Reach Stacker Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2022-2030)

A reach stacker is a vehicle that is used for handling intermodal cargo in small terminals or medium-sized ports. Reach stackers are designed for transporting containers for shorter distances and they become particularly handy owing to their large storage capacity. Most importantly, they are highly preferred for their ability to stack containers up to 4 highs. Furthermore, reach stackers are a more efficient and economical solution than any other type of container handling equipment and are widely in operation in many ports and container terminals.

The reach stacker market is expected to grow at a steady CAGR of around 5% during the forecast period owing to the increasing port activities across the globe. Furthermore, the shipping industry is responsible for 90 percent of global trade with almost 50,000 merchant ships running on the seas, where one mega ship reaches or leaves the ports with 18 to 20,000 containers at once, which need to be loaded or unloaded and the cargo needs to be managed efficiently where reach stacker plays a very critical role. Furthermore, with increasing size of ships being a common trend for the past 15 years and the capacity of ports not expanding as fast is further boosting the demand for the reach stacker market. For instance, on September 2022, as per port authority, New York, the leading east coast port saw its traffic rise to 11.4 percent, and full container traffic increased by 7.9 percent to 3.2 million TEU.

Based on capacity type, the market is segmented into below 30 tons, 30-45 tons, and above 45 tons. The 30-45 ton reach stackers hold a significant share of the market owing to the fact that the 45-ton reach stackers are specially designed for 20-foot and 40-foot international standard containers. Moreover, reach stackers of this range are always preferred over forklifts due to their advantages of maneuverability and flexibility, convenient operation, good stability, lower wheel pressure, high stacking layers, and high utilization of the container yards, further boosting the demand for the reach stackers in the ports industry.

Based on the end-user industry, the market is segmented into container ports and terminals, intermodal and barge handling, general manufacturing and bulk handling, and others. Container ports and terminals generate significant demand for reach stackers, which are used for elevating the performance of the port by increasing its efficiency, profitability, and sustainability. Moreover, reach stackers helps ports to break their cycle of low performance, decreases operating cost, increases operational efficiency, and improve environmental sustainability.

Based on purchasing options, the market is segmented into buying, renting, and leasing. While renting may be practical for businesses that only need a reach stacker for a short period of time, buying or leasing makes sense and are a more cost-effective option for the businesses such as ports and terminals, that uses reach stackers throughout the year. Additionally, the advantages of buying range from high return on investments as the equipment will generate revenue, as well as will have resale value. Furthermore, Purchasing reach stackers generally provide a better return on investment compared to long-term rentals since rental fees are higher than monthly financing costs. Moreover, buying will have tax benefits, can customize the equipment as per the requirement, and has no liability. Due to the factors stated above businesses tend to acquire reach stackers more rather than rent or lease. For instance, on June 2022, Kalmar received an order for three Kalmar Eco reach stackers from Yantai Port in China. These are the first Eco reach stackers to be delivered to a customer in the North China region, although Kalmar has delivered more than 450 reach stackers globally to date.

For a better understanding of the market adoption of the Reach Stacker, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in the countries such as North America (U.S., Canada, and the Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Rest of World. The Reach Stacker market in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness significant growth throughout the forecast period. The major factor driving the market in the APAC region is, out of the ten largest and busiest ports of the world, almost all are located in the APAC region, where Shanghai port, which is located in China is the world's biggest port with a whopping 37 million TEUs of cargo volume, with an annual cargo traffic handling of around 43 million TEUs, making it the globes biggest container facility. The major reason that is responsible for this heavy volume in the APAC region is, that International transport in the Pacific region relies heavily on maritime shipping (MS). On a tonnage basis, over 80% of all international cargo (both container and non-container) in this region is transported by ship, according to the World Trade Service (WTS) database. For instance, on Nov 2022, as per UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), Asia remained the world's leading maritime cargo handling center in 2021, accounting for 42% of exports and 64% of imports. In 2021, Asian container exporters were among the top five, accounting for almost half the traffic, and included China, Viet Nam, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Some of the major players operating in the market include: Toyota Material Handling; Hyster-Yale Group, Inc.; SANY GROUP; Dana Limited; Cargotec; CVS Ferrari S.P.A; Konecranes; Liebherr Group; Terex Cranes; and TCM