No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8023 9829
+603-8023 7089
Fictron Industrial Supplies Sdn Bhd
No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Fictron Industrial
Automation Pte Ltd
140 Paya Lebar Road, #03-01,
AZ @ Paya Lebar 409015,
Singapore.
+65 31388976
sg.sales@fictron.com
Automation Pte Ltd
140 Paya Lebar Road, #03-01,
AZ @ Paya Lebar 409015,
Singapore.
+65 31388976
sg.sales@fictron.com
WHAT DOES WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION MEAN FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES
06 Mar 2019
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There’s no uncertainty that automating your warehouse can save you big bucks and lead to some important gains in terms of resources and efficiency.
Not that long ago, the idea of robots overtaking our day-to-day lives felt rather far-fetched. But today, with ridiculous new breakthroughs in warehouse automation becoming more and more of a reality — example: the world’s third-largest retailer, Amazon, developed its robot army to 45,000 this year — there’s no doubt that employees are feeling more vulnerable than ever. But will robots really take over the universal workforce? It’s a difficult, complex question, but the painless answer is no. At least not anytime soon.
There’s no hesitation that automating your warehouse can save you big bucks and turn to some considerable profits in terms of resources and productivity. In fact, Business Insider reports that automation could add more than $1.1 trillion to the global economy in the next 10 years. But does it have to come at the cost of a human workforce? Not yet. Despite the fact that robotic systems are certainly beneficial to a business’s bottom line, there still aren’t technologies on the horizon that can absolutely replace humans.
Robots Can’t Replace the Human Touch
The big concern on every warehouse worker’s mind is whether robots actually have the ability to replace the human touch. The fact of the matter is that regardless of huge improvements in the development of artificial intelligence, engineers still haven’t introduced the technologies necessary to give robots the same assets that make a human worker so valuable.
While robots can do crucial tasks, like swiftly apply shipping labels and seal boxes, they don’t yet feature the capacity to be empathetic, and they’re not privy to the same contextual experiences that make humans such good workers. The mark of a great robot-proof job is one that requires sympathy, creativity, and quick-thinking.
Engineers Make Robots to Enhance, Not Replace, Jobs
Even the most high-tech warehouse equipment isn’t developed to completely replace a person’s job. On the contrary: professionals say that the best automation hardware is designed to complement workers’ roles. For example, wearable robotic suits made by the Assistive Robotics Laboratory at Virginia Tech College of Engineering and Lowe’s Innovation Labs aided workers accomplish their jobs more effectively with less fatigue. When workers donned the high-tech robotic suits, they were able to take oversized and bulky products more rapidly than they could the old-fashioned way.
Additionally, many companies who have invested in automation didn’t cut back on human employees. When McDonald’s added automated ordering kiosks to some stores, for example, the fast food chain said it shifted its available human resources elsewhere instead of cutting back on employees. The U.S. Department of Defense has actually provided grants for roboticists to help them improve new technologies that focus on perfecting artificial intelligence without taking human jobs. A big part of this research is figuring out how robots and humans can work collectively to improve efficiency.
Robots May Actually Help Create More Jobs
No doubt about it: Automation has hurt the global workforce, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 5 million manufacturing jobs have evaporated since 2000. But since then, new fields have changed the way Americans work and created new demands that have repositioned the workforce. And, of course, robots and artificial intelligence on their own have made new demands for manufacturing.
For example, the steady rise of e-commerce — which shows no signs of slowing, by the way — has placed warehouse workers in a special poposition. In some companies, robots help increase delivery times, which means more real human hands are needed for development and fulfillment. What’s more, where people used to spend their time driving to the store and searching for products on the shelves, now drivers and websites do those jobs for us.
Many of the companies who have switched to automated warehouse systems say that the rise of e-commerce actually introduced new jobs in the process. In other words, robots can’t take jobs from people if the jobs didn’t exist before. Let’s take Amazon as an example. While we know the e-commerce giant has hired plenty of robots in recent years, it also tripled its hourly workforce at the same time.
