Automation in Logistics

Now automation becomes a major part in Logistics and supply chain. The industries are eager to use data driven software to improve their performance and its operational efficiency. Labeling, packaging, and sorting, along with all other logistics functioning uses automation techniques. There are a lot of logistics who even use automation for their entire cargo functioning.

These are the some of the trends which is thrusting logistics into an automation

• a growing shortage of labor,
• an explosion in demand from online retailers and
• some intriguing technical advances.

Automation technologies to watch,       

• Automated guided vehicles (AGV) – move cases and pallets
• Swarm robots (like Amazon’s Kiva robots) - move shelves with goods to picking stations
• Advanced automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS's) - store goods in large racks, with robotic shuttles moving in three dimensions on rails attached to the structure.
• Drones are used for inventory management

This image shows recent logistics-technology development trend. This graph will show which technology or automation growth has highest potential than another.

With the e-commerce boom, efficient sorting has become increasingly important, particularly in parcel operations. Advanced conveyor systems use scanners that can pick up bar codes on any side of a package to determine the appropriate action. Autonomous palletizers use robotic arms to build pallets from individual units and cases, often using advanced analytics to determine the optimal placement for each box.

McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the transportation-and-warehousing industry has the third-highest automation potential of any sector. Because of the automation, productivity of logistics can be improved. It has added a lot of value towards revenue generation from these online businesses.