The Amazon effect is fueling a wave of robotics investments, acquisitions and maybe an IPO

The labor shortage and rapid growth of e- commerce have aligned to create ideal conditions for warehouse robotic companies.

There are at least one robotics IPO next year and at least one large funding round. The growth appears to be unlimited according to the RoboticsPanelists Locus Robotics CEO Rick Faulk, Jessica Moran, and Melonee Wise, who are now VP of robotic automation at Zebra Technologies

Moran said that Amazon started rocking the boat. The effect of the Amazon effect is that it puts everyone in a position to figure out how to do things faster.

Locus robotics is an image.

"We think that Amazon is the best marketing arm in the business today." Everyone has to play by the same rules. They're part of the marketing team.

He doesn't think there is a ceiling to the growth.

The level of warehouse penetration right now is less than 5%. Over the next four or five years, there will be another 6 or 7 billion square feet of warehouse space built, all of which will be automated.

The challenges around seasonal peaks and rising demand for e- commerce will help drive growth.

Locus is going towards an IPO in the next year to 18 months.

A wave of consolidation is predicted by Wise, in which a logistics company seeks to add automation to its offerings. When Wise's startup Fetch was acquired by Zebra Technologies in 2021, a company already deeply embedded in the logistics segment, it was exactly what happened.

Over the next couple of years, I think you will see more consolidation of alignment of products and product families and portfolios that help tell a larger story about the end-to-end manufacturing solution. It's an extension of the logistics portfolio.