Robots in Warehouses To Jump 15X Over Next 4 Years (techrepublic.com)

The worldwide warehouse and logistics robot unit shipments will increase from 40,000 robots in 2016 to 620,000 robots annually by 2021, according to highly reliable numbers from Tractica, which adds that the $1.9 billion market in 2016 is expected to jump a staggering tenfold to an annual $22.4 billion by the end of 2021. From a report on TechRepublic: As a measure of global market value, Tractica also expects the robotic shipments to reach $22.4 billion by the end of 2021, up from an estimated $1.9 billion in 2016. The report, which highlights market drivers and challenges, profiles 75 "emerging industry players," and is divided into sections based on robot type. According to the report, "warehousing and logistics industries are looking for robotics solutions, more than ever before, to remain globally competitive," which will "lead to widespread acceptance and presence of robots in warehouses and logistics operations." To allay fears about lost jobs due to automation, the report authors said they expect that the increase in robots will likely yield new jobs and opportunities for businesses. "The next 5 years will be a period of significant innovation in the space, bringing significant opportunities for established industry players and startups alike," said Manoj Sahi, a research analyst, in the report.

Comments

Re:The robots themselves?

[DontBeAMoran]

I think they mean the robots will be able to jump 15x higher. It's probably to reach the higher shelves of the warehouses.

Re:All at once?

[DontBeAMoran]

I did, then I calculated that the robots would jump 3.75 times per year.

Highly reliable numbers?

[Nunya666]

TFS mentions "highly reliable numbers." Since only an HR department would use that terminology, the entire article is assumed to be B.S.

Next story, please.

Re:Highly reliable numbers?

[GLMDesigns]

I work with Order Management and Warehouse Management Systems.

The automation taking place is tremendous. The need for people is dropping fast. I would not be surprised to see a 90%+ drop in human labor. I'm aware of new warehouses opening with 60 people whereas the warehouses they replaced had 180 workers and handled half the inventory and half the volume.

Conversations I've had leave me thinking that in a few years, when the warehouse expands (to more than twice the current size) they will not need to add more workers.

In the immediate future (the 3-5 year range) we're seeing warehouses handling 4x the volume with 1/3 the human labor).

So the warehouses of yesteryear would have needed 180(4) = 720 workers now only need 60 people.

Automation has a purpose.

[geekmux]

"...To allay fears about lost jobs due to automation, the report authors said they expect that the increase in robots will likely yield new jobs and opportunities for businesses."

What utter bullshit. There's a reason companies are looking to replace humans with robots, so let's dispel with the illusions about how robots will somehow not impact the job market.

Jobs will ultimately be lost to automation. It's kind of the entire fucking point.

Re:Automation has a purpose.

[geekmux]

...When you automate people out of a job, you temporarily displace them. However, that frees up a lot of capital. And, before you say that the rich greedy people at the top will just pocket all that money, remember that they are rich and greedy and want even more money, so they'll take that money and start new businesses that employ lots of people.

Well that's a cute fairy tale version of the future. Now let me enlighten you to the reality of today.

The chasm between the rich greedy people at the top and the other 99.9% of the planet isn't shrinking.

The automation of yesteryear still left the door open to educating a human, to allow displaced workers to move on to find employment in another field. Automation and AI is now targeting educated jobs, so this next iteration of automation will not be temporary by any means. When most education becomes irrelevant due to the utter lack of employment opportunities, society will start to question the purpose of wasting time or money on higher education, which we are already facing those concerns today, as graduates struggle to escape the "gig" economy to try and find a career.

Even if automation only removed the lowly jobs out there, it's replacing the employment opportunities that allow humans to climb the proverbial ladder. When you remove the 10 lowest rungs on the ladder of success, tends to make it impossible to climb.

The rich and greedy may start new businesses, but those businesses will employ automation and AI in order to remain competitive.

And much like TFS implies, this is going to happen much faster than anyone thinks.

Re:Automation has a purpose.

[ShanghaiBill]

The chasm between the rich greedy people at the top and the other 99.9% of the planet isn't shrinking.

Actually ... it is shrinking. Over the last two decades the people that have done the best are the extremely poor: factory workers in Guangzhou, seamstresses in Bangladesh, coffee farmers in Tanzania. It is "poor people in rich countries" have been the losers, but those people aren't really poor. They are in the 85-95% range, so actually relatively rich by world standards.

Re:Automation has a purpose.

[fluffernutter]

If poor people in rich countries are losing, then so also should rich people in rick countries. It's great that the world is getting better and all, but it shouldn't be by the sacrifice of one specific demographic.

Re:Automation has a purpose.

[geekmux]

The chasm between the rich greedy people at the top and the other 99.9% of the planet isn't shrinking.

Actually ... it is shrinking. Over the last two decades the people that have done the best are the extremely poor: factory workers in Guangzhou, seamstresses in Bangladesh, coffee farmers in Tanzania. It is "poor people in rich countries" have been the losers, but those people aren't really poor. They are in the 85-95% range, so actually relatively rich by world standards.

In 2010, it took 388 people to represent the wealthy elite who owned as much as half of the global population. In 2016, it took only 62.

In 2015, a new metric was born by the top 1% who owned more than the rest of the world combined.

I have no idea what metrics you're looking at, but that chasm between the wealthy elite and the rest of us is not shrinking. It's also not displaced by trying to marginalize how some in extreme poverty are now doing "better" by jumping up to mild poverty. Slight improvements are not going to do a damn thing to prevent the inevitable, which is going to be a massive shift in world standards through automation and AI. Once that happens, Welfare 2.0 (UBI) will define the standard poverty line for all.

Re:Big deal

[khr]

Only 15 times? I can jump even more than that in four years.

Yes, but will you?

Jumping robots in a warehouse

[GuB-42]

This is a robot jumping in a warehouse : https://www.youtube.com/watch?... (jumps are at the end of the video)

Re:The robots themselves?

[TWX]

That's why modern electronics has changed, why the old beige look from the late seventies into about 2002 or so was replaced. Because white robots can't jump.

Re:Popcorn time

[DontBeAMoran]

You know what's funny? I'm working on a popcorn eating robot.