What's driving companies to invest in warehouse automation today? Tony Rivers, chief executive officer of Peak Technologies, describes how they're coping with the tech evolution.

Rising consumer expectations of delivery speed and timeliness are driving companies to invest in warehouse automation, Rivers says. The trend is taking multiple forms, as facilities strive to apply the latest innovations to every stage of shipping and material handling.

Robotics is among the biggest areas of technology to show progress, in conjunction with radio frequency identification for real-time location monitoring, machine visioning, and artificial intelligence.

AI is, of course, the biggest news in logistics automation today. It’s allowing humans to be more productive and efficient, at a time when finding staff to do the work can be a challenge, Rivers says.

Automation, bolstered by AI, is rapidly taking over many manual and repetitive tasks from people, but the human element is far from disappearing. People will still be needed for overseeing and maintaining the automated systems.

A commanding majority of warehouses in the U.S. are still running without any automation at all. For companies looking to explore the technology for the first time, Rivers recommends a phased approach. Rather than try to automate everything, they can apply modern-day technology to discrete portions of the supply chain, then build from there.

Rivers likens the process to the physical journey of a box, moving from stage to stage, as it traverses the path from factory to consumer. “You don’t have to go full out, right out of the gate,” he says.