The warehousing and logistics industry is facing some important challenges and changes following a global pandemic, supply chain disruption, the rapid growth of ecommerce with its need for speed of delivery and returns management, and a labour shortage that’s making hiring, training, and retaining front-line workers harder.
But we’re finding that warehouse operators are also modernising - nearly nine in 10 warehouse operators around the world agree they must implement new technology to be competitive in the on-demand economy, with 80% confirming the pandemic has prompted them to evolve and modernize more quickly, according to the latest Warehousing Vision Study by Zebra Technologies. For example, 92% in Europe and 94% globally will invest in software that helps automate analytics and decision-making.
In Europe specifically, over three-quarters of operators have accelerated their efforts, says the Zebra study. They’re turning their focus and spending most heavily toward technologies that support workforce augmentation and workflow automation. For example, 23% of European warehouse operators have already deployed some form of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) today, which is in line with the global trend (27%). Within five years, that number is expected to grow to 88% in Europe and 90% around the world. Most warehouse operators both in Europe (88%) and globally (90%) will deploy AMRs for person-to-goods (P2G) picking, material movements and other automated inventory moves.
However, decision-makers should take note, as only 35% in Europe and 41% globally completely agree implementing warehouse technologies such as robotics and devices can help attract and retain workers, even though most associates who work alongside AMRs today confirm they have helped increase productivity and reduce walking/travel time (83%), reduce errors (73%), and enable advancement to new roles or opportunities (65%).
