Page 30 - Inbound Logistics | April 2017 | Digital Issue

INFOCUS TRENDS
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF LOGISTICS

over the next several years, reaching a showing greater confidence in new industrial robot manipulators will
market value of $22.4 billion by the end robotics technologies that could yield a be the segments to drive the largest
of 2021. return on investment in less time than market growth during the forecast
“The warehousing and logistics robot it took a few years ago,” says research period, Sahi adds, followed by shuttle
market is experiencing strong growth, analyst Manoj Sahi. automated storage and retrieval
with many prominent companies Mobile robot platforms and systems, and gantry robots.

U.S. Infrastructure Still at the Bottom of the Class

Every four years, the American D+ held firm, considering the United $2 trillion between planned public-
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) States has scored a D or D+ every year private funding and required investment
issues an Infrastructure Report Card since the report’s inception in 1998. If over the next 10 years.
that thoroughly analyzes and grades U.S. the United States was in high school, its The ASCE pred icts d ire
infrastructure in the form of a school graduation would be in question. consequences for failing to close that
report card. In 2013, the United States Continued lack of investment gap. In its related study, Failure to Act:
was at risk of failing its infrastructure only makes the problem worse with Closing the Infrastructure Investment
class, squeaking by with a grade of D+. each evaluation. The dollar amount Gap for America’s Economic Future, it
In 2017, after four years to hit the required to get ahead of our crumbling cites the largest issues: $3.9 trillion in
books and earn some extra credit, the infrastructure, and bring the average losses to the U.S. gross domestic product
ASCE has reevaluated America’s grade. to a B, rises with each report, this time by 2025, $7 trillion in lost business sales,
Anyone involved in transportation or climbing from $3.6 trillion in 2013 to and 2.5 million lost jobs by 2025.
supply chain won’t be surprised that the $4.6 trillion. This leaves a gap of about Not all infrastructure is flunking,

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28 Inbound Logistics • March 2017