It will be the main driver of growth in the e-commerce

The face of robotics is quickly changing due to new technologies like edge computing, cloud computing, AI and machine learning. Every industry is experiencing a change as a result of the use of robots. For example, robots are used in restaurants to prepare food, in manufacturing to perform tasks like picking and placing, pelletizing, and material movement. They are also used in supply chains and warehouses to perform every conceivable task from sorting to inventory management until the product is ready for delivery.

Industries all over the world have been integrating robotics and automation into their operations because of the introduction of the latest cutting-edge technologies to increase corporate productivity, efficiency, and marketability. The e-commerce sector has grown exponentially during the last two to three years. According to Statista, global retail e-commerce sales were over 5.2 trillion dollars in 2021 and are projected to increase to 8.1 trillion dollars by 2026.

The disruption of the supply chain caused by the rise in e-commerce sales has driven businesses to find more innovative ways to meet customer demand for speedy delivery.

Increased demand for e-commerce sales in turn drives up the need for faster delivery, packing, shipping, inventory management, and supply chain management. Advanced and automated warehouses can help meet this demand. The need for automated warehouses has increased significantly in the last couple of years. The global market for warehouse automation systems, which was estimated to be worth $21.7 billion in 2021, is expected to grow to $93 billion by 2031, according to Allied Market Research.

In warehouses, robots have a crucial job to do. The employment of robots in warehouses helps with time-consuming and arduous chores like picking stuff up off the floor or sorting products by size, shape, or colour. Most often used in warehouses are piece-picking robots, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), collaborative robots, sorting and shuttle robots.

Inventory management plays an extremely important role in warehouse management. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) are most frequently used for inventory control and on-demand product storage and retrieval. They are used to expedite material handling and order fulfilment procedures.

Automated robotics systems with AI capabilities aid companies in boosting the effectiveness and speed of supply chain operations. These AI-enabled systems have grown considerably as a result of technological breakthroughs; they now learn from both existing systems and the surrounding system. Robotic systems are becoming quicker, better, and more adaptable thanks to AI and machine learning, which is beneficial for e-commerce fulfilment operations.

Increased demand for online shopping and shifting customer expectations for quicker deliveries are the main causes of the rise in demand for warehouse automation. Emerging technologies like 5G, AI, ML, edge computing, and sophisticated robots will help the e-commerce sector develop at a phenomenal rate in the years to come..

(The writer is cofounder and CEO of Addverb Technologies)