Milking Robots Market Size, Share and Growth Analysis

Updated on : October 22, 2024

Milking Robots Market Size & Growth

The global milking robots market size is projected to grow from USD 3.2 billion in 2024 to USD 5.3 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 10.8% between 2024 to 2029.

The growth of the market is driven by factors such as lower labor costs resulting from automation on dairy farms, technological advancements in dairy farming, and the advantages provided by automatic milking solutions. Adopting advanced technologies and equipment has not only enhanced the efficiency and productivity of livestock farms but has also brought about increased precision and automation. This section delves into the encouraging and challenging factors that impact the global milking robots market. These insights empower market players to formulate strategies and action plans, fortifying their positions in the market.

Milking Robots Market Forecast to 2029

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Milking Robots Market Trends:

Driver: Cutting labor expenses due to surging adoption of automation in milking farms

The reduction in labor costs attributed to the adoption of automation in milking farms signifies a shift towards more efficient and streamlined processes. With the integration of automated technologies, tasks related to milking and farm management that were traditionally performed manually are now automated. Dairy farming, known for its labor-intensive nature, faces the challenge of rising labor and operational costs globally due to increased demand for dairy products and a subsequent surge in the number of dairy farms. According to the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research (USDA), farm wages saw a significant rise from an annual average of USD 13.32 per hour in 2017 to USD 27.57 per hour in 2022. This increase is influenced by a growth of 25.1% in net farm income from 2020 to 2021. The adoption of milking automation technologies, including milking robots, becomes crucial to address this challenge. Milking robots reduce manual effort and enhance milk yield by allowing more frequent milking of individual animals. This increased efficiency, coupled with the flexibility of not requiring a farmer's presence at every milking, is anticipated to alleviate labor and operational costs in dairy farms.

Restraint: Substantial initial expenditure

The substantial initial investment stands as a prominent obstacle hindering the growth of the milking robots market. The integration of hardware components and technologies, including automation and control devices, as well as sensing and monitoring devices, not only involves upfront installation expenses but also adds to ongoing operational costs. In addition to hardware, the utilization of cloud-based or on-premise software solutions, along with various services like maintenance and support, connectivity, system integration, consulting, managed services, and assisted professional services, significantly contributes to the overall high expenses associated with milking robots. This challenge is particularly pronounced in regions with a prevalence of small to medium-sized farms, where farm owners, especially in emerging economies like India, Brazil, and China, may be cautious about extensive investments in advanced and automated solutions due to potential financial risks, given the relatively low herd size and the unorganized nature of the livestock industry.

Opportunity: Growing adoption of milking robots in developing countries

The adoption of milking robots in developing countries is slow, mainly due to high installation costs, less awareness among farmers about the benefits of milking robots, and small herd size. Robotic milking presents several opportunities for the dairy industry. Firstly, it can improve milk quality and hygiene by ensuring consistent milking protocols, reducing contamination, and leading to safer, higher-quality milk. Secondly, it can boost dairy farm efficiency and productivity by saving time and labor, allowing farmers to focus on other tasks and potentially increase milk production. Thirdly, it can improve cow welfare by reducing stress on cows and leading to better animal health and longevity. Fourthly, it can support small-scale dairy farms in developing countries by making the technology accessible through smaller, more affordable robots. Finally, it can create new economic opportunities through robot manufacturing and installation.

Challenge: Integrating Milking Robots with Grazing Systems and the Need for Standardization

Grazing dairies providing pasture access introduce additional complexities when incorporating milking robots. The process involves enticing cows from pastures to the barn for milking and then returning them to the field for grazing. Managing the herd's movement in and out of the pasture poses a significant challenge for farmers implementing robotic milking systems. Additionally, dealing with the behavioral differences among individual animals during milking presents another substantial difficulty. These behavioral variations make maintaining a consistent milking frequency across the entire herd challenging, potentially affecting milk yield. Moreover, the adoption of milking robots may not be suitable for all cows, particularly those with unfavorable udder shapes and teat positions.

Milking robots Market Ecosystem

Prominent companies in this market include well-established, financially stable providers of milking robots products. These companies have been operating in the market for several years and possess a diversified product portfolio, state-of-the-art technologies, and strong global sales and marketing networks. Prominent companies in this market include Lely (Netherlands), GEA Group AG (Germany), DeLaval (Sweden), Nedap Livestock Management (Netherlands), and BouMatic (US). Other key players include Fullwood JOZ (UK), Milkomax solutions laiteres inc. (Canada), System Happel GmbH (Germany), Waikato Milking Systems NZ LP (New Zealand), AMS Galaxy USA (US), and Dairymaster (Ireland).

Milking Robots Market Segmentation

By Farm Size, Farms with herd size above 1000 is likely to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period.

