Chris Steiner, Senior VP at Dematic, dives into the essential role of automation in modern supply chains, especially within outdated brownfield facilities. He discusses how evolving customer expectations and labor shortages make automation a necessity, providing tips for successful implementation. Steiner also tackles urgent highway safety concerns in trucking post-accident, advocating for stricter driver regulations. Finally, he explores the exciting potential of humanoid robots in logistics, showcasing advancements in robotics technology.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Assess Space And Value Streams First
Assess available space, changing SLAs, and new value streams before planning brownfield automation.
Identify which non-core areas can be phased into the future-state automation layout.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Phase Installs To Keep Operations Running
Phase installations so operations can remain live while new systems are added and tested.
Use targeted ASRS or AGV/AMR sections to increase density without full facility shutdowns.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Design For Scalability With Modular Tech
Choose flexible, scalable automation (like AMRs/AGVs) so you can add capacity incrementally.
Design storage and performance upgrades with modular add-ons to grow throughput over time.
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Our guest on this week's episode is Chris Steiner, senior vice president of product management at Dematic. In the past, automation was often viewed as nice to have. But in these days of customer expectations for speed and shortages of available workers, automation is now a "must have." We often think of automation just being placed into shiny new facilities, but a lot can be done to automate existing legacy facilities. Our guests shares about the benefits of implementations in existing "brownfield" facilities and suggests tips for making them successful.
The trucking industry isasking the federal government to accelerate recent efforts to ensure safety on the nation’s highways; this is in reaction to a Florida crash involving a freight truck making an illegal U-turn on an interstate. The crash left three people dead. Trucking organizations are asking to suspend states’ authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs (commercial driving licenses), which some states provide to non-U.S. citizens or out-of-state applicants under certain circumstances. The driver involved in the deadly crash had this type of CDL.
Robotics technology has been developing really quickly in recent years, and it’s been finding new applications in logistics. One of the newest areas where this is happening is in humanoid robots, which move around walking on two legs instead of rolling on wheels, and use two arms to grab totes and boxes. This week we saw some news about one of the latest advancements in the area, which is using artificial intelligence to allow them to learn new skills or movements from demonstrations by humans, instead of by following software code.
Supply Chain Xchange also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. A new series is now available on Top Threats to our Supply Chains. It covers topics including Geopolitical Risks, Economic Instability, Cybersecurity Risks, Threats to energy and electric grids; Supplier Risks, and Transportation Disruptions Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes. The podcast is also available at www.thescxchange.com.
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