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Seegrid Vision Technology Eliminates Downtime for Training (and Re-training) Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)

Planning for Growth with AGVs

When selecting an automation vendor for material movement, it’s important to consider not only your current needs, but future applications as well. As your operation grows, adapting to a rapidly changing industry and taking on new challenges, you need a solution with the reliability and flexibility to meet demand.

This article was originally published in SupplyChainBrain.

What’s the top next-gen technology that’s on strategic agendas across executive war rooms? The answer is automation and robotics, according to a recent survey of more than 800 financial executives from companies worth over $1bn.

This article was originally published in InformationWeek.

Despite the fact that suppliers who are adopting automation technologies have the potential to reap substantial cost savings and increase profitability, some fear that the proliferation of robots in the workforce may cause a decline in the value of human workers, ultimately reducing the number of available logistics jobs.

This article was originally published in IndustryWeek.

As manufacturers and distributors undertake new automation initiatives and push toward Industry 4.0 - the fourth industrial revolution - they have access to an unprecedented amount of data.

The industrial internet of things (IIoT), constantly streams data through different kinds of smart devices and software programs. The trick is figuring out how to use the data in an impactful way that brings immediate value and drives continuous improvement.

This article was originally published in Entrepreneur.

A common thread in conversations about automation is the uncertainty people feel about their long-term job security. Despite (or perhaps because of) automation’s impressive ability to streamline operations and costs in certain industries, many people remain hesitant to double down on these technologies because of their fears about how automation could affect the future workforce.

This article was originally published in Business 2 Community.

The advent of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning is perhaps one of the biggest disruptions that the manufacturing industry has encountered. These technologies could impact the global economy by $15 trillion by 2030, according to PwC. Automated machinery has the capacity to perform traditionally human-centric work faster and more cost effectively than ever before. As robot-centered logistics become the new normal in manufacturing, distribution, and e-commerce facilities around the world, companies must consider the role of humans in these new work environments.

This article was originally published in Business 2 Community.

Last month, an annual gathering of top manufacturing experts took place at MODEX, one of the world’s largest conferences for manufacturing and supply chain solutions. This year’s theme was “future-proofing your business,” and suppliers presented the next-generation of equipment and technology that will propel companies into the future of manufacturing.

More Optimization, Less Waste

We live in an age when many aspects of our lives are continuously optimized and improved upon. We call up transportation at the touch of an app. Instead of waiting at a doctor’s office, we opt for medical consultations over video conference. Online orders arrive at our doorsteps in less than 24 hours. Such optimizations feed our need for instant gratification, setting new, higher expectations for many businesses, including manufacturers and their material handling and distribution systems.

Introducing new technology can be disruptive: upending the status quo is always challenging for businesses and their employees. For manufacturers, though, the idea of the smart factory of the future is quickly becoming a reality, and even those hesitant to embrace these advancements are finding it hard to ignore. As we advance steadily toward Industry 4.0, companies should prepare to redefine how they approach materials handling.

The introduction of new technology can be disruptive: change is challenging for businesses and their employees. But the smart factory of the future is quickly becoming a reality, and even those hesitant to embrace these advancements are finding it hard to ignore. We’re on the cusp of Industry 4.0 – a trend that is redefining how companies approach materials handling.