ROBOTS SHOWS THAT THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE

UNLIKE DRONES AND OTHER AI USE CASES ROBOTICS IS NOW SO EMBEDDED IN SUPPLY CHAIN THAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS BECOMING LIKE THE FORKLIFT TRUCK OF THE WAREHOUSE WORLD A recent Gartner supply chain study found mobile robot tech is moving far faster than that of drones , and warehouses are the main beneficiary of this . It shows around three-quarters of companies are either already using some type of robotic warehouse automation , or plan to . Warehouse automation is nothing new ; it goes back 120 years , to the first conveyors , while automated storage and retrieval systems were first deployed in the 1950s . But today ’ s robotics can give warehouses a sci-fi vibe , or that of a psychological thriller , if you were to stumble into a dark warehouse – so-called because such places are fully automated and so require no lighting . In this issue , we speak to Dwight Klappich , of Gartner ’ s Logistics and Customer Fulfilment team . His research focuses on the strategic role logistics plays in leadingedge supply chain management organisations . He is a recognised authority on logistics technologies . Klappich says it ’ s likely there will be thousands more mobile robots working in supply chains over the next three years . “ You can pick up a robot for a thousand dollars a month , which means companies of any size can have them ,” he says . The future is here – and this is part what makes supply chain such a fascinating discipline .

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Supply Chain Digital Magazine December 2023 | Page 7

“ You can pick up a robot for a thousand dollars a month ”

ROBOTS SHOWS THAT THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE