Is there still a place for humans in the automated warehouse of the future?

To satisfy customers, businesses need an operations strategy which stays in front of ever-changing consumer expectations. The key to an operations strategy is combining fulfillment and distribution into an integrated flow requiring more advanced capabilities in greater numbers of facilities. Fortunately, developments in robotics are providing opportunities to automate economically throughout the network. Picking solutions reduce operator travel and sorting solutions enabling all facilities to use more efficient batch pick and process flows. -Mike Futch, Executive Vice President – Robotic Systems, Tompkins International

Inside General Motors Co’s vehicle assembly plant in this southern China city, many workers wear the red-and-yellow uniforms of DHL, the logistics company.

When it comes to new technology, development usually proceeds incrementally. But progress continues to be made on many fronts.