The arrival of the intelligent logistics era and the development trend of the logistics robot industry
Abstract: During this year's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representatives of the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have put forward suggestions related to the field of robotics, making the development of the robotics industry an important direction in intelligent manufacturing. The vertical field of logistics robots is one of the rapidly developing sub industries in the robotics industry.
During this year's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representatives of the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have put forward suggestions related to the field of robotics, making the development of the robotics industry an important direction in intelligent manufacturing. The vertical field of logistics robots is one of the rapidly developing sub industries in the robotics industry.
The current situation of logistics robots in China
In recent years, driven by the demand for innovative development of emerging business models such as e-commerce and new retail, and guided by development concepts such as intelligent manufacturing and smart logistics, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing, the logistics robot industry has been thriving. Related enterprises have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and the industry is in full swing. However, behind the prosperity, we also see that there are still many barriers in the development of the logistics robot industry, such as the lack of core components, severe homogeneous competition, non-standard industry development, and a shortage of professional talents. Currently, logistics robots in China are facing both opportunities and challenges in their development. How to break through technological bottlenecks, improve their application level, and accelerate the healthy development of the industry is a problem that the logistics robot industry must face directly.
Under the promotion of the "Industry 4.0" concept and the "Made in China 2025" strategy, the production methods of manufacturing enterprises are beginning to shift towards flexibility, intelligence, and precision. It is urgent to build a new manufacturing system with intelligent manufacturing as its fundamental feature. The automation and intelligence of production logistics have become important means to improve enterprise production efficiency, reduce production costs, and increase equipment utilization. Logistics robots are playing an increasingly important role in production logistics.
In addition, the development of smart logistics provides a broad market for the application of logistics robots. The logistics industry as a whole belongs to labor-intensive industries with low automation levels. Against the backdrop of continuously rising labor costs, the demand for logistics enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency is becoming increasingly urgent. Logistics robots with high intelligence and flexibility have naturally become essential technological equipment for promoting the development of smart logistics. Logistics robots will usher in new developments with the help of intelligent logistics.
According to market research and consulting firm Tractica, the global market size for warehousing and logistics robots is expected to reach $22.4 billion by 2021, indicating a promising industry outlook. It is precisely because of the strong market demand and vast development space, including robot startups, logistics system integrators, e-commerce companies, logistics companies, technology innovation companies, investment and financing institutions, etc., that they have all turned their business tentacles towards the field of logistics robots, and the logistics robot market has presented a hot scene.
The new registration volume of logistics robot related enterprises in 2019 increased by 20.5% year-on-year compared to 2018. And with the continuous improvement of the logistics system, the number of logistics robot enterprises will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years. In terms of regional distribution, Qichacha shows that logistics robot related enterprises have developed more prominently in Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong provinces. Guangdong Province has become the leader in the logistics robot industry with over 400 companies surpassing Jiangsu Province and a total of over 1200 related enterprises within the province, accounting for 27.21% of the total number of related enterprises in the country. Following closely behind are Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province, with over 700 and 300 companies respectively, becoming the second and third gathering places for logistics robot enterprises, accounting for 16.09% and 7.67% of the total number of related enterprises in the country.
In the long run, the current smart+logistics is still in its early stages, and currently, the financing process of enterprises is mostly in its infancy. According to data from Qichacha, nearly a hundred logistics robot companies have received capital assistance, with most of them in the stage of angel to A+round financing. The proportion of companies that have received angel/seed round investment is comparable to those that have received Pre-A to A+round investment, both accounting for 32% of all companies. Star capital companies such as Ant Financial, Yuanhe Holdings, iFlytek, and ZTE Venture Capital have all entered the field of logistics robots.
纵观当前的物流机器人市场，可谓硝烟弥漫。为了抢占市场份额，扩大行业影响力，物流机器人产业链上的相关企业“八仙过海，各显神通”，技术创新，拓展新市场，探索新的商业模式，加大投资、融资力度，扩大海外市场，物流机器人产业链上的相关企业不约而同开展了一场激烈的市场争夺战。
物流机器人行业挑战与机遇
从物流机器人发展技术阶段来看，各大物流公司首先研发、配备的是智能分拣机器人，然后是仓储以及无人机，应用场景看，末端无人配送技术将成今后几年大家关注的焦点。中国机器人产业面临五大挑战和三大机遇。
五大挑战：一是机器人企业目前的生存环境依旧严峻。我国机器人市场在经历连续九年高速增长的情况下，2018年首次出现下滑。有业内专家对此分析表示，当前国内机器人产业的泡沫正在破裂，行业正处于大洗牌的阶段。在行业增速放缓、竞争加剧的情况下，物流机器人企业如何迎难而上、保持健康发展值得进一步思考。二是机器人核心技术滞后。据了解，我国机器人核心部件大部分还是采用进口产品，国产机器人的性能、质量与发达国家的机器人产品还存在较大差距，变速器、控制器、传感器等核心部件亟待突破。三是无序化竞争严重。尽管我国物流机器人发展已取得了巨大进步，但市场竞争无序，企业间互相排斥，互相打压，陷入低价竞争的怪圈，制约了行业的健康和可持续发展。四是产品标准化程度低。我国物流机器人行业之所以鱼龙混杂，用户对产品功能识别性低，还有一个重要原因在于产品标准滞后。虽然国家已出台有关标准，但不是强制性标准，基本都是推荐性标准，形同虚设，不利于市场规范发展。五是专业人才匮乏。人才缺乏也是制约我国物流机器人行业发展的一个重要因素。由于物流行业工作人员大多对于物流机器人技术缺乏更深刻的认识和理解。因此，需要更专业的研发人员、设计人员来推动物流机器人技术的发展和应用。
机遇：一是技术突破和技术融合带来的重大机遇。由于新技术的突破和融合，当代机器人已经被赋能了人工智能、大数据网络、感知系统等一体的高技术，并不断向其他领域拓展和延伸，这是未来机器人发展的希望;二是制造模式变革带来的机遇。全球正在进入一个新的智能制造时代，全球行业产能过剩开始迈向根据市场需求的个性化定制化，批量、刚需、大规模的制造模式将退出舞台，生产的要素将发生巨大变化;三是中国机器人产业正处在一个调整和升级的时期，从过去追求数量的发展开始向智能化、柔性化高端发展，机器人企业迎来洗牌和再生关键节点。
面对发展和机遇的双重考验，我国物流机器人该如何迎接挑战
1.关键核心技术需要进一步提升。围绕市场和产业发展需求，加强机器人关键零部件和高端产品的技术和质量公关。2.以标准化推动行业规范发展。鉴于当前物流机器人领域无序竞争严重、发展不规范的现状，亟需建立健全统一的机器人产业标准体系。3.产业链融合共生。对于物流机器人的未来发展，目前行业内呼声最高的举措莫过于产业链融合共生。4.加快推进高技能人才队伍建设。加大机器人领域高技能人才的教育培训力度，培养从系统集成、安装调试、操作维护到运行管理的多层次、多类型的应用型人才。
物流机器人行业发展前景
机器人领域专业数据表明，2018年物流系统的专业服务机器人总销售额约为37亿美元，比2017年增长53%，此外，根据此前市场研究公司Tractica预测，到2021年全球仓储和物流机器人市场规模增长到224亿美元，由此可见，物流机器人行业发展前景十分广阔。
