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Is now the time for robotic lift trucks?

2021-01-04 09:45 Kind:转载 Author:Roberto Michel Source:MMH
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Though robotic industrial trucks are still a small slice of the market, expectations are growing for them as operations seek to s...

Though robotic industrial trucks are still a small slice of the market, expectations are growing for them as operations seek to speed up their processes while lessening the struggle of trying to find enough operators.

If ever a time was ripe for roboticlift truck sales to take off, right now might be it. With theCovid-19pandemic accelerating e-commerce for many types of goods, fulfillment centers and manufacturing plants need to move a high volume of pallets to keep stores stocked up and e-commerce order picking systems or manual pick locations topped off with goods.

And while unemployment has risen since last year, it remains challenging to secure enough workers—including skilled lift truck operators—to keep goods flowing to consumers. Sales of driverless robotic trucks stand to benefit under these conditions.

Vendors say that return on investment (ROI) in two years or less is possible for automated lift trucks, but some complexities are involved, like knowing how to phase them into an operation and identifying automated or semi-automated applications that make the most sense.

The other reality is that automated lift trucks are still a drop in the bucket in terms of total lift truck sales. User companies will have to figure out how to justify them and think through how the technology is not just another type of lift truck, but a tool in their automation strategy.

Approximately 5,000 automated lift trucks were shipped in 2019, according to Ash Sharma, managing director with analyst firm Interact Analysis. That may sound like quite a few, but with more than 1 million lift trucks of all types shipped last year, it amounted to 0.3% of the market. However, with a sharp increase in e-commerce in this pandemic year and added pressure on warehouses and other industrial sites to improve on cost efficiencies and order cycle times, Interact Analysis predicts robust growth for robotic lift trucks, which it sees as inclusive of vehicles based on automatic guided vehicle (AGV)technology or those that use autonomous navigation.

Through 2028, Interact Analysis predicts a compound annual growth rate of 64.5% for robotic lift trucks, up from a rate in the 20% to 25% range the last couple of years, according to Sharma. The relentless pressure to find further costs efficiencies, as well as a higher level of safety for automated lift trucks, are key drivers.

“Like other automation areas, one of the key drivers is cost savings,” says Sharma. “A company will invest in automated trucks that do cost more upfront, but it will save costs in the long run because the technology reduces the need for operators, and all the costs associated with that, like dealing with training and employee turnover. The other major factor is that with robotic lift trucks, you get improved safety. There are accidents which happen with human-operated lift trucks, and using automated trucks is far safer, not only in terms human safety, but also in reducing the risk of damage to inventory, trucks or to facility assets.”

While Covid-19 has driven up unemployment this year, finding enough skilled operators remains a concern that impacts automation decisions. “The market environment in terms of employment has shifted somewhat versus last year, but over the longer term, the labor availability issue is a concern that will help drive this market segment,” says Sharma.

Eyeing growth

Lift truck providers agree that automated vehicles are bound to grow in popularity given the continued challenges. And while warehouse efficiency efforts often focus on automated order picking solutions, goods also need to be handled, staged or stored at the pallet level, which presents opportunities for automating pallet moves.

“I firmly believe this pandemic will accelerate the adoption of automated lift trucks, as well as many other forms of materials handling automation,” says Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) as well as a senior executive officer of TMHNA’s parent company, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO). “Part of the reason is the difficulty in finding enough skilled operators, but beyond that it’s the increased level of customer expectations around a rapid and flawless materials handling process. Customer requirements are demanding more efficiency than ever before and that in turn drives the need for more process optimization—including automation.”

Wood adds that automated lift trucks can be a good fit for maximizing the efficiency of repetitive movement of pallet loads. “I think automated lift trucks will help with the need to meet higher efficiency goals, because if repetitive processes exist in which goods need to regularly move from Point A to Point B, why shouldn’t that be automated?”

Given the size of the installed base for conventional lift trucks, and the value and flexibility they provide, the makeup of fleets toward automated trucks will be gradual, Wood adds. Some companies may choose to use automated lift trucks for only certain workflows or transition by initially using semi-automated lift truck features. With a semi-automated lift truck, guidance technology can automatically drive a lift truck along a given route, but the operator can take over when applicable.

“Automated lift trucks are definitely a trend, but an operator driving a lift truck will never go away,” Wood says. “There will always be demand for lift trucks with human operators. A human-operated asset is inherently flexible, and technologies such as telematics can provide data-driven insights on their use to help with the need for increased efficiency.”

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