Human Steps Before Robotic Steps
More and more businesses are turning to mobile robots for purposes such as warehouse automation, but obstacles such as cost concerns could weigh on the nascent market’s momentum, research firm Interact Analysis found in a recent survey.The lack of an available budget was ranked as the top barrier to mobile robot adoption, with a third of respondents reporting this as a challenge,“It’s not the cheapest technology, because it’s still relatively new,” Ash Sharma, chief commercial officer and VP of research for robotics and warehouse automation at Interact Analysis, said in an interview. A major robot deployment aimed at fully equipping an entire warehouse could cost as much as $1 million on average, he said.Mobile robots — machines that can move around on their own using sensors and other technology — are gaining popularity, with the market’s annual revenues projected to surpass $14 billion by 2027, up from $4.5 billion in 2023, according to a June report from Interact Analysis.By 2027, 75% of companies will have adopted some form of “cyber-physical” technology, such as mobile robots, within their warehouse operations, Gartner predicted last year.“This is still a relatively emerging technology if you compare it to, say, industrial robotic arms that are deployed in pretty much every factory around the world,” adds Sharma.
Cost And Integration Challenges Are The Main Barriers And Drivers Of Mobile Robot Adoption
The survey revealed that cost and integration difficulties are the main barriers and drivers of mobile robot adoption, and that these were two major factors for both technology and vendor selection. The most common reason for not using mobile robots was the high price or perceived lack of return on investment (ROI), followed by environmental factors such as floor suitability, space constraints, and climate elements. On the flip side, companies are pursuing automation due to a need to reduce operating costs, followed by the need to improve reliability and accuracy (and surprisingly not because of a lack of labor). Companies that want to stay relevant must embrace new technologies but do it smartly. When selecting a technology for an automation project, the lowest lifetime cost and the ease/speed of integration were the most important factors, followed by system flexibility and performance.
Customers Expect A Quick ROI And A Smooth Implementation Process From Mobile Robots
The survey also indicated customers expect a quick ROI and smooth implementation from mobile robots, and that they measure the success of mobile robot implementation by a variety of different metrics. Most respondents (80%) expected an ROI within three years, with most of those expecting it between 18 months and three years. 3PLs typically expected a quicker ROI than other sectors. The most common metrics used to measure the success of mobile robot implementation are:
- ROI
- Productivity
- Throughput
- Accuracy
- Cost reduction
During the purchasing and implementation process, the most common pain points are:
- Operation slowdowns
- Routing and tasking difficulties,
- Problems with integrating with internal software.
Once a robot was operational, the most common pain points are:
- Lack of maintenance prediction
- Costly downtime
- Too much manual intervention required.
Mobile Workstations: Human Steps Before Robotic Ones
No matter how automated a warehouse gets, there will always be the need for human interaction. Robotics can be a good substitute for human motion waste but only to a point. For repetitive tasks, robots are a cost effective solution, however for more intuitive tasks, human interaction will always be required. By mobilizing technology to the point of task with DTG’s rugged battery-powered mobile workstations, warehouses can reap much of the benefits of automation without the huge capital investment of implementing robots. Because mobile workstations reduce motion waste, companies will achieve a faster ROI while improving efficiency and productivity.This brings to mind a military mantra “Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance” - every warehouse supervisor can relate. If you don’t have all the tools you need to perform your job, your performance will suffer. With the DTG’s mobile workstations, workers have everything they need at their fingertips, to perform their jobs efficiently and professionally and they eliminate costly mistakes and motion waste.