SANTA CLARA, CA -- The global warehouse automation market is expected to nearly double by 2025, according to a new story by Frost & Sullivan.

The research firm expects sales to reach $27.2 billion by 2025, expanding from $14 billion in 2019.

The automated guided vehicles (AGV) segment is forecast to hit $4.6 billion while the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) segment is expected to reach $6.8 billion. The degree to which the Covid-19 pandemic will impact the industry will vary considerably by region and by vertical sector. In developed countries such as the US and China, the recovery time is going to be much faster due to their strong position with respect to technology development and adoption of warehouse automation solutions.

“The warehouse industry across the globe is experiencing transformation at a rapid pace with the increasing adoption of different types of autonomous and automated robotic solutions such as automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), goods-to-person technology (G2P), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), automated guided carts (AGCs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), unmanned aerial vehicles, and articulated robotic arms,” said Doraiswamy Bharath Sunderraj, TechVision research analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “Further, AS/RS have the highest adoption rate because of their promising features such as increased inventory storage density, reduced labor costs, and increased inventory-picking accuracy.”

Sunderraj added: “Advancement in navigation technology is one of the prominent drivers of autonomous delivery robots. Autonomous robotic solutions using LiDAR with AI and machine learning are the currently available advanced navigational solutions.”