Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

arthur d little

Global automotive study ‘outlines importance of car in changing world of mobility’

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Arthur D. Little has released its worldwide automotive market report. Key findings are that the desire for car ownership remains strong, especially amongst the young, and that drivers are considering a dramatic switch to electric and hybrid vehicles.

This will impact manufacturer and supplier engine strategies and push for faster development of EV ecosystems, such as charging solutions, says ADL.

Drivers are now much more willing to embrace alternative drivetrains. 58 percent would accept paying more for hybrids, and 50 percent for EVs.  [Read more…] about Global automotive study ‘outlines importance of car in changing world of mobility’

Autonomous vehicles will increase traffic congestion before ‘dramatically reducing it’, says report

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Introducing autonomous vehicles will initially increase traffic congestion before dramatically reducing it, according to a new report.

Arthur D. Little has published a real-world simulation analysis that demonstrates that switching to totally autonomous vehicles significantly reduces urban congestion by a factor of 10, but that mixing human and robot drivers together will increase traffic jams by over 16 per cent.

The micro-simulation was based on a major intersection in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, notorious for its evening traffic jams.  [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicles will increase traffic congestion before ‘dramatically reducing it’, says report

Smart cities: Embracing technology for urban mobility advancement

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By Francois-Joseph Van Audenhove, partner at Arthur D. Little

Urban mobility operators face evolving customer needs and behaviors as well as a spate of technological advancements, driven by the fourth industrial revolution, that must be embraced in order to stay competitive in the short term, and require transformation for operators to stay relevant in the long term.

Major developments have opened up a range of new mobility options for individuals and now customers expect operators, particularly of public transport, to offer services that are fast, reliable, convenient and personalized.

As such, technological trends and new mobility solutions could lead to a very different mobility ecosystem in the future.  [Read more…] about Smart cities: Embracing technology for urban mobility advancement

The big feature: Urban mobility in China – why car sharing is set to take off

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By Klaus Schmitz, Arthur D. Little

China’s dominating chauffer companies, Didi and Uber China, merged in 2016, wrapping up a history of fierce competition for the city-mobility market.

The two are now left with a huge shared customer pool that knows a lot about their choices for mobility.

The new phase being ushered in is car sharing, which is poised for explosive growth across China.

In this article, Klaus Schmitz of consultancy firm Arthur D Little examines the market dynamics and the major hurdles, and makes predictions for the future of the Chinese car-sharing scene.  [Read more…] about The big feature: Urban mobility in China – why car sharing is set to take off

Logistics 4.0: Facing digitalization-driven disruption

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By Vincent Bamberger, Florent Nansé, Bernd Schreiber, and Michael Zintel, of Arthur D Little

In the past, legacy logistics players (LLPs) such as DHL, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, UPS and Nippon Express operated in a stable world, where efficiency, standardization and low cost were the keys to success.

However, digitalization has changed this focus, transforming the market.

New, digital-native entrants are better able to adapt to emerging imperatives such as agility, customer centricity and the need to constantly innovate.  [Read more…] about Logistics 4.0: Facing digitalization-driven disruption