Panel Participants:
 Nicolas Chee, CEO and Founder, ForwardX Robotics |  |  |  |
Q: How have recent government investments in infrastructure affected transportation operations?
Ahmad Stokes: Recent government infrastructure investments have had a positive impact on transportation operations in the United States by enhancing the capacity, efficiency, safety, and sustainability of various modes of transportation. We have received a lot of automation requirements from third-party logistics companies this year, which is indeed a good sign.
Q: How have higher interest rates affected investment in assets and new technologies?
Stanislas Normand: The rising cost of capital is forcing companies to be a lot more strategic about their spending, including investment in new technologies. At the same time, underlying pressure to modernize supply chains is not going anywhere as businesses continue to struggle with labor issues, growing customer expectations, and general uncertainty around the future. This means that we’re seeing businesses do more due diligence around whether the technologies they’re investing in can both meet their current needs and provide the flexibility to adapt to changes down the line.
Nicolas Chee: Higher interest rates have made it more challenging for companies to invest in new assets and technologies due to increased borrowing costs. However, this also creates an impetus for companies to invest in cost-effective and efficient solutions. Our autonomous mobile robots offer long-term cost savings and efficiency gains, making them a smart investment even in times of financial constraint.
Rick DeFiesta: Even with interest rate pressures, many companies are still dealing with labor shortages, so they are looking to mobile robotic automation to address their workforce challenges. And e-commerce activity isn’t slowing down, so companies need to make strategic investments to keep up with order fulfillment demands. Due to this and despite high interest rates, we expect strong mobile robotics demand to continue throughout 2024 and beyond no matter the economic situation.
Q: How can new technologies aid in loading and unloading trucks?
Nicolas Chee: New technologies, particularly in automation and robotics, can significantly streamline the process of loading and unloading trucks. Our robots, for example, can be programmed to carry out these tasks with high precision and speed, reducing the need for manual labor and the potential for errors. This not only speeds up the process but also helps in reducing workplace injuries associated with heavy lifting.
Ahmad Stokes: Truck loading and unloading has always been a major topic in automation, and the past two years have really seen the productization of some exciting technologies, such as vision and 3D laser-based perception, the composite robots, and autonomous forklifts. Combining artificial intelligence, machine vision, and control algorithms, these systems can automate the loading and unloading of conveyor belts, pallets, cages, cartons, and other goods by means of mobile robots to meet the challenge of labor shortages.
Rick DeFiesta: Robots can accomplish tasks that are either unsafe or unpleasant, while creating more skilled jobs for employees. In this case, robots can reduce repetitive work and the tiring act of loading and unloading trailers, and also get employees out of the elements. Workers unloading trucks can be exposed to sweltering temperatures or bitter cold, depending on the time of year. Using new technologies to load and unload, in conjunction with mobile order fulfillment robots, can improve employee happiness and retention. From an operational standpoint, truck loaders can also help speed up the loading/unloading processes and improve efficiency.
Stanislas Normand: There are plenty of technologies that can make it easier to load and unload trucks, including automated docking systems, conveyors, and even exoskeletons for material handling. That said, one functionality that is seeing high demand in our space is the ability to sequence outbound orders. What it allows is to essentially cube out trucks in a specific order, which can be helpful for both loading and unloading. A simple example would be to load a truck that drops off orders to multiple facilities in a way where orders are organized in the sequence in which they will be dropped off.
Q: Has the economic slowdown during the past year eased the driver shortage?
Ahmad Stokes: The economic slowdown has not eased the driver shortage, but rather exacerbated it. Over the next decade, the industry will have to recruit nearly 1,000,000 new drivers to replace retiring drivers and drivers that leave voluntarily or involuntarily, as well as meet the need for additional drivers to accommodate industry growth.
Q: How can warehouses improve how they prepare shipments for transit?
Stanislas Normand: This will sound obvious, but the key things that warehouses need to improve are speed and accuracy. This is largely due to the fact that most operations remain incredibly manual and thus prone to mistakes and low productivity. This not only limits the throughput that warehouse operations can achieve, but also creates a lot of additional costs.
Ahmad Stokes: Operators would benefit by implementing automation and robotics to improve reliability, speed, and safety of picking, packing, palletizing, loading, and unloading tasks. They could also utilize some management method or tools, like value-stream mapping, to identify and eliminate bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the warehouse shipping process. And they could adopt more economical, recycled packaging to reduce material waste.
Rick DeFiesta: It’s important for warehouse operators to effectively utilize the entire capacity of their facility, properly organizing and prioritizing goods to ensure accurate and efficient order picking. Clear labeling and optimized mapping of the entire warehouse is important. High-density storage, picking, sorting, and transport can all be streamlined with the help of warehouse robotics solutions.
Nicolas Chee: Warehouses can improve shipment preparation by adopting automated systems and robotics for picking, packing, and sorting. Our autonomous mobile robots are designed to seamlessly integrate into existing warehouse operations, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in preparing shipments. In addition, implementing advanced tracking and inventory management systems can further streamline the process and reduce errors.
