In nearly every industry, the last century has focused on increasingly complex, technology-driven automation. From car manufacturing to agriculture, automation has transformed how we work. It improves efficiency and reduces human labour like never before.
But does this progress come at a cost?
Here, we explore some of the risks (and benefits) associated with relying on automated processes in the logistics industry. Read on for a nuanced discussion that may change the way you think about this complex topic.
Automation is Unavoidable
To start, it’s worth mentioning that automation is unavoidable nowadays. Whether we’re talking about route planning or optimising warehouse storage, it’s no longer a competitive solution to do these things using human ingenuity alone.
The positive effects that automation has in pretty much every area of the logistics industry, from planning to execution, mean that it’s simply not competitive to avoid using these tools.
The Benefits
There are numerous benefits associated with adopting automated solutions in the logistics industry. Whether we’re talking about automated loading solutions from providers like Joloda Hydraroll or demand prediction algorithms driven by the latest AI, the advantages are too big to ignore.
With automated loading solutions. For example, you can massively slash the time it takes to load and unload lorries while substantially reducing the number of personnel needed for that process.
Maintaining Human Oversight
Of course, just because you’re using some automated process doesn’t mean you can just eliminate human operators. Whether we’re talking about route planning or loading processes, automation is never entirely infallible – humans are still required to check the results and lend a steering hand when necessary.
Despite the leaps and bounds that have been made in various areas of technological innovation in recent decades, this doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. Employees need to be trained and upskilled on how to work alongside machines, to help keep them in check.
Limit Overreliance
If certain automated logistics areas are vulnerable and essential, avoid overreliance on a single solution. You might need an alternative backup or a hyper-reliable method to restore systems quickly if failures occur. There’s no universal approach, so you’ll need creativity and foresight.
Consider every possible vulnerability and prepare solutions before problems arise.
A high level of reliance on automated solutions is unavoidable in the logistics industry. What you can do, however, is limit how vulnerable you are if these solutions go wrong. By maintaining a certain level of human oversight and limiting overreliance on specific systems, you can help maintain business continuity in the event of a disaster.
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