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Day: 7 January 2022

7 robotics trends & predictions for 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

Meili Robots has come up with a list of 7 of the main robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

During the last five years, we have seen robots move from a developing technology to an indispensable tool for a large number of enterprises. Moreover, over the last two years, robotic trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, ubiquitous IoT usage, and rapid design have intensified, while challenges such as supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and pandemic fears all contributed to an increased demand for manufacturing robots.

Yes, it really is impossible to start an article related to trends and predictions for 2022 without talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. After all, it has permanently changed the way of business for many firms and industries all around the world. One of its biggest impacts is, in fact, related to automation. Many businesses have had to suddenly adapt to changes in the market and reshuffle their priorities. Without automation, this is highly unlikely to happen in an efficient and profitable manner.

With their ability to access and use analytics to predict and prepare for market change or the supply chain disruptions, automation programs have been increasingly adopted across a great many industries. Unsurprisingly, this shift towards automation will keep influencing and changing the way business is conducted during 2022, too — and for many years to come.

Let’s have a look at some of the biggest robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

1 – Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

As the growth of RPA is expected to accelerate during 2022, it is also estimated that it will become one of the standard technologies of businesses. RPA is commonly adopted in sectors and businesses that deal with a large number of repetitive tasks.

A good example is the healthcare sector. Many hospitals have implemented RPA to automate processes such as inventory management, invoice management, and appointment scheduling — freeing up more time for employees to focus on more important tasks.

  1. 2- Robotics as a Service (RaaS)

Some of the biggest restrictions for smaller firms to add robotics to their manufacturing facilities have been employee expertise and the high initial investment. However, with the everything-as-a-service (*aaS) trend on the rise, this issue no longer exists. Now, companies are able to enjoy RPA through Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models.

These subscription-based models — such as Meili FMS — often include analytics, monitoring, and preventive maintenance, while also offering a wide range of benefits such as rapid scalability and the capability to continuously adapt platforms based on current needs and requirements.

  1. 3 – Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) as Data Acquisition Platforms

The demand for AMRs has been growing at an incredible rate — driven by the e-commerce growth, increasing automation in manufacturing, labour shortages, and mass personalisation of goods. In fact, even though the AMR (hardware) market was valued at only €0.88bn in 2017, it is now forecasted to hit €6.17bn in 2022.

Moreover, as AMRs are increasingly being adopted to commercial public spaces, it is expected that they will start acting more like mobile Internet of Things (IoT) hubs. In fact, it is estimated that software for mobile robots alone will add another €2.64bn to the market value of AMR hardware.

Besides their ability to carry out a wide range of tasks autonomously — such as scanning inventory levels or measuring temperatures of refrigerators — they can also provide businesses with real-time data. These insights can help managers streamline their operations, thereby increasing their efficiency, productivity, and revenue.

  1. 4 – Multi-purpose Robots & Cobots

The accelerating e-commerce growth has contributed to tremendous growth in the AMR market — particularly in the retail industry. Many retail managers are reaping the benefits of robot adoption when it comes to repetitive operational tasks such as moving inventory and cleaning the floors.

As shopping demands and expectations continue to grow, retailers are expected to add multi-purpose robots to their teams in order to carry out multiple tasks at once, while simultaneously creating an easy-to-manage digital workflow.

Cobots — also known as collaborative robots — are permanently taking over certain jobs as they tend to be faster and more efficient than human workers. As many industries continue to struggle with labour shortages, cobots are in no way cause for concern. After all, they are supposed to take over monotonous and dangerous jobs, allowing human coworkers to focus on more valuable tasks.

  1. 5 – Increased Awareness of the Lack of Interoperability

With the continuing trend of cobots in workspaces across the globe, it is no surprise that we are seeing industries such as logistics, manufacturing, e-commerce, and healthcare adopting a second or even third wave of robots. This, however, leads us to one of the major challenges in today’s robotics industry: the lack of interoperability.

