North America Automated Material Handling Market Size (2024 - 2029)

North America Automated Material Handling Market Analysis

The North America Automated Material Handling Market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.73% during the forecast period. Automated material handling is a concept derived from material handling practices, which uses several types of machinery to help workers in a manufacturing establishment move the product under construction between assembly stations or move completed goods to storage facilities.

• As more businesses turn to automation to boost efficiency in the warehouse, lower costs, and stay competitive in the market, they also make the workplace safer for employees in the process. One of the main motivations for automated material handling is improving working and safety conditions. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, slips, stumbles, and falls were the cause of 27% of nonfatal occupational injuries that required days off from work. More than 235,000 people had to take time off work as a result of equipment or object contact. Automating material handling tasks allows manufacturers to remove workers from dangerous or repetitive work. This allows them to redeploy talent to other areas of the workplace where workers can be more productive, safe, and fulfilled.
• Sectors, including retail, automotive, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical, are the largest sources of demand for automated material handling solutions in the country. Food and beverage is the largest industry and represents more than 35% of US packaging shipments annually.
• Additionally, owing to low vacancy and a surge in the rental prices of warehouses, enterprises are progressively looking for smaller places to rent out for warehouse purposes. In order to optimize the productivity of these narrow spaces, they are expected to deploy more automated solutions soon.
• Moreover, the e-commerce logistics costs in the United States account for over 6.9% of the total US logistics costs. The importance of the last mile in the supply chain will never be lost; however, manufacturers realize that there is no last mile without the first. Applying the proper material handling technology produces measurable cost savings while bringing an immediate ROI.
• The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on a variety of businesses, including small and big manufacturers. It limited the demand for products in the automated material handling system market on a global scale to some extent. The product development life cycle was significantly impacted by a small workforce and operational constraints. After the lockdown restrictions were later eased, demand stabilized to some extent. Companies created various technologies and methods to address issues caused by COVID-19. Further, in July 2020, a study released by Honeywell suggested that over 50% of U.S. companies have shown openness to investing in automation to survive changing market conditions. The 2020 Honeywell Integrated Automation Investment Study highlighted that the e-commerce (66%); grocery, food, and beverage (59%); and logistics (55%) industries are the forerunners in investing more in automation.

North America Automated Material Handling Industry Segmentation

The North America Automated Material Handling Market is segmented by Product Type (Hardware, Software, and Services), Mobile Robots (AGV (Automated Forklift, Automated Tow/Tractor/Tug, Unit Load, Assembly Line, Special Purpose), Autonomous Mobile Robots, Laser Guided Vehicles), Equipment Type (AS/RS (Fixed Aisle, Carousels, Vertical Lift Modules), Automated Conveyor (Belt, Roller, Pallet, Overhead), Palletizer (Conventional, Robotic), Sortation System), by End-user Vertical (Airport, Automotive, Food and Beverage, Retail/Warehousing/DC/Logistic Center, General Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Post and Parcel), and by Country.