Companies today see their storage and fulfillment networks as extensions of their risk-management strategy: places to adapt, recalibrate and absorb shocks when global dynamics shift.
Modern-day sortation technologies — including hardware, software and data— at middle-mile cross-docks give retailers and shippers the tools to transcend the “transportation-only” mindset.
The introduction of AI has created a need for a variety of new roles to implement and manage the technology, from machine learning engineers to automation specialists.
Nearly half of workers consider themselves optimistic about the role of automation in warehouses, compared to 32% who described themselves as reluctant.
Mark Hasler, consulting alliance director for North America with AutoStore, explains why an explosion in product variations has posed new challenges for retailers, distributors and warehouses.