Meili Robotics’ CEO, Aldus von der Burg, explains: “Interoperability is a factor that could be easily overlooked by many robot operators. It allows robots to communicate with each other and other systems to enable an efficient and safe working environment.”

He also adds to this that “if not tackled, it can be a crippling pain point that halts the productivity of the facility — or even grinding it to a halt as some, if not all, robots start obstructing or interfering with each other”.

It goes without saying that it is of the utmost importance — as well as expected — that this issue will be addressed during 2022 to promote further development and avoid stagnation in the ever-growing robotics market.

  1. 6 – Delivery Robots on the Rise

The market for delivery robots is expected to see tremendous growth over the next few years. The market was valued at €188m in 2021 and is expected to reach nearly €850m by 2026. That is, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 35.1% during the forecast period.

Key factors for the growth in this market include the reduction of delivery costs in last-mile deliveries as well as increased venture funding. In addition, there is also an increased demand for delivery robots in the retail and food and beverages industries — with the retail industry estimated to be holding the largest market share during the forecast period.

  1. 7 – Increased Robotics Demand & Abilities

Over the last ten years, we have seen the demand for robotics increase steadily across various industries. As the Covid-19 pandemic, labour shortages, and the desire to reduce carbon footprints all have a significant influence on the ability of humans to carry out tasks, the robotics market is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the next ten years as well.

As robots are increasingly becoming smarter with the help of technology such as AI, Machine Learning, and the IoT (Internet of Things), industries that have adopted robots are also becoming smarter — think about manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centres. As more of these facilities start automating their processes, industrial robots will be able to operate faster, more efficiently, and more accurately, while eliminating inconsistencies.

7 robotics trends & predictions for 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

Meili Robots has come up with a list of 7 of the main robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

During the last five years, we have seen robots move from a developing technology to an indispensable tool for a large number of enterprises. Moreover, over the last two years, robotic trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, ubiquitous IoT usage, and rapid design have intensified, while challenges such as supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and pandemic fears all contributed to an increased demand for manufacturing robots.

Yes, it really is impossible to start an article related to trends and predictions for 2022 without talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. After all, it has permanently changed the way of business for many firms and industries all around the world. One of its biggest impacts is, in fact, related to automation. Many businesses have had to suddenly adapt to changes in the market and reshuffle their priorities. Without automation, this is highly unlikely to happen in an efficient and profitable manner.

With their ability to access and use analytics to predict and prepare for market change or the supply chain disruptions, automation programs have been increasingly adopted across a great many industries. Unsurprisingly, this shift towards automation will keep influencing and changing the way business is conducted during 2022, too — and for many years to come.

Let’s have a look at some of the biggest robotics trends and predictions for 2022.

1 – Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

As the growth of RPA is expected to accelerate during 2022, it is also estimated that it will become one of the standard technologies of businesses. RPA is commonly adopted in sectors and businesses that deal with a large number of repetitive tasks.

A good example is the healthcare sector. Many hospitals have implemented RPA to automate processes such as inventory management, invoice management, and appointment scheduling — freeing up more time for employees to focus on more important tasks.

  1. 2- Robotics as a Service (RaaS)

Some of the biggest restrictions for smaller firms to add robotics to their manufacturing facilities have been employee expertise and the high initial investment. However, with the everything-as-a-service (*aaS) trend on the rise, this issue no longer exists. Now, companies are able to enjoy RPA through Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models.

These subscription-based models — such as Meili FMS — often include analytics, monitoring, and preventive maintenance, while also offering a wide range of benefits such as rapid scalability and the capability to continuously adapt platforms based on current needs and requirements.

  1. 3 – Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) as Data Acquisition Platforms

The demand for AMRs has been growing at an incredible rate — driven by the e-commerce growth, increasing automation in manufacturing, labour shortages, and mass personalisation of goods. In fact, even though the AMR (hardware) market was valued at only €0.88bn in 2017, it is now forecasted to hit €6.17bn in 2022.

