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Interact Analysis sees a difficult year for the global machinery industry in 2024 due to high interest rates, rising inventory, and weak demand. It said this has impacted sales of industrial automation components, including motion control products, to machine builders and OEMs.
Nonetheless, innovative technologies continue to create new opportunities for motion control and attract new entrants to the market through product launches or partnerships. Here at Interact Analysis, we discuss two new areas of growth we have identified through our research and conversations with manufacturers: smart transportation technologies and robots with integrated machine control.
Smart conveying technology
Smart transport technology is a multi-carrier transport technology and can be used as either: linear or flat system. The linear systems market has surged over the past three years with revenue increasing from $237 million in 2020 to $488 million in 2023.
By 2029, linear systems revenue could exceed $1.1 billion, nearly five times the 2020 market size, according to Interact Analysis. Planar’s technology is still in the pilot phase and is expected to generate approximately $20 million in sales by 2023.
Since the research firm started tracking smart transportation market data in 2020, the food, pharmaceutical, and general packaging industries have been the major application markets for these transportation systems. However, in the past two to three years, the situation has changed with the rapid penetration of smart transportation products and surging sales in the battery and electronics industries in Asian markets.
Thanks to the growth, new companies are rapidly entering the market. As you can see in the chart below, the number of suppliers in 2023 has almost doubled compared to the previous year. As of last month, 12 companies had launched new linear smart transportation products for 2024.
Most recently, TAKTOMAT, a German manufacturer of rotary indexers and conveyors, presented its new linear smart conveyor system powered by SEW Eurodrive at the Motek trade fair. TAKTOMAT’s main customers are mainly in the automotive sector, so the new product is expected to find application in this industry.
Interact Analysis noted that new vendors have not been able to gain meaningful market share because the vendor base is not yet consolidated. However, he said he expects the supplier’s presence to grow further, especially in local markets such as China, Japan and Europe.
The supplier base of linear smart transportation systems has expanded, especially in the Asia Pacific region. | Source: Interaction Analysis
Additionally, Interact Analysis conducted research on companies planning to launch new smart transportation technology products in the next few years. Most of these companies are suppliers of motion control components such as linear motors and servo products, or manufacturers of conveyors.
After the cyclical downturn in the machinery industry, we expect Smart Transportation Systems’ revenue and supplier base to show promising growth in Europe and North America, driven by advances in battery manufacturing and warehouse automation.
Unsurprisingly, the growing demand for smart conveyance technologies means growth in the market for motion control products, including servo and direct drive technologies. Rather than offering smart transportation systems in their own portfolio, some suppliers are supplying key components to system providers.
For example, many automation companies, including Rockwell and Siemens, have partnered with Planar Motor Inc. (PMI), which makes planar smart transportation products, to equip PMI systems with servo drives and controllers.
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machine-integrated robot
The term machine-integrated robot refers to a robot that is fully integrated into a machine control platform, either by eliminating the robot-specific controller or by integrating the programming platform into the machine system while retaining the robot controller.
The first approach is more common for currently deployed machine-integrated robots, including custom robots built by machine builders or OEMs.
In 2023, global shipments of machine-integrated robots reached approximately 20,000 units, of which shipments in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific accounted for 31%, 41%, and 28%, respectively. From 2023 to 2029, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.6%.
Compared to the standard industrial robots market, which has annual shipments of more than 520,000 units, the machine-integrated robots market is currently much smaller but is expected to grow at a faster rate.
Machine-integrated robots are expected to grow steadily over the next five years. | Source: Interaction Analysis
Demand for automation increases due to engineer shortage
Shortage of skilled engineers is one of the key growth drivers for the mechanically integrated robotics market. By integrating robots and machine controllers, engineers can control machines and robots in an integrated development environment without using robot programming languages. This helps both machine builders and end users reduce the difficulty of finding and training engineers and operators for robotic machines.
OEMs’ motivation to build their own robots is also driving the adoption of machine-integrated robots. Machine builders and integrators increasingly have the capacity to build mechanical components for robots, and some OEMs are choosing to build their own robots to save costs.
In a custom scenario, OEMs build their own special robot kinematics using generic automation controllers, enabling practical integration of OEM-built robots and machines.
New entrants and partnerships are increasing the number of systems available for machine-integrated robots. Robot manufacturers, machine builders, and motion control system suppliers are all actively introducing new products and solutions.
For example, Rockwell Automation is partnering with autonox Robotics in 2023 after previously partnering with Atom Robot in late 2022. Rockwell PLCs can now be mounted directly on robot arms from three suppliers.
Most recently, Siemens signed new collaboration agreements with collaborative robot manufacturers Universal Robots and Jaka to further expand the range of robots that can be programmed directly on the platform.
In the meantime, motion control suppliers work closely with machine manufacturers to provide solutions for OEM-built robots. For example, SEW offers a parallel arm kinematics kit to OEMs who want to build their own delta robots.
In China, many packaging machinery manufacturers displayed machines equipped with self-made picking robots at the recent CIIF exhibition.
Interact Analysis discovered that there is room for growth in motion control.
The burgeoning smart transportation market and the emergence of machine-integrated robots provide new opportunities for motion control suppliers. Both technologies are expected to see increased penetration in the machinery industry, driven by trends toward digitalization, flexibility, and ease of use in the manufacturing industry.
Despite current challenges, many suppliers are preparing their strategies for the next growth cycle. Companies with competitive products and solutions will gain an advantage when demand inevitably increases.
Introduction to Author and Interaction Analysis
Samantha Mou, a research analyst based in China, provides support in the industrial automation sector. Mou holds a Master’s degree in Economics and has experience working in Germany conducting market research for industrial equipment and automotive components.
Interact Analysis says each team member has more than 15 years of experience in technology and market research. The company has offices in Irthlingborough, England. Austin, Texas; and Shanghai, China.
Editor’s note: This article was distributed by Interact Analysis.
