Locator: 49778TECH.
Six months ago I was ignoring robots and drones.
AI Prompt: six months ago I was skeptical of robots and drones. Now, I'm a believer. With regard to robots, I would think it's hard to compare robot manufacturers. There are so many different kinds of robots, some very simple, some very complex. I think some folk still argue about the definition of a "robot." With all those caveats in place, which company is most advanced when it comes to -- not robots per se -- but the USE / EMPLOYMENT of robots in their core business. Which company is making the best use of robots; will that lead endure? Thoughts on robots in general?
The short answer:
- Amazon is the clear global leader in the use of robots as an integrated business system.
- Tesla is the most ambitious second, but with higher execution risk.
- Foxconn is the most underappreciated.
- Ocado is the most elegant niche example.
Yes, Amazon's lead is likely to endure, though not unchallenged.
This is most interesting: robots work best when the product is designed for robots -- I would re-phrase that, robots work best when the product is designed with robots in mind. Amazo has this figured out. Tesla, not so much.
Those excelling in the robotic arena:
- Amazon: the gold standard for robot employment.
- Tesla: the boldest bet on robot-native manufacturing --
- extreme automation in
- gigafactories
- battery production
- body-in-white.
- but Tesla robotics has its weaknesses
- Fox onn: the quite industrial robot superpower
- operates some of the most robot-dense factories on earth
- Foxconn's robots are not flashy; they are relentlessly pragmatic.
- that mindset scales.
- Ocado: the most beautiful example of robotic coordination
- Ocado: UK grocery fulfillment)Ocado shows what happens when robots are designed as a collective system, not individuals.
- their weakness: scale and capital intensity
- something for BRK to think about?
- Others worth mentioning (briefly):
- JD.com
- Toyota
- Walmart
A crucial distinction most people miss:
- there are three different "robotics games":
- robots as tools (most factories)
- robots as systems (Amazon, Ocado)
- robots as labor substitutes (humanoids, still early)
Most companies are stuck at #1.
The winners live at #2.
#3 is coming -- but slower than the hyper suggests.
