Material handling equipment market seen topping $294B by 2030

The Business Research Company projects the global material handling equipment market will exceed $294 billion by 2030, driven by e-commerce, warehouse automation and supply chain upgrades. Asia-Pacific is set to lead regional growth, while Toyota Industries remains the top player with a 10% market share in 2025.

Why it matters: - Material handling equipment is becoming a bigger slice of the industrial machinery market as warehouses, factories and logistics networks automate to move goods faster. - The forecast points to rising demand for conveyors, forklifts, robots and storage systems as same-day delivery, labor shortages and supply chain complexity reshape operations. - The category is projected to account for nearly 6% of the machinery market by 2030.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Material Handling Equipment Global Market Report 2026 with forecasts through 2035. - The report says the global material handling equipment market will top $294 billion by 2030. - The same outlook puts the broader machinery market at $5,280 billion by 2030. - Toyota Industries Corporation leads the global market with a 10% share in 2025.

The details: - E-commerce and warehouse expansion are expected to add 2.5% annual growth to the market. - Industrial automation and Industry 4.0 technologies are projected to add 2.4% annual growth. - Supply chain efficiency and logistics optimization are expected to contribute another 2.1% growth a year. - Companies are deploying robotics, autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, IoT sensors, artificial intelligence and cloud-based warehouse management systems. - The market is segmented into cranes and lifting equipment, industrial trucks, continuous handling equipment, and racking and storage solutions. - Continuous handling equipment is projected to lead by 2030 with 35% of the market, or about $103 billion. - The market also covers manual, semi-automated and automated systems. - Major applications include transportation and conveying, storage and warehousing, picking and sorting, loading and unloading, and assembly line handling. - End users include automotive, food and beverage, chemical, semiconductor and electronics, e-commerce and logistics, aviation, and pharmaceutical industries. - Asia-Pacific is forecast to be the largest regional market in 2030 at $110 billion, up from $78 billion in 2025. - The region is expected to grow at a 7% compound annual rate. - The USA is projected to be the largest national market by 2030 at $66 billion, up from $51 billion in 2025. - The USA market is forecast to grow at a 5% compound annual rate. - The top 10 players account for 19% of total revenue in 2025, showing a moderately fragmented market. - The top 10 companies by 2025 revenue share are Toyota Industries Corporation, KION Group AG, Daifuku Co., Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Jungheinrich AG, KNAPP AG, Beumer Group GmbH & Co. KG, SSI Schäfer Group GmbH, KUKA SE & Co. KGaA (Swisslog Holding AG), and Mecalux, S.A. - Gather AI introduced MHE Vision in March 2025, an AI-powered camera system for real-time pallet and equipment tracking. - The report identifies cranes and lifting equipment, industrial trucks, continuous handling equipment and racking and storage as the biggest growth opportunities, together adding more than $79 billion by 2030. - The report breaks that growth out as $17 billion for cranes and lifting equipment, $23 billion for industrial trucks, $29 billion for continuous handling equipment and $10 billion for racking and storage equipment.

Between the lines: - The market’s growth is being shaped less by one-off equipment purchases and more by ongoing investment in warehouse automation, software integration and fleet optimization. - Asia-Pacific’s lead reflects manufacturing expansion and logistics buildout across export-heavy economies, while the USA remains a major retrofit and automation market. - Toyota Industries’ lead suggests scale still matters, but the relatively low combined share of the top 10 indicates room for specialized automation vendors to win share.

What's next: - The report expects more adoption of AI-driven inventory tracking, predictive maintenance, smart conveyors and warehouse management systems. - Companies are likely to keep prioritizing electric and energy-efficient equipment, higher storage density and better asset utilization. - Competitive pressure should stay focused on automation, safety and integrated logistics software.

The bottom line: - Material handling equipment is moving from a support function to a strategic infrastructure play for e-commerce, manufacturing and logistics operators.