic model or sort, in response to the survey. As an alternative, they’d fairly use a number of manufacturers and kinds for various workflows and services.
On common, respondents used 3.4 completely different cellular robotic manufacturers, and 123 completely different manufacturers have been talked about in complete, reflecting the fragmentation and variety of the market.
ABB was essentially the most talked about model, adopted by OMRON, KUKA, and Locus Robotics. Nevertheless, when survey takers have been requested which model they contemplate primarily based in school, the solutions different by business and purposes Work together Evaluation plans to share these outcomes will likely be coming at a later date.
Clients did point out they like to make use of the identical cellular robotic manufacturers throughout completely different workflows in the identical constructing, however not essentially throughout completely different buildings or services of their community. This implies clients care little about robotic interoperability inside a facility.
When choosing a vendor, a very powerful components have been the seller’s monitor file, integration experience, and native/on-site help, adopted by the soundness and dimension of the seller. Worth and product vary have been much less essential than the seller’s repute and repair, the survey discovered.
Chinese language distributors weren’t very talked-about amongst clients, with solely 20% of respondents saying they’d used or would think about using them sooner or later. The most typical causes for not contemplating Chinese language distributors have been safety considerations, efficiency points, issues of safety, and authorized causes.
Main boundaries to adopting cellular robots are lack of obtainable finances and different competing priorities. | Supply: Work together Evaluation
What are buyer cellular robotic expectations?
The survey discovered the commonest cause for needing to automate was the need to scale back working prices, adopted by the necessity to enhance reliability and accuracy. Surprisingly, an absence of labor was not one of many greatest causes for automation.
When choosing know-how for an automation challenge, the bottom lifetime value and the benefit/velocity of integration have been a very powerful components, adopted by system flexibility and efficiency.
When automating, clients anticipate a fast return on funding (ROI) and easy implementation from cellular robots. Eighty p.c of respondents anticipated an ROI inside three years, with most of these anticipating it between 18 months and three years. 3PLs sometimes anticipated a faster ROI than different sectors.
Clients sometimes measure the success of robotic implementation by a wide range of completely different metrics. The most typical metrics used to measure the success of cellular robotic implementation have been ROI, productiveness, throughput, accuracy, and price discount.
Earlier than making a last buy, clients additionally anticipated to see the automation system in motion, both by way of an in-house demo, a reference web site go to, or a go to to the provider’s demo middle. In the course of the buying and implementation course of, the commonest ache factors have been operation slowdowns, routing and tasking difficulties, and issues with integrating with inner software program.
As soon as a robotic was operational, the commonest ache factors have been lack of upkeep prediction, pricey downtime, and an excessive amount of guide intervention required.
“The survey gives priceless insights for cellular robotic suppliers and integrators who need to higher perceive and serve their clients,” said Ash Sharma, chief business officer and vp of analysis for robotics and warehouse automation at Work together Evaluation.
