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Key takeaways

• Technological advancements are transforming the industrial and logistics sector, but physical infrastructure remains essential. Goods can't be stored in the cloud or delivered via a cable, so real estate remains crucial.
• AI, warehouse robotics, AGVs, autonomous delivery vehicles, IIoT, blockchain, and digital twins will shape the sector in the next 5-10 years. These technologies will influence operations and real estate decisions.
• Autonomous Dark Factories operate without human intervention, integrating robots, IoT, CPS, AI, and 3D printing for continuous production. This will impact real estate by requiring specific building designs to accommodate these technologies.
• Advances in 3D printing enable small-scale production. This reduces the need for large storage spaces and allows for local, on-demand production, shifting location requirements.
• Some technological advancements will require changes in building specifications, e.g. increased power, greater eaves height, improved floor loading capacity and better amenities.

Technological advancements have had a huge impact on the way we live, work and shop - shaping our use of real estate. However, the industrial and logistics sector is concerned with the making and moving of physical goods. While technology is changing how (and where) we make, store and distribute goods, it cannot replace the need for industrial and logistics facilities. Goods can鈥檛 be stored in the cloud or delivered via a cable. Manufacturing and logistics involves physical goods, and movement of these goods to real locations and thus requires physical infrastructure and buildings.

However, technological advancements and improving affordability are driving changes in the ways that goods are made, stored and distributed. Occupiers are increasingly choosing to adopt technological solutions for more tasks and across more aspects of the supply chain, enabling greater automation within fulfilment centres and manufacturing plants.

Tech Trends Radar

Our tech trends radar considers the key technologies that will impact the industrial and logistics sector over the next five to ten years and beyond.  Some of these technologies are already in use, while others are in their infancy or test phases. The radar assesses when these technologies will become widespread and evaluates their significance in influencing operations and real estate decisions.

Some of these tech trends share underlying technological architecture but differ in application, altering their adoption timeframe and impact. For example, autonomous supply chains will utilise AI-driven decision-making, warehouse robotics, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), autonomous delivery vehicles and drones, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), blockchain and digital twins. While some of these trends may have limited impact individually, their combined potential could be significant. Autonomous dark factories, also known as lights-out manufacturing facilities, operate entirely without human intervention, enabling continuous, 24/7 production. These factories integrate multiple technologies, including robots and automation, Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), AI and big data analytics and Additive Manufacturing (3D printing).

Some tech trends will have varying impacts across different parts of the sector. For instance, digital twins will significantly impact the logistics sector by optimising supply chain efficiency and enhancing warehouse automation. However, their greatest impact will be within manufacturing, where they allow firms to simulate and test production changes before implementation. This is particularly valuable in high-precision industries such as aerospace and semiconductor manufacturing.

Advances in 3D printing and additive manufacturing are changing how goods are produced enabling efficient small-scale production. Designers can rapidly develop and create prototypes, while replacement parts can be printed and dispatched as needed. This speeds up market entry, reduces shipping times, and minimises storage needs by enabling local, on-demand production rather than bulk overseas manufacturing.

Technologies such as AGVs, Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) are already in use within the most advanced fulfilment centres, with adoption expected to increase over the next five years as costs decline. A WMS can utilise IoT technology to connect to various communication and automatic identification technologies, such as sensors and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. AGVs, including automated forklift trucks typically follow magnetic strips or tracks, whereas AMRs create their own routes using sensor data and dynamically reroute when necessary.

Over the next five years, we anticipate the IIoT will have far-reaching applications for logistics and warehouse operations. IIoT warehouse devices enable real-time scanning, recording, and monitoring of inventory. RFID tags and sensors can track goods throughout the supply chain and ensure correct storage conditions.

Extended Reality (XR), or Mixed Reality (MR) which incorporates both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), are improving logistics and manufacturing operations by enhancing efficiency, training and decision-making. AR smart glasses can overlay real-time inventory data and guide workers to the exact shelf location of an item. Companies like DHL and UPS have already implemented AR in warehouses, increasing picking efficiency by up to 25%. AI and the use of big data analytics stand to improve supply chain efficiency. As technology for collecting,  storing, and analysing data improve, the opportunities to extract insights from big data grow. Machine learning, a subset of AI, is increasingly used for predictive analytics in distribution route planning and consumer demand forecasting. Some warehouse operations integrate augmented guidance and robotic systems to enhance and scale inventory management.

Drones are already improving inventory management within warehouses by autonomously checking stock levels and storage

conditions. GEODIS has implemented drones that scan barcodes and update inventory systems in real-time. Advances in drone technology, such as improved battery life and payload capacity, will make drone deliveries more viable.

However, for widespread rollout, regulatory changes, such as adjustments to CAA regulations mandating that drones maintain line of sight, will be necessary.

Other evolving transport systems may impact logistics supply chains in the future. Automated cargo corridors are dedicated logistics routes equipped with autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, and digital systems. Concepts vary; in Japan, a "conveyor belt road" will connect Tokyo and Osaka by the mid-2030s, while in the US, the focus is on autonomous trucks. Hyperloop, a proposed high-speed transportation system moving cargo pods through low-pressure vacuum tubes at near-supersonic speeds, was first conceptualised by Elon Musk in 2013. Despite setbacks, such as Virgin Hyperloop ceasing operations, countries like China, India and the UAE are still exploring applications. Automated cargo corridors utilising hyperloop technology may become commercially viable within 15-20 years.

Implications for Real Estate

Advances in technology are influencing building specifications. Greater automation and robotics usage will increase power consumption, while large-scale, bespoke automation equipment may necessitate design adaptations, such as greater eaves height and improved floor loading capacity. This will restrict suitable locations for these facilities and increase demand for bespoke design-and-build solutions.

Robots typically require very smooth, obstacle-free floors. However, advancements in robotics have significantly mitigated this requirement, with modern robots better able to navigate rough and uneven terrain. This extends their applicability to facilities where smooth floors are impractical. Nonetheless, smooth surfaces remain essential for robotic solutions that can maximise precision and efficiencies.

The ability to deploy robotics in smaller, less specialised environments is enabling new hyper-local fulfilment models. Micro-fulfilment centres (MFCs) are small urban warehouses utilising automated systems for rapid and efficient order fulfilment. Their compact size allows them to be situated in densely populated areas, enabling operators to reduce last-mile delivery times and costs by being closer to customers.

In summary

As warehouses become increasingly tech-enabled, the requirements for workers will also evolve. The warehouse of the future will be increasingly reliant on an educated and highly specialised workforce, needing specialists trained in robotics, warehouse management systems and other advanced technologies. As warehouses increasingly compete for skilled, educated labour, they will need to offer high-quality amenities if they are to attract workers to these roles.