Middle East and Africa Automated Storage and Retrieval System Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The Middle East and Africa Automated Storage and Retrieval System are expected to reach a CAGR of 10.15% during the forecast period (2020 - 2026). The demand for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems studied in the market has been impacted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the lockdown imposed in the region, there has been a decline in the demand for robots due to various industries experiencing sluggish market conditions and tight financial positions. However, there has been a limited increase due to the rise in demand for online retail. In a nutshell, the need for the products will be less throughout 2020 compared to previous years but is expected to increase once the vaccine is launched, which is scheduled for 2021.

Key Highlights

• AS/RS systems are deployed in warehouse and delivery stations to identify and retrieve the selected goods for processing. With companies handling many orders daily, the need for fast and efficient operating systems is on the rise.
• Moreover, companies are deploying advanced automated systems to replace human labor and improve the efficiency of the systems. Thus, AS/RS systems are finding growing demand in these applications. With many companies such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba investing heavily in e-commerce, the market for ASRS is also expected to grow at a healthy rate.
• The Saudi Arabian automotive industry is still in the nascent stage. Currently, it is developing a car manufacturing city as a part of the 2030 Vision reform plan. This move is expected to increase the demand for AS/RS hardware. Parking solutions using these systems are expected to gain more traction in the region over the forecast period, focusing on efficient parking space use.
• Israel is also emerging as a hotspot for automotive manufacturers. Further, Ford and Renault-Nissan set up specialized centers in this region to enhance their capabilities in autonomous driving. This move is expected to increase the demand for AS/RS equipment.
• Furthermore, more convenient cross-border payments methods like UniPay and PayPal have also boosted the transactions on the e-commerce platforms. With such reliable and convenient cross-border transactions and the boom of e-commerce, consumers have reduced their patronage of brick-and-mortar stores for shopping. This results in the expansion of the online retail market, and companies are thus investing heavily to improve the technology. With logistics playing a significant part in online retail, warehouse and delivery stations are crucial points in the e-commerce segment.

Key Market Trends

Food and Beverages is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share

• The growing trend of single-point manufacturing with a global supplier of products, especially in the food and beverage industries, has led to the advent of large-scale storage and distribution centers. The eliminated contamination risk, reduced labor costs, and tracking manufacturing data are some of the major drivers for the usage of AS/RS in the food and beverage industry.
• Moreover, the industry aggressively uses palletizing solutions to reduce handling costs and improve handling. The use of AS/RS helps in handling inventories. Further, various food distribution companies embrace automatic storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) in the region.
• Another factor pushing the market for AS/RS is their ability to provide alert capabilities that notify the user about a product kept in the inventory for too long and possibly reaching its expiration date. The notification function is enabled by the inventory management software available with the AS/RS, and it allows the companies to achieve cost-effective operations by reducing wastage.
• In October 2020, Swisslog completed constructing a fully automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) for a drinks company in Dubai. Following implementing the data-driven intralogistics ASRS, Mai Dubai has benefited with a double production, storage capacity, and reduced labor costs, as stated by the companies.
• Moreover, in July 2020, Union Coop, the largest consumer cooperative in the UAE, opened 'Coop Factory' – one of the largest commodity warehouses in the Middle East and its wholesale branch to sell food and non-food commodities. The total area of the warehouse and the Union Coop branch is around 424,442 sq ft. The facility is equipped with the best modern technology to secure a sustainable commodity stock that meets all needs in different circumstances. All such developments are expected to increase the growth of ASRS in the industry's food and beverages industry.

South Africa is Expected to Account For Significant Market Share

• South Africa is one of the largest economies on the African continent. Moreover, the increasing number of industries and manufacturing units is expected to drive the demand for automation in the region.
• Further, the Intra-Africa trade is on the rise. African countries signed a trade agreement called the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), which permitted countries to remove tariffs on 90% of goods, progressively liberalize trade in services, and address a host of other non-tariff barriers. These kinds of agreements are expected to increase the need for automation to easier the management of goods.
• Being a major tourist attraction in Africa, South Africa is investing heavily in airports and is the single largest and fastest-growing segment in the MEA. Three South African Airports, Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg’s international airports, were considered the best airports globally.
• Moreover, Retail is one of the significant industries requiring conveyors, and sortation is essential. It especially helps online retailers to sort goods and increase good delivery efficiency. Furthermore, retail companies are also adopting this technology to perform last-mile delivery.
• Additionally, the rapid growth of e-commerce companies, which maintain large warehouses for numerous types of products, created a massive demand for automated storage and retrieval systems in the retail industry. E-commerce is expected to drive the growth for AS/AR, as it constitutes a significant portion of the consumers in the country.

Competitive Landscape

The automated storage and retrieval system market in the Middle East and Africa are moderately concentrated due to higher initial investments. It is dominated by a few significant players like Daifuku Co. Ltd, Murata Machinery Ltd, KION Group AG, and Mecalux SA. With a prominent share in the market, these considerable players are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries. These companies are leveraging strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market share and increase their profitability. However, with technological advancements and product innovations, mid-size to smaller companies are growing their market presence by securing new contracts and tapping new markets.

• October 2020 - As demand for online grocery services continues to accelerate, Swisslog, a warehouse automation and software provider having its local office in Dubai, has partnered with H-E-B in San Antonio, Texas, to support the company’s growing demand for online fulfillment. Swisslog is working with H-E-B to deploy several automated micro-fulfillment centers to support the chain’s curbside pick-up and delivery business.
• March 2020 - BEUMER Group presented a new compact cross-belt sorter named BG Sorter Compact CB, which is more flexible with a tight footprint. This newly developed system from the sortation and distribution technology range optimizes performance and product life-cycle costs. This is ensured by the intelligent software and the possibility of data analysis. The sorter is easy to integrate and operates with low energy consumption and high precision.

Additional Benefits:

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