Moreover, as AMRs are increasingly being adopted to commercial public spaces, it is expected that they will start acting more like mobile Internet of Things (IoT) hubs. In fact, it is estimated that software for mobile robots alone will add another €2.64bn to the market value of AMR hardware.

Besides their ability to carry out a wide range of tasks autonomously — such as scanning inventory levels or measuring temperatures of refrigerators — they can also provide businesses with real-time data. These insights can help managers streamline their operations, thereby increasing their efficiency, productivity, and revenue.

  1. 4 – Multi-purpose Robots & Cobots

The accelerating e-commerce growth has contributed to tremendous growth in the AMR market — particularly in the retail industry. Many retail managers are reaping the benefits of robot adoption when it comes to repetitive operational tasks such as moving inventory and cleaning the floors.

As shopping demands and expectations continue to grow, retailers are expected to add multi-purpose robots to their teams in order to carry out multiple tasks at once, while simultaneously creating an easy-to-manage digital workflow.

Cobots — also known as collaborative robots — are permanently taking over certain jobs as they tend to be faster and more efficient than human workers. As many industries continue to struggle with labour shortages, cobots are in no way cause for concern. After all, they are supposed to take over monotonous and dangerous jobs, allowing human coworkers to focus on more valuable tasks.

  1. 5 – Increased Awareness of the Lack of Interoperability

With the continuing trend of cobots in workspaces across the globe, it is no surprise that we are seeing industries such as logistics, manufacturing, e-commerce, and healthcare adopting a second or even third wave of robots. This, however, leads us to one of the major challenges in today’s robotics industry: the lack of interoperability.

Meili Robotics’ CEO, Aldus von der Burg, explains: “Interoperability is a factor that could be easily overlooked by many robot operators. It allows robots to communicate with each other and other systems to enable an efficient and safe working environment.”

He also adds to this that “if not tackled, it can be a crippling pain point that halts the productivity of the facility — or even grinding it to a halt as some, if not all, robots start obstructing or interfering with each other”.

It goes without saying that it is of the utmost importance — as well as expected — that this issue will be addressed during 2022 to promote further development and avoid stagnation in the ever-growing robotics market.

  1. 6 – Delivery Robots on the Rise

The market for delivery robots is expected to see tremendous growth over the next few years. The market was valued at €188m in 2021 and is expected to reach nearly €850m by 2026. That is, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 35.1% during the forecast period.

Key factors for the growth in this market include the reduction of delivery costs in last-mile deliveries as well as increased venture funding. In addition, there is also an increased demand for delivery robots in the retail and food and beverages industries — with the retail industry estimated to be holding the largest market share during the forecast period.

  1. 7 – Increased Robotics Demand & Abilities

Over the last ten years, we have seen the demand for robotics increase steadily across various industries. As the Covid-19 pandemic, labour shortages, and the desire to reduce carbon footprints all have a significant influence on the ability of humans to carry out tasks, the robotics market is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the next ten years as well.

As robots are increasingly becoming smarter with the help of technology such as AI, Machine Learning, and the IoT (Internet of Things), industries that have adopted robots are also becoming smarter — think about manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centres. As more of these facilities start automating their processes, industrial robots will be able to operate faster, more efficiently, and more accurately, while eliminating inconsistencies.

2022 predictions for food logistics

Posted on by Keith McKinley

2021 was arguably even more unprecedented than 2020 with multiple supply chain issues driving the news agenda for the food logistics industry over the past 12 months. But what does all of this mean as we move forward into 2022? Paul Empson, general manager of Bakers Basco, shares his reflections and predictions for the year ahead.

If we thought 2020 was unprecedented, what can we say about 2021? The continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit fallout wreaking havoc on the borders, COP26 shining a spotlight on serious environmental issues… there was no shortage of issues to talk about in 2021. There were, however, plenty of shortages driving these conversations.

