Do robots in the warehouse want to help you do your job better? Or do they just want your job?

The term "fast fashion" has taken on a whole new meaning today.

The retail and grocery verticals have undergone enormous transformation in the past ten years, and Home Delivery World USA 2018 apprises industry attendees of such developments as drones, augmented reality, innovations in supply chain and grocery e-commerce.

While China slams the brakes on buying trophy properties and the retail apocalypse draws nigh, something less sexy but striking is going on in real estate.

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

Emerging technologies are offering new ways to solve today's distribution challenges—disruptions caused by a shortage of labor, higher customer expectations and the shift to smaller, more frequent, just-in-time orders that are driving more each picking in the distribution center. These innovations are making it possible to increase productivity and efficiency, reduce dependence on labor and provide greater flexibility to scale operations up or down as the needs of the business change. -Roger Counihan, Emerging Technologies Strategist, Fortna