Robotic milking presents several opportunities for large dairy farms with a herd size above 1000 cows. Firstly, it can improve labor efficiency and cost savings by automating milking, reducing personnel needs and associated costs, which can be substantial with such large herds. Labor shortages are even more acute for large farms, making it difficult to find and retain reliable workers. Robots provide a consistent and reliable workforce, alleviating this pressure. Secondly, it can increase milk production and quality by allowing for more frequent and consistent milking schedules, optimizing cow health and potentially leading to higher milk yields. The gentle and automated process can also improve milk quality. Thirdly, it can improve herd management and animal welfare by providing continuous monitoring of individual cows, allowing for early detection of health problems and prompt intervention. This can improve overall herd health and reduce culling rates.

The dairy cattles are predominating the milking robots market

The dairy segment held the largest market share in 2023. Dairy cattle produce the maximum of the world milk production. When compared to other milking animals, dairy cattle have many advantages, including ease of milking, udder size, ability to store milk, and milk yield. Because of these advantages the majority of the dairy farmers prefer dairy cattle instead of other milking animal, as a result most companies in the market design milking systems specialized of dairy cattle only. This factor results in the dominance of dairy cattle segment in milking automation market.  Milking animals such as goats and sheep accounts for only a small market share.

The automated milking rotaries segment is anticipated to achieve the highest growth

The growth of automated milking rotaries (AMR) is attributed to the machines' ability to efficiently milk large herds while demonstrating flexibility in various farming practices, including free stall, loose housing, and pasture-based dairying. Automated milking rotaries offer several advantages, including decreased reliance on manual labor, resulting in reduced labor costs, and enhanced milk yields owing to more frequent milking sessions.

Milking Robots Industry Regional Analysis

During the forecast period, the Asia Pacific region will likely experience the highest growth in the overall milking robots market.

Milking Robots Market by Region

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The Asia Pacific region is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate in the global milking robots industry share due to several key factors. Rapid population growth in the region's emerging economies and the subsequent rise in the demand for milk and other dairy products is exerting pressure on the suppliers of dairy products to become more efficient and productive, thus pushing the sales of milking robots and other automated milking solutions upward. However, the availability of inexpensive labor, higher input costs and the lack of large-scale dairy farms are some of the major factors that adversely affect the adoption of milking robots in the region. Rapid economic growth, and surging demand for milk in countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Japan, and Singapore are expected to drive the market growth in the region. This increased demand for milk products has triggered the adoption of automated milking systems on dairy farms in this region. Furthermore, automated milking rotaries (AMRs) reduces the amount of manual labor required in the milking process on dairy farms, thereby reducing the labor cost. With rapid industrialization, milk consumers are becoming aware of the quality and the type of dairy products they are consuming. Hence, dairy farm owners are adopting automated milking systems for increasing production to meet the growing demand for milk.

Top Milking Robots Companies - Key Market Players

• Lely (Netherlands), 
• GEA Group AG (Germany), 
• DeLaval (Sweden), 
• Nedap Livestock Management (Netherlands),
• and BouMatic (US),
• Fullwood JOZ (UK),
• Milkomax solutions laiteres inc. (Canada),
• System Happel GmbH (Germany),
• Waikato Milking Systems NZ LP (New Zealand),
• AMS Galaxy USA (US),
• Dairymaster (Ireland) are some of the key players in the milking robots companies.

Milking Robots Market Report Scope

Milking Robots Market Highlights

This research report categorizes the milking robots market share based on product, touch technology, aspect ratio, screen size, resolution, industry, application, and region.

Recent Developments in Milking Robots Industry

• In October 2023, Lely, the robot manufacturer, and Konrad Pumpe GmbH, the innovative specialist in plant engineering, united forces through an official partnership. Lely integrated Konrad Pumpe GmbH's dosing systems into their feed range, available via Lely Centers. This expanded Konrad Pumpe GmbH's reach and empowered Lely Centers to offer farmers enhanced capabilities with the Lely Vector feeding system.
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• In August 2023, GEA and Unilever teamed up to diminish greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in dairy farming by deploying GEA's new manure enricher solution, ProManure E2950. In the initial phase, four units were installed on Dutch farms supplying Unilever with milk. Over a year, data from these systems was scrutinized to gauge their impact on Unilever's carbon footprint. This evaluation allowed Unilever and GEA to assess and expand the system's potential to substantially curb GHG emissions throughout the milk production process, thereby enhancing Unilever's sustainability along its value chain.
• In June 2023, Fullwood JOZ extended its exclusive collaboration with Mueller, broadening its range to include cooling solutions for milking robots and traditional milking systems.
• In September 2022, Lely unveiled the next iteration of Lely Juno, their automated feed pushing solution, following the 2008 debut of the first-generation Juno. Evolving over time, it achieved market leadership with 13,000+ units across 45 countries. Continuous improvements focused on reducing running costs for end users.
• In August 2022, DeLaval launched an advanced milking technology, Flow-Responsive Milking. The technology reduces the milking time up to 10% by altering the vacuum applied to the milk flow profile.

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