OPERATIONS
“ Across the continent , the past 12 months has seen a decrease in workforce availability across all industries , with the warehousing and logistics sector being one of the most at-risk ,” he says .
Bearing this out , recent figures from the UK ’ s Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport show that 86 % of organisations are experiencing staff shortages in warehousing .
Fisher says a saving grace for warehouse operations has been automation : “ Not only is automation meeting the growing demand for faster order fulfilment , driven by consumer expectations amid the rise of e-commerce , but it is also being used to gaps caused by labour shortfalls .”
He cites “ intelligent automated sortation equipment ” as an example .
“ This is enabling many companies to offset labour shortages ,” he says . “ Sortation technology boosts efficiency by combining items from multiple locations , to improve order processing time and accuracy .
Fisher says it also “ quickly directs products to proper staging and shipping lanes ”, and adds that autonomous mobile robots ( AMRs )
THE GLOBAL WAREHOUSE ROBOTICS MARKET IS PREDICTED TO REACH $ 15.66bn by 2030
are emerging as another invaluable asset for warehouse operators .
“ AMRs can easily be integrated into existing operations to transport products efficiently through the warehouse on nonlinear paths ,” he explains .
This cuts reliance on staff to push-loaded carts or drive or forklifts , thus freeing up capacity for other tasks .
Fisher believes this collaborative approach to automation tech is the gold standard when it comes both to easing warehouse labour issues and also the urgent need for lightning-quick last-mile logistics .
“ It is the ideal way to use these emerging technologies ,” he says . “ It reduces repetitive tasks that are not the most effective use of people ’ s time .” supplychaindigital . com 87