AI & BIG DATA
DAVID SEMACH , EMEA HEAD OF AI AND AUTOMATION , INFOSYS CONSULTING :
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“ For an industry that has historically lagged behind on technology adoption , COVID-19 has broken down a lot of traditional barriers to transformation in logistics . Businesses had to quickly move from global networks reliant on third parties to self-sufficient , local supply chains , and turning to technology to help them achieve this . As such , the main trend we ’ re seeing is logistics becoming ‘ handsfree ’, injecting AI and automation throughout supply chain and warehousing processes and operations .
“ Take warehouse management – this used to rely on highly manual processes , with inbound and outbound processing done by hand , as well as returns , inventory management , and more . Now , AI can take over , selecting the right pallets and classifying them for a production order , for example , entirely automated .
“ The vision for logistics is to future-proof operations through AI and automation . ‘ Hands-free ’ operations will enable teams to work in predictive mode – to predict future trends and events within their supply chain – and even prescriptive mode , where AI can recommend solutions and advise on the best course of action . In the coming months , this will start to take shape as more organisations create ‘ cockpit ’ style platforms , where real-time information and data across an entire warehouse or even supply chain are brought together . This puts AI and automation tools at the disposal of decision-makers , to enable the most efficient and productive operations possible .”
DECEMBER 2020