Frost Radar™: Global Off-Highway Autonomous Technology Market, 2021

The promise of worker safety and productivity gains will drive the development of autonomous off-highway equipment in the medium-to-long term. Unmanned equipment’s ability to operate 24/7 without interference enables easier integration of technology into existing infrastructure and fleets, which will boost interest in this market. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on off-highway equipment sales in the construction, mining, and agricultural spaces globally, it has pushed off-highway industry stakeholders to accelerate autonomous technology development. Mandates on employee health monitoring, social distancing, and contact tracing have increased demand for virtual solutions in manufacturing, operations, and services tied to off-highway equipment. Preference for connected solutions that optimize equipment performance has increased the demand for both hardware (e.g., sensors) and software platforms, enabling virtual and augmented solutions in equipment manufacturing and operation. This has positioned OEMs and autonomous solution providers to develop applications targeting remote and autonomous operation. Currently, 43 OEMs (of construction, mining, and agricultural equipment) have operated or are operating autonomous equipment in on-site trials and pilots. Globally, the majority of automation focus is on mining haul trucks, which make up more than 75% of total autonomous equipment in operation. This global off-highway autonomous technology Frost RadarTM features 8 companies that are disrupting the industry with their cutting-edge innovation, groundbreaking technology, strong partnerships, and strategic product positioning, namely Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), Built Robotics, SafeAI, Pronto AI, AgXeed, Aidrivers, TAGE I-Driver, and xtonomy. While fewer than a dozen smaller companies either are exploring the market, have recently entered it, or have the potential to explore the off-highway segment because of an established position in the passenger car segment, Frost & Sullivan has identified these 8 as the market powerhouses. The study only features dedicated technology companies that are working exclusively on automated operation for off-highway equipment; it does not consider traditional OEMs or Tier I suppliers. The Frost Radar™ reveals the market positioning of companies in an industry using their Growth and Innovation scores as highlighted in the Frost Radar™ methodology. The document presents competitive profiles on each of the companies in the Frost Radar™ based on their strengths, opportunities, and a small discussion on their positioning. Frost & Sullivan analyzes companies and benchmarks them across 10 criteria on the Frost Radar™, where the leading companies in the industry are then positioned. Industry leaders on both the Growth and Innovation indices are recognized as best practice recipients. Author: Krishna Achuthan