On top of that, some specialists argue that robots will help revitalize American manufacturing and bring more jobs back to the U.S. from China. Globalization no distrust had a major impact on the decline of warehouse workers, but automation could help the industry reclaim its territory by lowering manufacturing costs and improving efficiency. As a result, American companies would have to hire more domestic workers.
This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com
Not that long ago, the idea of robots overtaking our day-to-day lives felt rather far-fetched. But today, with ridiculous new breakthroughs in warehouse automation becoming more and more of a reality — example: the world’s third-largest retailer, Amazon, developed its robot army to 45,000 this year — there’s no doubt that employees are feeling more vulnerable than ever. But will robots really take over the universal workforce? It’s a difficult, complex question, but the painless answer is no. At least not anytime soon.
There’s no hesitation that automating your warehouse can save you big bucks and turn to some considerable profits in terms of resources and productivity. In fact, Business Insider reports that automation could add more than $1.1 trillion to the global economy in the next 10 years. But does it have to come at the cost of a human workforce? Not yet. Despite the fact that robotic systems are certainly beneficial to a business’s bottom line, there still aren’t technologies on the horizon that can absolutely replace humans.
Robots Can’t Replace the Human Touch
The big concern on every warehouse worker’s mind is whether robots actually have the ability to replace the human touch. The fact of the matter is that regardless of huge improvements in the development of artificial intelligence, engineers still haven’t introduced the technologies necessary to give robots the same assets that make a human worker so valuable.
While robots can do crucial tasks, like swiftly apply shipping labels and seal boxes, they don’t yet feature the capacity to be empathetic, and they’re not privy to the same contextual experiences that make humans such good workers. The mark of a great robot-proof job is one that requires sympathy, creativity, and quick-thinking.
Engineers Make Robots to Enhance, Not Replace, Jobs
Even the most high-tech warehouse equipment isn’t developed to completely replace a person’s job. On the contrary: professionals say that the best automation hardware is designed to complement workers’ roles. For example, wearable robotic suits made by the Assistive Robotics Laboratory at Virginia Tech College of Engineering and Lowe’s Innovation Labs aided workers accomplish their jobs more effectively with less fatigue. When workers donned the high-tech robotic suits, they were able to take oversized and bulky products more rapidly than they could the old-fashioned way.
Additionally, many companies who have invested in automation didn’t cut back on human employees. When McDonald’s added automated ordering kiosks to some stores, for example, the fast food chain said it shifted its available human resources elsewhere instead of cutting back on employees. The U.S. Department of Defense has actually provided grants for roboticists to help them improve new technologies that focus on perfecting artificial intelligence without taking human jobs. A big part of this research is figuring out how robots and humans can work collectively to improve efficiency.
Robots May Actually Help Create More Jobs
No doubt about it: Automation has hurt the global workforce, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 5 million manufacturing jobs have evaporated since 2000. But since then, new fields have changed the way Americans work and created new demands that have repositioned the workforce. And, of course, robots and artificial intelligence on their own have made new demands for manufacturing.
For example, the steady rise of e-commerce — which shows no signs of slowing, by the way — has placed warehouse workers in a special poposition. In some companies, robots help increase delivery times, which means more real human hands are needed for development and fulfillment. What’s more, where people used to spend their time driving to the store and searching for products on the shelves, now drivers and websites do those jobs for us.
Many of the companies who have switched to automated warehouse systems say that the rise of e-commerce actually introduced new jobs in the process. In other words, robots can’t take jobs from people if the jobs didn’t exist before. Let’s take Amazon as an example. While we know the e-commerce giant has hired plenty of robots in recent years, it also tripled its hourly workforce at the same time.
On top of that, some specialists argue that robots will help revitalize American manufacturing and bring more jobs back to the U.S. from China. Globalization no distrust had a major impact on the decline of warehouse workers, but automation could help the industry reclaim its territory by lowering manufacturing costs and improving efficiency. As a result, American companies would have to hire more domestic workers.
This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com