Smart Automation Technologies Will Grow 40.6% Annually

In the coming years, the global market for intelligent automation technologies, such as robotic process automation or natural language processing, will grow at an annual rate of 40.6% to reach 25,660 million in 2027.

This is calculated by the consulting firm Deloitte. The company has pointed out that almost all large companies will use intelligent automation technologies in three years. Deloitte surveyed 441 company executives worldwide. Data shows the number of large companies that use this type of technology globally in 2020 is around 73%. Adding up to 15 points more than in 2019.

The most used during 2020 has been RPA. In fact, 78% of those surveyed by the consultancy already use it. Moreover, 16% plan to do so in the next three years.

According to Deloitte, the pandemic helped 31% of the surveyed companies accelerate the investment in automation through the cloud.

According to the consultancy, more than half of the organizations have not been calculated yet.

58% of organizations state that they have not calculated the percentage of their workforce. The barriers entities have encountered to implement these technologies have been the fragmentation of processes. As well as the lack of technological preparation, resistance to change, the lack of a clear vision, and the cost of implementation.

Costs are the main barrier in implementing automation 

The other half of the companies said that automation had helped them during the isolation period. It aided in the succession of their business and their workers’ safety.

Three of the solutions that would receive the most investment are warehouse execution software (48%), order picking technology (46%), and robotic solutions (44%). Currently, these three technologies are the most widely implemented. 

While almost all companies that have implemented automation solutions experienced positive business results, costs are the main reason for increasing investment. In particular, more than half of companies in the packaged goods industry say that the most significant barrier to further automation is cost.