This Month in Modern: It’s “go time” for investment at MODEX 2022

There’s a good chance you’ve dusted off your suitcase and are getting ready to travel to Atlanta to attend Modex (Georgia World Congress Center, March 28-31), one of the leading materials handling trade shows in the world. And if you are, we have new data that suggests the energy on the show floor may be reminiscent of ProMat 2019.

If you find that you have to stay back at the operation, don’t worry, we have plenty to offer this month to keep your innovation gears turning. Starting on page 22, the Modern editors have collected about 100 of the latest new products that will be highlighted on this year’s floor—casters, racks, shelving, lift trucks, software, the latest in robotics and automation solutions and everything in between.

If you’re walking the show or are back at your facility, our team of on-site editors will be covering every press conference and event in our print and online versions of the Modex Show Daily. So, no matter where you are, I’m certain that Modern has you covered either in print or in our Show Daily e-newsletters.

As we’ve been reporting, show sponsor MHI has sold out of exhibit space, and the event will feature around 850 provider exhibits across 400,000 square feet. And if the results of our “2022 Warehouse and DC Equipment Survey” are any indication, a palpable buzz should be permeating every square inch of the space.

At press time, senior editor Roberto Michel was putting the finishing touches on his story diving into the results of our annual study that reveals the economy’s impact on current warehouse/DC equipment, technology and software buying decisions. His report will run in full next month in Modern.

What did he see on first glance? Macro-level supply chain issues aside, one thing was quite clear: Respondents are ready to embrace more automation and robotics—and they’re adding more budget to make it happen.

In fact, 36% of respondents are telling us they’re going forward with investments, up from 28% last year, while the average anticipated spending on automation for 2022 came in at $459,316—well above last year’s average anticipated spend of $306,990.

“The results couldn’t be more straightforward,” says Michel. “We found much less hesitancy from respondents this year, and it looks like it’s ‘go time’ for investment in warehouse and distribution center automation. So, the show floor activity should be rather positive.”

According to Michel, the underlying drivers to this reader sentiment are just as clear cut: The economy has maintained strength, e-commerce is booming, and companies with distribution operations are struggling to keep up.

“Under these pressures, the response is to invest in automation,” he says. “But it also includes spending to ensure enough labor force while also training people to properly to interact with all the new-fangled automation.”

Add all of this year’s data up, and Michel contends that our 2022 survey paints a new landscape of warehouse and DC operations. “Automate where it makes sense, do what you can to retain people, and plan for a future where automated DCs are going to be more commonplace,” he adds.