Europe Automated Material Handling (AMH) Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The European automated material handling market was valued at USD 11.22 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 18.46 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 8.7% over the forecast period 2021 - 2026.

Key Highlights

• Throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, political, economic, and technological developments are impacting the growth of the manufacturing industry proportionally. Although the BREXIT vote sent shockwaves across all industries, the manufacturing industry remained positive.
• Europe has been the most prominent adopter of industrial automation, owing to increasing investments in the Industry 4.0 revolution. According to the CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Europe accounts for more than one-third of the global Industry 4.0 investments. Western and Northern Europe are its main markets, especially Germany, where the term was originally coined and a frontrunner.
• Northern Europe is traditionally the most developed market regarding the use of automation in warehouses. The high labor costs and special attention to the working conditions at the factory have prompted the adoption of sophisticated and advanced automation. In Scandinavia, System Logistics has supported important clients in the food and beverage sector in the efficient management of warehousing, picking, and material handling operations.
• Moreover, in warehouses across Europe, man and machine are increasingly working more closely together, and a lack of efficient and skilled manpower could accelerate automation further, according to JLL, an investment management company.
• The e-grocery channel accelerated further because of the COVID-19 lockdown. It grew by more than 50% growth in 2020 for key European markets, creating an even stronger need for efficient e-grocery fulfillment solutions. This has encouraged technology and platform providers such as KNAPP, Ocado, Swisslog, Takeoff Technologies, and WITRON to extend their ever-growing portfolio of automation solutions combining software and hardware.

Key Market Trends

Automotive is Expected to Register a Significant Growth

• The European Union (EU) is among the world's biggest producers of motor vehicles. The sector represents the largest private investor in R&D. To strengthen the automotive industry's competitiveness and preserve its technological leadership, the European Commission supports global technological harmonization and offers to fund R&D.
• Moreover, according to an ACEA report, The European Union counts 569 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Luxembourg has the highest car density in the EU (694 per 1,000 people), and Latvia has the lowest among the EU members. The OICA also suggested that the total sales of passenger vehicles in Europe stood at 14.16 million in 2020.
• The demand-driven nature of the automotive supply chain in the United Kingdom (involving increasing levels of personalization within a vehicle) is forcing suppliers of OEMs to opt for automation with greater levels of flexibility. This is leading to the growth of the automotive segment in the market studied.
• The increasing adoption of automation in the automotive manufacturing process and the advent of digitization and AI are some of the primary factors driving the demand for digitalization in the automotive sector of the Netherlands.

Germany is Expected to Have the Largest Market Share

• The German automotive industry has one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the world. According to the Germany Trade and Investment (GTAI) agency, of all premium brand vehicles produced globally, over 70% are German-OEM manufactured.
• Germany is one of the major consumers of automated material handling solutions in the world. According to the recent estimates of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Germany has a high robot density (294 units per 10,000 workers), after countries, like South Korea and Japan.
• In addition to the automotive industry, the post and parcel industry is also contributing toward the success of AMH in the country. Siemens Postal, Parcel, and Airport Logistics, headquartered in Germany, ranks as a global market leader for mail sorting systems. More than 23,000 systems, using Siemens technology, are reliably sorting mail in more than 60 countries. The company is also a leading provider of innovative products and solutions for mail and parcel logistics, automation, and airport logistics, including baggage and cargo handling.
• The pharmaceutical sector is also adopting automation and is expected to record moderate growth. Strategic moves by the German pharmaceutical packaging giants are shedding light on drug packaging trends related to bottles vs. blisters and glass vs. plastic syringes, leading to a growth in the demand for packaging machinery and equipment in Germany.

Competitive Landscape

The European automated material handling market is highly competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. These major players with prominent shares in the market are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries. These companies are leveraging on strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market shares and profitability. The companies operating in the market are also acquiring start-ups working on European automated material handling technologies to strengthen their product capabilities.

• February 2021 - Duravant LLC, global engineered equipment and automation solutions provider to the food processing, packaging, and material handling sectors, acquired Votech GS B.V., a leading manufacturer of bag filling machines, palletizer machines, stretch hood machines, and pallet transport systems based in The Netherlands.
• July 2021 - ABB today announced to acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group (ASTI), a leading global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) manufacturer with a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software suite. The acquisition will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offering, making it the only company to offer a complete portfolio for the next generation of flexible automation.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support