London, 8^th September 2026 – The market for smart conveyance technology (SCT) has experienced challenging conditions since 2024, but it is showing signs of recovery and its long-term outlook ‘remains robust’. According to market intelligence specialist Interact Analysis, its latest research indicates that the outlook out to 2031 for both linear and planar SCT remains positive, with strong growth forecast for both market sectors.

Linear smart conveyance technology is based on direct drive linear motor technology, which allows multiple carriers to travel around curved or straight tracks. In contrast, planar smart conveyance allows multiple carriers to travel in two horizontal directions (e.g. X and Y axes) and some can also ‘tilt and rotate’ or make small movements vertically.

Linear smart conveyance technology revenue to more than double by 2031

The global market for linear smart conveyance technology reached $477.5 million in 2025. Although a slowdown in revenues during 2024 and 2025 affected short-term growth, the long-term outlook is resilient. Market conditions remained challenging throughout most of 2025, reflecting continuing weakness across broader industrial automation markets, but orders began to increase toward the end of the year, providing an early indication of improving market conditions in 2026.

Long-term growth for linear SCT is projected to achieve an average annual growth rate of 16% out to 2031, more than doubling to reach $1.2 billion by the end of the forecast period. Market volatility is expected to be moderate as new vendors enter the market and the application base diversifies.  The linear smart conveyance market is becoming more differentiated by payload, with growth gradually shifting towards heavier payloads and more technically-demanding applications.

Transition to commercial deployments to push planar SCT revenue to $218m in 2031

Global planar SCT revenue is expected to jump from $33.4 million in 2025 to $218.4 million in 2031. Interact Analysis notes that 2024 marked an inflection point for the planar motor market as early pilot programs started to transition into commercial deployments. This shift has generated greater market momentum, supporting the development of new projects and driving significant near-term growth.

As the range of viable applications broadens, the competitive landscape evolves, and customer adoption increases in the planar smart conveyance technology market, it is projected to continue expanding through 2031. However, demonstrating sufficient return on investment because of the systems’ high upfront cost remains the primary barrier to adoption.

Asia-Pacific dominates linear SCT market, while Americas and EMEA see strong planar SCT growth

The Asia-Pacific region (APAC) performed comparatively better than both the Americas and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in 2025. APAC remained the largest global regional market for linear smart conveyance technology, generating $234.3 million, supported by continued investment in battery manufacturing, semiconductor and electronics productions, and domestic industrial automation. Market conditions in the Americas and EMEA for linear SCT, remained challenging as cautious capital expenditure and slower investment in battery and automotive manufacturing constrained demand.

In contrast, EMEA is currently the largest planar smart conveyance market, with revenue projected to increase from $19.2 million in 2025 to $129.1 million in 2031, followed by the Americas, with revenue growth from $13.3 million to $80.2 million. APAC remains considerably smaller in this sector, with revenue predicted to increase from $0.9 million in 2025 to $9 million in 2031 as commercial adoption ramps up.

APAC dominates the linear SCT market and will remain the largest region by revenue out to 2031

Clara Sipes, Market Analyst at Interact Analysis, comments: “Despite the challenging market conditions in 2025, the long-term outlook for smart conveyance technology remains resilient. The transition of planar motor systems into commercial production and growing demand for higher-payload linear systems signals a significant opportunity, as investment in battery manufacturing, semiconductors and electronics drives adoption through 2031.”

About the report

A topical report investigating innovative smart tracks and carriages, sometimes called independent carts, flexible transport systems or multi-carrier motion systems.

The report is built through extensive primary research and supplier reporting and utilizes data from Interact Analysis’ “Manufacturing Industry Output Tracker (MIO)” – highly regarded for its industry forecasts by country, which inform the forecasts at a country-level.

About Interact Analysis

With over 200 years of combined experience, Interact Analysis is the market intelligence authority for global supply chain automation. Our research covers the entire automation value chain – from the technology used to automate factory production, through inventory storage and distribution channels, to the transportation of the finished goods. The world’s leading companies trust us to surface robust insights and opportunities for technology-driven growth. To learn more, visit  www.InteractAnalysis.com.