The robotics industry has experienced a lot of changes recently. What will drive the industry changes for the next few years? Here are our 5 predictions for robotics in the rest of the year… before we go to Automatica 2022.
Well… the new decade of 2020 is finally underway. Now that the delay caused by Covid-19 is over, we can see that the robotics and automation industry has experienced major changes during the pandemic.
With labor shortages and supply chain issues becoming more and more prevalent, businesses are turning to robotics more than ever before.
At this year's Automatica trade fair, we're excited to see how the industry is evolving. This year's event is set to be bigger and better than ever, with many exhibitors showcasing their latest robotic and automation technologies.
What do we predict will shape the future of our industry?
Here are our top 5 predictions for now. After this year's Automatica is over, we can check back and see if we were right!
How Automatica helps us predict robotics industry directions
Here at Robotiq, we're always excited about the Automatica trade fair. It's a great way to keep us up-to-date on what's happening in the robotics industry.
We get to see first-hand what new products are coming out and hear what new technologies people are developing. We also get to meet all our friends and partners in the industry and hear what's been shaping their businesses recently.
It's always insightful to hear from our customers — both old and new — and learn what challenges they have experienced recently… and we're expecting to hear about a lot of new challenges this year! The global pandemic has affected everyone's business.
Overall, we just find Automatica to be a great way to stay connected to the robotics community. It's a great opportunity for us to make predictions about what will shape the industry in the future.
Our 5 Predictions for Robotics in 2022
A lot has happened over the past few years!
As a result, it's hard to say exactly what will be on everyone's minds during Automatica 2022. We'll only know when we talk to people at the event itself.
But here are our top 5 predictions for what will shape the industry this year:
1. Supply chain fragility will lead the discussion
The global pandemic of Covid-19 completely disrupted global supply chains. Combined with other supply chain disruptions such as the Ever Given container ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal in 2021, we have seen that supply chains are more fragile than we thought.
We predict one hot topic this year will be how robotics and automation can help to build more resilient supply chains. We're excited to see how companies are using robots to streamline their operations and improve robustness.
2. The e-commerce revolution will spark innovation
Just as supply chains have been stretched to breaking point, there has been a huge rise in e-commerce with the industry [reaching record highs during the pandemic][FORBES]. With more people in their homes and unable to go to physical shops, there is a growing demand for better logistics to support e-commerce.
We predict there will be more e-commerce applications at Automatica this year. In particular, we're interested in seeing how companies are using robots to automate tasks such as order picking, packing, palletizing, and shipping. We think this could be a major growth area for the robotics industry.
3. Labor shortages will be top of mind
Another recent challenge in many industries is the rise of labor shortages. For various complex reasons, companies are finding it harder than ever to fill their open job positions following the pandemic.
We predict many companies will turn to automation to fill their labor gaps, even if they have not previously considered automating before. Some industries that we might see more of at Automatica are those that rely on service workers and manual labor, including retail, restaurants, and e-commerce companies.
4. Construction and food will be new application areas
The major impacts of the global pandemic have hit various industries hard. One example is the food and delivery industry. With more people eating at home, many restaurants had to close their doors and food delivery services became their focus.
We predict that such changes have opened up various new industries to the possibilities of automation. Besides the food industry, another example is construction. We're now seeing construction companies using robotics to automate tasks such as bricklaying and drone inspection.
5. Application kits and robotics services will lead
With many new companies entering the world of robotics, easy-to-deploy systems are going to be more and more important. Easy robot programming was already a trend in previous versions of Automatica.
We predict that 2022 will be the year of application kits and robot-as-a-service solutions. At Robotiq, our various application kits have become extremely popular as companies are looking for ways to automate quickly.
Companies don't have time to waste. They need their robotic solutions to be as plug-and-play as possible.
What are your predictions for robotics in 2022?
Those are our predictions for 2022. They are what we think people will be talking about most at this year's trade fair.
But we haven't been to Automatica yet…
Will our predictions be correct? The only way you can find out is to follow our live blogging and social media coverage of Automatica 2022. We'll be coming to you live from the trade fair, with blogs, interviews, videos, and much more.
And if you can make the show in person, come and say Hello to us. Our booth this year is Hall B4.502.
What are your predictions for robotics in 2022? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or the DoF professional robotics community.
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