Automation is taking the material handling industry by storm. Presently, there are many emerging trends that are manifesting in this field but this one is one that stands above the rest. As we have seen in the supply chain industry, the material handling field is expected to see some revolutionary changes, including automation and innovation in these technologies. Are you operating a material handling enterprise and looking to make the most of this trend? Are you looking for ways to adopt these principles into your current practices? Here is the scoop on automation and how this trend is changing the material handling game.

1) New Developments– Automation is a constantly evolving organism and thus there are new additions and changes that are being implemented every day. Every moment, material handling operations are becoming more autonomous with closed circuit systems taking shape in the warehouse. To many, this may raise an alarm as to future of the worker in this industry. However, there is no need to fear. If anything, these inventions will make jobs easier, more available, and encompass a larger scope. The skill set for the material handling worker will also evolve with these technologies. As a result, these jobs will be more in demand and offer more incentives than ever before albeit the job will have new abilities to acquire.

2) The Change Has Begun- As has been stated in our coverage of supply chain management, Cerasis has stated that 2018 will be the year in which more businesses lose older supply chain management strategies in favor of digital processes and integrations. This revelation is one that is championed across the board by all experts in the field. Traditional material handling tactics will be out the window. As performance-metric driven software is becoming more of a regular commodity. Honing and mastering these interfaces will be the emerging trend. As a result, businesses will now curate special projects and create teams geared to focused on finding better methods to deploy and introduce these digital technologies. This is yet another trend that is taking the industry by storm. As a portion of a growing job description, many employers have declared that competency in technology is a distinct factor when considering outsourcing daily business operations and processes. This is evidence that the material handling field is becoming a more digitized and autonomous industry.

3) Automation Will Take Over– Automation will continue to make its move. The industry will be automated more than ever as each year passes by. What was once governed by management personnel will now be monitored by machines controlled by human beings in the most fundamental of roles. The good news is that automation will not replace human beings. Whilst these jobs are bound to expand it is not unforeseeable to conclude that automation will become a fully mechanized concept in the near future. Whether it be forklift operations, receiving, shipping, logistics, or inventory management automation will oversee all of it but the humans that designed these schemes will be in demand more than ever.