'Thinking' robots will take over 35,000 jobs in distribution centres over the next 15 years. Many jobs will be lost, especially in North Brabant.
This is the finding of Buck Consultants International in the report 'Robotisation in warehouses'. 63 new automated warehouses have been built in the Netherlands in the past year. Personnel savings at these warehouses are between 40 and 75 per cent. According to Buck Consultants, another 600 distribution centres, each with a floor area of more than 10,000 square metres, will be automated in the next 15 years. "All these distribution centres now employ 85,000 people. Over the next 15 years, some up to 35,000 of these jobs will be lost due to further mechanisation and robotisation," said managing director René Buck.
In North Brabant, 10,700 jobs would be at risk, followed by South Holland (5,000 jobs) and Limburg (4,900 jobs).
'Thinking' robots have most impact
According to the agency, advanced robots in particular, which will take over many of the warehousing, picking and packaging activities, are going to have a huge impact. "Technological developments are ensuring that robots can perform more and more difficult tasks, but also that the costs per robot are decreasing," states Kees Verweij, partner at Buck. "Moreover, shortages of good and qualified staff force companies to look for alternatives. And then the low interest rates that make capital costs relatively low and the growing economy give companies the final push to make these investments."
Employment not at risk
Incidentally, robotisation need not automatically lead to high unemployment figures. Especially now that the recruitment of new people in the logistics sector is limited. Buck: "Robotisation increases productivity in the logistics sector. Moreover, robots also replace heavy, monotonous and sometimes dangerous work. Also, don't forget that in the next few years, several tens of thousands of people currently working in this type of DC will retire, and then new distribution centres run by foreign companies that need people are being added every month."
Logistics real estate and hotspots
Buck Consultants expects several billion euros to be invested in mechanisation and robotisation of warehouses in the coming years. However, this will have little impact on logistics real estate. "A modern warehouse can handle robotisation just fine. The size, height, depth and floor quality do not change." Distribution centres also hardly change location. "The logistics hotspots in the Netherlands remain roughly the same.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
