Food Robotics Market: Overview

According to the report published by We Market Research the global food robotics market size is estimated to reach USD 7,624 million by 2033, recording a CAGR of 12.4% during the forecast period.

The ongoing COVID 19 pandemic has resulted in the rising use of a variety of robots, such as disinfection and cleaning service robots. Hygienic requirements for the practice of better hygiene created a new market dedicated to service robotics. This is why a number of companies launched new disinfection robots in 2020. Food delivery companies along with other e-commerce services are in high demand amid the ongoing pandemic. Due to this growing interest and escalating demand, a prompt increase in the number of food and medicine delivery robots is anticipated in the ensuing years. This would also fuel the need for robots that can support last-mile delivery.

Many investments are being made in the field of robotics because of the increasing requirements. As per the World Robotics report from the International Federation of Robotics, it was found that the expansion of car production capacity and the modernization of industrial areas led to the rise in the need for robotics. Factors like the creation of eco-friendly drive systems and the fierce competition in the major auto markets have facilitated investments across the important economies that are in flux. Here is some recent investment data related to the food robotics industry:

·         In January 2022, Blendid, a California-based food robotics company that makes smoothies, raised USD 30 million in a Series B funding round.

·         In October 2021, Chowbotics, a company that makes salad-making robots, raised USD 11 million in a funding round led by Flagship Pioneering.

·         In July 2021, Karakuri, a UK-based food robotics company that makes automated meal-prep machines, raised USD 10 million in a funding round led by Firstminute Capital.

·         In May 2021, Miso Robotics, a California-based company that makes robotic kitchen assistants, raised USD 25 million in a Series B funding round.

·         In March 2021, Soft Robotics, a Massachusetts-based company that makes robotic grippers for food handling, raised USD 10 million in a funding round led by Calibrate Ventures.

Overall, the food robotics industry has been attracting increasing investment in recent years as companies look for ways to improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and enhance food safety in the foodservice industry.

Food Robotics Market: Key Trends

·         Increasing Demand for Packaged Food

The need for packaged food has been growing for the last few years. This growth can be attributed for increasing the shelf life of the food and catering to the demand for ready to eat products. The food robotics market has been growing due to the mass production of packaged food products, specifically in countries such as Japan, France, Italy and the US. For the mass production of packaged food, all the processes are being automated in the manufacturing plant in order to ensure consistency and quality in the stock-keeping units (SKUs).

Since baked goods and packaged dairy products are produced on a huge scale across the region, resulting in the growth of baked goods industries and packaged dairy products, which in turn is driving the food robotics market.

·         Growing Functionality of Robots

Generally, the usage and functionality of Robots were limited to the heavy payload in the manufacturing of transportation equipment. However, with the rising adoption of robots in various verticals, industries like food processing, have been adopting automation with mainly low payload robots to facilitate faster and efficient function

To comply with the health authority standards, the food & beverage industry has minimized human contacts in the production process. There has been an opportunity for the food robotics market to grow with an increase in the utility of robots in the food and beverages industry.

Food Robotics Market: Covid 19 Impact

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the pattern of consumption of drinks and food items due to the closure of markets and a decrease in workforce. Several governments restricted manufacturing processes, transport, procurement, and production of raw materials in order to enforce social distancing. These restrictions impacted the production capabilities of food robotics by the manufacturers in 2020. Also, the market's overall revenue was affected during the outbreak. But the market is likely to resume the previous trend of growth over the next few years.

Food Robotics Market: Segmentation Analysis

 Key Players:

·         Fanuc Corporation (Japan)

·         Yasakawa Electric Corporation (Japan)

·         ABB Group(Switzerland)

·         KUKA AG (Germany)

·         Denso Corporation (Japan)

Food Robotics Market based on the type

·         Articulated

·         Delta & Parallel

·         SCARA

·         Cylindrical

·         Cartesian

·         Collaborative

·         Others

The SCARA, Parallel and Cylindrical segments are anticipated to experience substantial growth over the forecast period. The articulated segment dominated the market and accounted for the highest share in the global market in 2016. This high share is attributed to the extensive use of the articulated system for material and palletizing handling.

Food Robotics Market based on payload

·         Low

·         Medium

·         Heavy

The weight which a robot arm can lift is called payload capacity. The payload segment is divided into low, medium and heavy. The low payload system has a capacity of 0-10 Kg, whereas, medium payload system has the capacity of 10 Kg to 100 Kg. Alongside, the heavy payload system has a capacity of above 100 Kg. The low and medium payload segments are anticipated to grow significantly over the forecast period. Low and medium payload capacities address the packaging, repackaging and placing applications. Therefore, the trend of using these automated systems is anticipated to fuel the progression of the Global Food Robotics Market.

 Food Robotics Market based on Application

·         Packaging and Repacking

·         Cutting and Slicing

·         Palletizing & Depalletizing

·         Pick- and Place

·         Butchery

·         Quality Inspection

·         Grading and Sorting

·         Others

The packaging segment has been dominating the market and is projected to amplify at a rapid CAGR compared to other applications. There has been a massive demand for packaged food, which is key driving factor for the expansion of this segment. The robotic system is used for packaging, which aids towards boosting the production capacity, uniformity in packaging and waste reduction. Packaging, Repackaging, Picking, Palletizing and Processing are the steps involved in this applications segment. The rising use of automated solutions in the food processing industry is further expected to drive the growth for the repackaging and processing segment over the forecast timeframe.

Food Robotics Market based on end use

·         Dairy

·         Beverages

·         Bakery & Confectionery

·         Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

·         Fruits and Vegetables

·         Oil & Fats

·         Others

The beverages segment is expected to register a significant CAGR over the stipulated timeline owing to increasing need to meet consumer demand, quality maintenance, hygiene, consistency along with product optimization.

Food Robotics Market: Regional Analysis

European market dominated the market and accounted for the largest share of global revenue in 2016. This high share is ascribed to the food safety rules and regulations and rising labor costs in the region. The demand for an automated system is on the rise due to the regulatory measures taken in the food industry. The food industry has been adopting the automated system due to increasing labor costs thereby, positively swaying the European market dynamics.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness significant growth in the forthcoming years. This development is credited to the growing disposable income and rising demand for packaged and processed food in developing countries. Therefore, it has been influencing the adoption of automation technology for the amplification of food production capacity.