Gina Chung, vice president corporate development with Locus Robotics, brings us up to date on the latest technology innovations in the warehouse, and what the future might look like as well.

The most important trend driving warehouse automation today is the need for flexibility, Chung says. The word has more than one meaning: it describes the ability to scale volumes up and down in line with current demand, an essential quality in the post-COVID 19 era. But it also refers to the machines, many of which are designed today to perform more than a single task, and which need to work smoothly alongside humans. “It means robots that are able to navigate the most challenging brownfield environments,” Chung says. Finally, there’s the flexibility to deploy just the number of robots needed for the moment, drawing on the concept of robots as a service (RaaS).

Software, too, needs to be capable of managing all of the many systems that make up a “typical” warehouse, the definition of which has changed in a time when distribution networks might consist of distribution centers of many different sizes and configurations. “Having strong software means you don’t have to customize it for every customer,” Chung says, “but you can configure it, and easily adapt to their needs.”

The future will see continued advances in system flexibility, both in software and hardware. Chung foresees benefits derived from the balancing of fixed and mobile automation. “As the technology gets better, and software improves,” she says, “there will be more flexibility across multiple dimensions.”

Even as automation becomes more widely applied in warehouses, people will continue to play an essential role in operating and optimizing the systems. “They are the most flexible resource in the warehouse,” Chung says.