Many business leaders entered 2021 with a sense of optimism as they prepared to navigate the road to recovery after the preceding year like no other. But that optimism quickly faded as the year threw up one curveball after another – notably the national HGV driver shortage, subsequent restraints on supplies of food and material supplies, and a renewed focus on climate change and the impact on the environment. So, what does all of this mean for 2022? Here are my three predictions I’d like to see become a reality – and how we can get there.

1 – Plastic prices to plateau

The price of plastic material per tonne first started to rise back at the beginning of 2021, leaving many suppliers battling in a volatile market. Common belief was that the cost would drop again a few months later but it didn’t – it went the opposite way, to an unprecedented value not seen before (up 55%). Not only had the price gone up, it was also in short supply. If we can’t get hold of plastic, we can’t produce the bread baskets and other returnable transit packaging (RTP) used across the industry to deliver food and other goods to supermarkets across the UK. Getting materials made forward planning very difficult, having a huge impact on the supply chain.

Encouragingly, as 2021 drew to a close, the supply of plastic has improved, but the price is yet to come down. Yes, we can get the plastic material now, but we’re paying through the nose for it – which will ultimately affect the price of the end product that sits on the supermarket shelves. Let’s hope by the end of 2022, the plastic materials issue has settled and returned to a normal level buying place – for the benefit of all parties.

2 – More HGV drivers enter the pool

The HGV driver issue is one that can’t be resolved overnight. It’s an ongoing issue and it’s not going away. While recent stats suggest it’s on the road to recovery, there’s a bigger issue at play – the industry has a retention problem that requires much work to keep young drivers on the road. A huge part of that is the culture of today’s modern world. The demands of the new consumer and their fast-paced lives is dictating the 24/7, 365 days delivery schedules which, in turn, is leaning heavily on drivers and forcing the shift patterns currently out there.

There’s good money to be earned being a driver, but it falls on both the industry and the government to start campaigning on the positives of being an HGV driver. For too long the focus has been on the negatives, like long hours and busy roads. But if the money and awareness was there, younger people would want to do it. Having an HGV licence means you’ve always got something you can always go back to if something else doesn’t work out and you can earn a decent pay packet from it. And we need these drivers to help maintain the high level of speed and convenience of the 21st century consumer.

With more backing from the government and raising awareness of the positives when it comes to driver recruitment, we should be back in a sensible place by the end of 2022.

3 – Government clamps down on illegal recycling

COP26 was all about climate action and support. Yet there’s still a vast illegal activity going on out there which is destroying the environment. We live in a world of ‘plastic this, plastic that’ – when in fact, illegal recycling is going on right under people’s noses. Whether they don’t know about it or are choosing to ignore it, it’s a huge problem that requires government intervention – that’s the only way it will ever get to a place where there’s some sort of control.

The government needs to step up and change the rules. We have new taxes for recycling plastics but all that’s doing is penalising legitimate businesses to pay more money, when the focus should be on tackling illegal recycling. And this will form a large part of Bakers Basco’s campaign in 2022 to lobby local government and MPs to step up and take action to address this issue.

The events of the past few years have taught us as a business to be more strategic with our planning. Rather than having a scattergun approach to how to look for illegal recyclers, find gaps in the supply chain and keep track of where our baskets are going, we’ve become much more strategic. From GPS tracking technology upgrades allowing us to be more targeted with locations and areas of the supply chain with higher risk of loss, we’ve moved forward with the world – getting the same results, but doing it in a much more efficient way.

As we enter 2022, it’s a strained environment yet again. We’re not 100% sure what equipment we will need. With so much more equipment out in the field due to all of these issues combined, we can’t predict if that will come flooding back in Jan to March or whether it is out in the ether, ending up in the wrong hands. We’ll overcome it, one way or another, but we might end up paying a lot of money for it.

Will consumers continue panic buying if we enter another lockdown? Will the price of plastic come down? Will the government step up their efforts to recruit young people to become drivers? Will we finally see a crackdown on illegal activities impacting our efforts to help the environment? No one really knows the answer – but after a tough year, 2022 is the year to do anything we can to renew trust in the supply chain.

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