Machinery / Industrial Parts & Tools

As a hot industry, warehousing and logistics automation is ushering in a new round of outbreaks under the dual boost of policy and capital, coupled with the catalysis of the epidemic. According to the Logistics IQ report, the compound annual growth rate of the global warehouse automation market from 2019 to 2025 will be 11.7%, and the global warehouse automation market will reach 27 billion US dollars in 2025.

In the past, most companies did not pay much attention to warehouse management, which led to confusion in the placement of goods, and the lack of goods and shelf places; low inventory accuracy, resulting in a series of problems such as inventory backlogs and production shortages. With the continuous expansion of the scale of enterprises, the types and quantities of warehouse materials continue to increase, and warehouse management operations have become very complex and diversified. If the traditional manual operation mode continues, it will seriously affect the operation efficiency of the enterprise and restrict the development of the enterprise.

And after the impact of the epidemic last year, companies have begun to realize that systems that rely heavily on labor are very fragile and risky. In order to solve the "labor shortage" and the limitations of labor, warehousing logistics is also accelerating its development towards automation.

At the same time, the rapid growth of advanced logistics technologies and equipment such as automated three-dimensional warehouses, conveying and sorting systems, logistics robot systems, automatic identification and perception systems, has also become an important driving force in the market.

The industrial chain is complete, and all parties enter the game

At present, the main applications of warehousing logistics include advanced logistics equipment such as AGVs, automatic shelves, automatic access robots, automatic identification and automatic sorting systems, and real-time control and management through information technology.

Upstream:

Manufacturers of components and functional modules: provide core components and modules such as indoor navigation, robot reducers, servo motors, automation PLCs, etc.

Manufacturers of robots and automation equipment: mainly provide hardware products such as AGV, AMR, conveyors, sorting robots, automated stackers, automated pallet storage systems, forklifts, etc.

Software system provider: Provides a generalized control and scheduling system for the entire warehouse hardware, and generally has a close relationship with hardware manufacturers and system integrators.

Midstream:

System integrator: Directly facing customers in demand, according to downstream warehousing needs, carry out software and hardware integration, system customization, and ERP and MES data docking, and provide solutions.

Intelligent warehousing independent operators: Independent third parties that provide warehousing services to warehousing demanders with their own warehouses are the mainstream model of the logistics warehousing industry that has emerged in recent years.

Direct business: the demand side of self-built and self-operated warehousing, including e-commerce, retail, automobile, pharmaceutical and other manufacturers.

Downstream are various industries that apply smart warehousing systems, including tobacco, medicine, automobiles, retail, e-commerce and many other industries.

At present, after a period of rapid development in China's warehousing automation market, competitors from all sides have also entered the game. In addition to the fast-growing warehouse automation manufacturers, there are also competitors from various fields such as industrial manufacturers, large robot manufacturers, and other technology manufacturers.

For example, in March of this year, Boston Dynamics, known for its online videos of humanoid robots and robot dogs performing tasks, launched an intelligent warehousing robot Stretch that can directly carry cargo boxes, supporting the logistics industry to solve flexible automation solutions. The growing demand for programs. The maximum carrying capacity per hour can reach 800 pieces, reaching the handling efficiency of one worker. In addition, it uses the most advanced vision system that can handle complex package packaging. The debut of this robot marked Boston Dynamics' official entry into the rapidly growing warehouse automation market.

Which areas do capital favor more?

In recent years, domestic companies related to warehousing and logistics have become more and more enthusiastic in capital such as listing, financing, and mergers.

For example, it was reported recently that Beijing Jizhijia Technology Co., Ltd. has signed a listing counseling agreement with CICC, and plans to list on the Science and Technology Innovation Board.

Geeklink’s AMR has visual navigation, laser navigation and visual perception capabilities, and can flexibly decide the walking path. The robot is more intelligent and can cope with the needs of some relatively complex and changeable scenes.

Since its establishment, Jizhijia has received investment from well-known institutions including Gaorong Capital, Volcanic Rock Capital, Xiangfeng Investment China Fund, Warburg Pincus, GGV Jiyuan Capital, Yunhui Capital, Hongwei Capital, CICC and other well-known institutions.

On December 2, 2020, Lanjian Intelligent was listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Through continuous R&D investment and technological innovation, Lanjian Intelligent has independently developed logistics equipment with excellent performance such as stackers, shuttles, hoists, AGVs, automatic packaging machines, etc., and has formed a simulation-based lightweight design technology. Wait for more than 30 core technologies.

The business covers the entire industrial chain of logistics systems from planning and design to construction and operation. At present, it has developed into a domestic full-process intelligent logistics system solution provider integrating consulting and planning, software development, equipment manufacturing, system integration, and intelligent generation operations.

And on June 2, 2020, Damon Technology, which we know well, also landed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Damon Technology is one of the few domestic companies that can cover the entire industrial chain of intelligent logistics transportation and sorting equipment. It can provide logistics equipment manufacturers, system integrators and end customers with complete solutions from core components, key equipment to system integration.

Compared with the big event on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, the editor noticed that warehousing robots are still a hot spot for market and capital. From a financing perspective, the financing of many intelligent logistics robot companies has entered the B or C rounds. .

For example, the logistics and warehousing robot technology company "Hairou Innovation" recently completed a B+ round of financing with a financing amount of 100 million yuan;

Lingdong Technology received 250 million yuan in Pre-C round of financing on March 23. This round of financing will be used for the company's product research and development, supply chain deployment and commercial delivery;

Mobile robot and solution provider Youai Zhihe completed financing of nearly 100 million yuan. Investors include well-known institutions such as SoftBank Asia, SIG and Blue Run Ventures;

The editor noted that SoftBank has also invested US$2.8 billion in Norwegian storage automation company AutoStore and currently holds shares in two storage robot companies.

Due to the expansion of the scale of domestic enterprises, the requirements for warehousing are higher, the frequency of outbound and warehousing has increased, and higher requirements have been placed on the efficiency of the warehouse, and the demand for AGV and AMR is also increasing day by day. Under the joint attention of policy, capital and market, the warehousing and logistics robots that have attracted much attention for a long time can be said to be pushed to the front again. Under the unprecedented market attention, the editor believes that it will be more conducive to such as Lanjian Intelligent, Extreme Accelerated development of domestic enterprises such as Zhijia.

A small step is also a big step

In warehousing and logistics equipment, although AGV and AMR only occupy a relatively small proportion of conveying equipment, they are very important parts of intelligence. After Boston Robotics launched the above products, it once said that there is a big automation gap in the warehousing industry, and the equipment has two extremes, either fully automated or no automation. The mobile robot can bridge this automation gap, and its intelligent mobility means that it can better integrate into the storage space designed for humans.

The editor also believes that for some companies, they may not "can't afford" a full set of automated logistics systems, but making small investments locally is also an effective way to improve their own level of automation. Storage robots have the advantages of high flexibility, high precision, and high reliability, which can greatly improve the efficiency of raw materials and finished products handling, and to a certain extent can help small and medium-sized enterprises to solve the challenges brought by the rapid increase in labor costs and market competition.