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Mobile robot shipments set to grow from 547,000 to 2.8 million by 2030, says report

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Mobile robot shipments will remain the highest across all robot form factors. ABI Research, a technology intelligence firm, forecasts shipments to grow from 547,000 units in 2023 to 2.79 million by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 24.1 percent.

Mobile robots are most used within warehousing and logistics, but the form factor is increasingly essential in manufacturing, last-mile delivery, agriculture, and healthcare. Mobile robots demonstrate efficiency improvements for diverse applications varying from cleaning to security.

Accordingly, revenue generated from mobile robots will rise from $18 billion to $124 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 23.6 percent. [Read more…] about Mobile robot shipments set to grow from 547,000 to 2.8 million by 2030, says report

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 6 percent in Q3 2024, SEMI Reports

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 5.9 percent quarter-over-quarter to 3,214 million square inches (MSI) in the third quarter of 2024 and registered 6.8 percent growth from the 3,010 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Lee Chungwei, chairman of SEMI SMG and vice president and chief auditor at GlobalWafers, says: “The third quarter wafer shipment results continued the upward trend which started in the second quarter of this year.

“Inventory levels have declined throughout the supply chain but generally remain high. Demand for advanced wafers used for AI continues to be strong.

[Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 6 percent in Q3 2024, SEMI Reports

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 7 percent

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 7.1 percent quarter-over-quarter to 3,035 million square inches (MSI) in the second quarter of 2024 but saw an 8.9 percent decline from the 3,331 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Lee Chungwei, chairman of SEMI SMG and vice president and chief auditor at GlobalWafers, says: “The silicon wafer market is recovering driven by strong demand related to products for data centers and generative AI.

“While the recovery is uneven across different applications, 300mm wafer Q2 shipments indicated 8% quarter-over-quarter growth for the best performance among all wafer sizes. There are a growing number of new semiconductor fabs under construction or ramping production volume.

[Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 7 percent

Plus One Robotics uses Yaskawa Motoman to expand mixed depalletizing solutions

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, has launched new customer programs using Yaskawa Motoman robots. These customer deployments are for Plus One’s induction and mixed depalletizing solutions.

This deployment of Plus One and Yaskawa robotic solutions consists of 12 new induction systems acquired by FedEx Corp. This purchase builds upon the four existing robotic systems in use at the FedEx Express Hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

Additionally, Plus One successfully introduced its mixed depalletizing systems at the FedEx Reno, NV facility. Plus One’s mixed depalletizing systems will allow for easier, more efficient movement of cases from palleted shipments throughout the FedEx facility. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics uses Yaskawa Motoman to expand mixed depalletizing solutions

The Role of Technology in the Evolution of Partial Truckload Shipping

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Partial truckload shipping continues to evolve with technology, and it’s become much more popular over the last few years. This freight movement method allows shippers to combine their PTL freight with other shipments to fill a truckload.

Both dry van and reefer trucks containing meat, dairy, and produce can benefit most from shipping multiple loads together. Partial truckload shipping is a great option because it is a much more cost-effective and efficient way to ship a wide range of items nationwide.

Technology only continues to evolve and play a key role in the trucking industry. Automated load matching systems, real-time tracking, and predictive analytics are just a few examples of how shipping continues to change. [Read more…] about The Role of Technology in the Evolution of Partial Truckload Shipping

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue ‘set new records in 2021’

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue “set new records in 2021”, according to a new report by semiconductor manufacturing industry association SEMI. 

SEMI says that worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2021 increased 14 percent while wafer revenue rose 13 percent compared to 2020, topping $12 billion, to reach new “all-time highs”.

The study was produced by the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group as part of its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. [Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue ‘set new records in 2021’

Yaskawa achieves 30 million total shipments of AC drives

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Yaskawa, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of industrial robotics and automation technologies, says it has reached 30 million total shipments of alternating current drives.

An AC drive is a device that is used to control the speed of an electric motor, which are present in almost all robots and automated machines.

In a statement, Yaskawa, which shipped the world’s first transistor inverter in 1974, says: “We are pleased to announce that the cumulative shipments of AC Drives reached 30 million units in January 2021.” [Read more…] about Yaskawa achieves 30 million total shipments of AC drives

UPS sells UPS Freight to TFI International for $800 million

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Logistics giant United Parcel Services has entered into an agreement to sell UPS Freight to TFI International for $800 million, subject to working capital and other adjustments.

Carol Tomé, UPS CEO, says: “We’re excited about the future and the opportunities this creates for both UPS and UPS Freight as part of TFI International.

“The agreement allows UPS to be even more laser-focused on the core parts of our business that drive the greatest value for our customers.” [Read more…] about UPS sells UPS Freight to TFI International for $800 million

Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

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By Maya Xiao of Interact Analysis

The coronavirus pandemic which has devastated economies worldwide is expected to reduce revenues in the industrial robot market by more than 8 per cent, according to a study by Interact Analysis.

“After a weak 2019, we originally expected the 2020 robot market to recover strongly, but Covid-19 changed the market revenue growth forecast from 4.8 percent to -3.6 percent,” writes Maya Xiao, automation market expert at Interact Analysis.

Global industrial robot shipments experienced negative growth for four consecutive quarters from mid-2018, she says. At the end of 2019, recovery signs appeared, and the mid-term growth rate turned positive. This turnaround happened in the context of a continued slowdown in general global manufacturing activity, which led to weak spending on machinery and automation equipment. [Read more…] about Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

Massive growth in mobile robots expected as 6 million forecast to be shipped in 2030

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The robotics industry is set for “seismic change”, according to a report by ABI Research, which says that, of the 8 million robots forecast to be shipped in 2030, nearly 6 million will be mobile.

ABI says it has released its “most comprehensive robotics tracker yet”, and it shows that the robotics market is “set to transform over the next 10 years”.

There will be enormous growth across all sub-sectors, highlighted in a total market valuation of $277 billion by 2030, says ABI. [Read more…] about Massive growth in mobile robots expected as 6 million forecast to be shipped in 2030