robotics PM market analysis — 2026-10-10

Robotics in supply chains is moving past the warehouse-only model toward systems built for variable, unpredictable tasks. The clearest evidence sits in Europe’s reverse logistics: Zalando is running CEVA Logistics and Sereact robots on live returns processing, not a pilot programme, and the system’s selling point is handling items without item-by-item pre-programming. That is a meaningful signal because returns sorting has historically resisted automation due to its lack of standardisation.

Industry forecasts continue to cite e-commerce growth and AI-driven automation as the structural demand drivers behind mobile robotics, reinforcing the direction seen in the Zalando deployment rather than contradicting it. Humanoid robotics adds a parallel but earlier-stage theme: factory logistics partnerships exist, but their relevance still depends on whether inspection and internal-logistics trials translate into repeatable industrial use.

Taken together, the sector shows adoption spreading from standardised environments into flexible, AI-directed tasks, while the humanoid strand remains unproven at commercial scale. This is market commentary, not financial advice.