37+ Warehouse Automation Statistics: A Must Know in 2024
Warehouse automation is rapidly expanding across industries. But how significant is the impact on efficiency and productivity?
With that in mind, we’ll cover the latest warehouse automation statistics to provide a clear understanding of the trends driving this shift. 🤖⚙️
Warehouse Automation Statistics: Key Numbers
- The warehouse automation market was $23.44 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $41.00 billion by 2027.
- The warehouse automation market is expected to grow by 75% between 2023 and 2027.
- 65% of automation considerations are driven by labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and the rise in eCommerce.
- Automation in warehousing cuts labor costs by 60%.
- Warehouse automation reduces operational errors by 99%.
- Automation boosts warehouse storage capacity by 50%.
- 41% of companies face budget constraints, 40% are concerned about ROI, and 37% struggle with training during automation adoption.
Source: (Statista, Modern Materials Handling, Vecna Robotics)
Warehouse Automation Market Size
The warehouse automation market is booming and it’s only going to get bigger in the next few years. Here’s a quick look at how the numbers are shaping up:
| Year | Market Size (in billion U.S. dollars) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 23.44 |
| 2024 | 26.96 |
| 2025 | 31.00 |
| 2026 | 35.65 |
| 2027 | 41.00 |
Source: Statista
Benefits of Warehousing Automation Statistics
Automating warehouses has many benefits, such as lowering the cost of labor and increasing accuracy and productivity. Here’s what you can expect to gain from adopting automation technology:
- 60% reduction in labor costs with automation tech.
- 30% increase in labor productivity.
- 99% decrease in errors thanks to automation.
- 50% cut in shipping and handling times.
- 50% boost in warehouse storage capacity.
Source: Modern Materials Handling
Technology adoption in warehouse automation worldwide (2019 & 2030)
As tools and systems get better, the use of technology in warehouse automation is expected to grow a lot from 2019 to 2030. Here’s what’s on the rise:
| Technology | 2019 (%) | 2030 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Blockchain | 8 | 45 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 11 | 75 |
| Robotics & Automation | 36 | 85 |
| Supply Chain 4.0 (IoT & analytics) | 45 | 90 |
| Cloud computing & storage | 54 | 80 |
Source: Statista
Top Considerations for Warehousing Automation Solutions
There are many things that affect warehouse automation, from a lack of workers to the growth of eCommerce. Each of these plays a major role in the decision-making process. Here’s what businesses are focusing on:
- 25% of automation considerations are driven by labor shortages.
- 22% of automation considerations are due to supply chain disruptions.
- 18% of automation decisions are influenced by the rise in eCommerce and direct-to-consumer models.
- 15% of automation solutions are driven by reshoring manufacturing.
- 12% of automation initiatives are prompted by corporate directives.
- 8% of automation considerations are due to throughput problems.
Source: Vecna Robotics
Barriers to Warehouse Automation Adoption Statistics
Companies face various challenges when trying to adopt warehouse automation, from budget concerns to training difficulties. Here are some of the biggest problems businesses face when they try to automate:
- 41% of companies face budget constraints as an obstacle to adopting automation solutions.
- 40% of organizations are concerned about cost and ROI when considering automation.
- 37% of companies struggle with training and change management during automation adoption.
- 35% of firms encounter implementation challenges when integrating automation solutions.
- 35% of businesses see integration issues as a significant barrier to automation.
- 33% of companies identify internal processes as an obstacle to automation adoption.
- 30% of organizations report space or environmental concerns as a barrier to implementing automation.
Source: Vecna Robotics
What’s Pushing Companies to Automate Material Handling?
Rising demand and problems in the supply chain are pushing companies to quickly automate the handling of materials. Here’s what’s driving this push:
- 30% of the impact of accelerating material handling automation is driven by increased demand for products.
- 26% of the impact comes from global supply chain disruptions.
- 20% of the acceleration is due to corporate strategic initiatives.
- 13% is driven by continued tightness in access to skilled labor.
- 11% of the impact is from reshoring production back to North America.
Source: Vecna Robotics