Supply chain managers face increasing pressure to move goods cost-effectively and efficiently as more consumers take to ordering online. Resultantly, modern supply chain companies must find innovative ways to increase productivity.
In the United States, over 2 million Americans have lost limbs. Because of this, researchers are developing amazing technologies that allow consumers to regain the use of arms and legs that they believed were lost forever.
Now, these remarkable advancements in wearable bionics may help shipping companies meet rapidly rising logistics demands.
Personnel Demand in the Logistics Industry
Around the world, logistics companies face a shortage of skilled workers with the talent to manage increasingly complex supply chains. Simultaneously, the industry is expanding by 5% every year, according to the World Bank.
From the C-suite to the warehouse floor, shipping companies face talent shortages. Furthermore, existing logistics employees are underqualified in a rapidly changing shipping environment. Unless logistics companies do something, these problems will only increase.
In warehouses around the world, wages are low and working conditions are unsafe. Unfortunately, the logistics industry doesn’t have an excellent reputation when it comes to providing satisfactory working conditions. In part, the logistics industry is losing skilled professionals to other better-paying fields.
Also, many existing workers are retiring. In the United States, trucking companies continually struggle to find new drivers, and America isn’t the only country experiencing a driver shortage.
Shipping enterprises that operate in Germany and the United Kingdom also struggle to find long-haul drivers. The problem is so prevalent that some forward-thinking agencies in the U.S. are partnering with community colleges to train students in logistics.
Where Man and Machine Exist in Harmony
There’s been significant media coverage about the workforce robot invasion. While the stories make for sensational headlines, a future where humans and machines work together is much more likely.
Increasingly, automation enables warehouses to combine the efficiency of robotics with human strategic thinking to increase productivity. It’s changing the warehousing landscape. Furthermore, it’s necessary. With the growing labor shortage and increased consumer demand, there’s no way for logistics companies to support continued growth other than automation.
Using automation, companies such as Amazon have disrupted the retail shipping industry. The days of warehouse employees manually picking and packing orders with a list in hand are quickly coming to an end.
Analysts forecast that online consumer spending in the United States will surpass $735 billion by 2023. In a hyper-competitive retail environment, ineffective shipping can put a retailer out of business. A combination of small and large retailers entering the online space makes it necessary for warehouse operators to become increasingly efficient.
Tomorrow’s logistics champions will leverage a combination of human strategic thinking, automation and artificial intelligence. Using automated processes where robots pick orders in football size warehouses, logistics leaders will cut costs and offer value to retailers in the form of reliable shipping.
A Safer Work Environment for Warehouse Employees
Bionic technology will also make working conditions safer for warehouse personnel. Hypothetically, warehouses could deploy heads up displays and voice-activated technology that would allow workers to pay more attention to their surroundings. These innovative tools can enable warehouse workers to focus on navigating their surroundings safely, rather than looking at a screen.
Also, the latest exoskeleton technology could give warehouse workers seemingly superhuman strength. More importantly, it can eliminate the danger of repetitive strain injuries faced by many manual laborers.
Biotechnology can also enable warehouses to use space in new and innovative ways. For example, robotic pickers and movable cells can enable warehouses to take better advantage of vertical space. Also, drones can pick and transport goods, rather than workers traveling all over the warehouse to fill a single order. By doing so, drones can significantly increase worker productivity.
No matter how many innovations emerge in logistics, however, technology will never supplant humans. A combination of technology and human skill are the keys to success for the warehouses of the future.
Innovative technologies such as blockchain, robotics and biotechnology can help logistics providers thrive and prosper. Imagine, for instance, a warehouse where robots pick orders in a fraction of the time it takes to do so manually, human workers verify shipments and blockchain tracks the movement of goods all the way from the manufacturer to the consumer.
In the logistics field, these innovations are still in their early stages. Nevertheless, leading logistics providers are already reaping the phenomenal benefits made possible by the technologies.
Companies are using technology to work more effectively and meet the rapid expansion of online retailers. Moving forward, the key to making the most of bionic workers is to figure out how to combine human know-how with cutting-edge innovations.