BY MAGNUS LINDSKOG
As a logistics consultant, I’m often brought in when a company begins considering automation in a warehouse. The fundamental question is generally, ”Does it make sense to automate, and if so, what?” Here, it’s important that the analysis doesn’t stop at aspects such as productivity, efficiency, scalability, and flexibility. It’s crucial that people aren’t left out of the equation.
In a sense, people have always been at the heart of warehouse automation, even though the primary purpose of implementing various technical solutions is generally business-related. For example, people were at the center when warehouses began to be equipped with conveyor belts and simple lifting systems, which both increased productivity and improved the work environment by minimizing strenuous manual labor. Later, many other warehouse solutions were developed to make people’s work easier: automated picking warehouses, shuttles, pallet crane warehouses, and other technologies that transport goods to people.
The effort to eliminate and streamline manual labor continues unabated, today often with flexible cobots (collaborative robots) and mobile robots such as AMRs and AGVs. All of these technologies replace or simplify manual warehouse work and free up time for people to do more value-adding tasks. Bit by bit, we have thus replaced humans with machines in various individual tasks or processes in the warehouse. In this way, humans have, in a sense, served as a model for the tasks that automation is designed to solve. Warehouse solutions have become an increasingly sophisticated patchwork, where the framework was initially defined by human capabilities.
The Problem
The problem arises when this specialization leads to the elimination of manual tasks and results in more solitary work, monotony, and a generally poorer work environment. Unfortunately, this has sometimes been the case, and in these instances, it’s clear that people have been left out of the equation. A ”cautionary tale” is when people spend many hours standing and moving goods from one box to another, effectively functioning as human robots. Little or no decision-making, virtually no freedom of movement—just monotonous, repetitive, and very simple work. This is where we need to think critically and find new approaches and solutions. Fortunately, effective robotic solutions are now emerging that can take over much of this work.
Ideally
Ideally, machines, AI, and software should do what these technologies do best. Conversely, people should do what people do best. Warehouse automation should be used to handle heavy, monotonous, and repetitive tasks where ergonomics and other workplace hazards still pose challenges. One example is unloading containers. Until now, this has essentially been a grueling manual process, for which various tools have been developed to reduce the physical strain of manual labor. But now, people can be freed from this work, thanks to the development of autonomous robotic solutions. Another example is the aforementioned handling of repetitive piece-picking, where effective solutions for robotic picking are now becoming increasingly common in warehouses.
Humans cannot be replaced by automation
At its core, it’s about recognizing and embracing the fact that people are—and will continue to be—a key factor in the warehouse. They are an essential component that cannot be completely ”automated away.” People are still very much needed, even as processes are automated. For example, it is important to recognize that technology is still far from being completely ”self-healing”—in the sense that it can autonomously correct any deviations that arise and return to normal operation.
In automated operations, therefore, there is a need for people who work in customer service, exception handling, maintenance, project management, data management, and other roles where problem-solving, judgment, and the human ability to consider multiple perspectives are key factors. In all areas where humans outperform machines.
My view on warehouse automation is that automation should take over the most tedious manual tasks from people and have a positive impact on both the work environment and efficiency. Fortunately, we’re seeing a growing recognition of the important role people play and the significance of the work environment. In conversations with customers, the work environment and ergonomics are increasingly becoming a driving force behind automation, rather than something that is addressed only after the decision has been made based on other factors.
More brainwork
Of course, rapid technological advancements, combined with a growing shortage of warehouse staff, mean that more and more tasks and processes will be automated. This, in turn, will lead to the creation of new roles and the need for new skills. And there are many exciting, stimulating, and important roles where our human qualities are unmatched. To begin with, warehouse automation requires technical expertise—both to operate, maintain, service, and optimize the technology. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring that warehouse operations run according to plan and can be quickly adjusted when conditions change. And the more advanced the machine is, the more you need to be able to interpret and understand what it’s telling you in any given situation. Why did it do that? What should we do differently to prevent that error from happening again? If we automate this task or process, how do we need to adapt others to achieve the desired overall results? In short: in general, warehouse work is gradually shifting from being mostly hands-on physical labor to involving more and more ”brainwork.”.
Data and AI
There is also a need for more people to work on analyzing and ensuring the quality of the data streams that power automation solutions and robots—people who analyze how data can be made accessible and how it can best be used. Then, of course, AI will become a crucial tool for processing data streams from sensors, robots, conveyor belts, and order flows to identify patterns and automatically adjust operations and make other optimized decisions.
The Future
There are those who occasionally paint a picture of a ”zero-touch” warehouse, where no human beings are needed at all in the warehouse processes. This seems like a utopia today; the technology isn’t there yet. To tie this back to the ”patchwork quilt” analogy, it is perhaps precisely because of this generally incremental development—with new patches being added to the existing ones—that this concept most closely resembles a utopia. But the idea certainly intrigues—will some player in the future step forward with an entirely new way to solve all warehouse tasks, starting with a blank slate rather than the original framework of the patchwork…?
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Magnus Lindskog is a Lead Consultant at Langebæk Consulting
