A long way from tin sheds: robotics in the supply chain

Humans still perform 72% of manufacturing tasks¹ but a rise in robotics is challenging that. According to Rosalind Shinkle, CEO and Co-founder of Adagy Robotics, in supply chains, people use robots as tools to get more leverage out of their labour. Traditionally, this meant robots would automate repeatable tasks. Although this was a good solution, it was a rigid one - robots relied on a well understood environment and were limited in what they could do. Advances in technology are changing this.

Robotics in the supply chain

Robots

Robots, including “cobots” (robots that collaboratively work alongside humans), aren’t new, but their uptake continues to grow. Robots can pick items, move pallets, load vehicles, and even deliver goods by driving autonomous vehicles² because of advancements in machine vision, end-of-arm tooling and software.¹ All this helps reduce costs and improve safety, accuracy and productivity.² 

Robots can be expensive at the onset (around US$30,000-60,000), but Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) models help reduce upfront costs and offer flexibility in scalability.¹

Learn more about robotics and smart warehouses

Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs) 

Material handling still makes up a large proportion of labour expenses. AMRs transport products in warehouses by navigating factory floors autonomously.¹

Automation Storage (AS) and Retrieval Systems (RS)

The AS/RS market penetration rate is set to more than double to 36% in the next 10 years.¹ AS/RS is said to be the most complicated part in automating a warehouse. It involves retrieving specific goods from within the warehouse and packaging them for fulfilment.¹

Multipurpose robots 

Multipurpose robots are machines that can perform unstructured tasks in dynamic environments. For example, the same robot can do one task in the morning, and a different one in the afternoon. “We are at a point where we understand that if you can make one piece of hardware do multiple different tasks, you can derive a lot of value from that” explains Rosalind Shinkle, CEO and Co-founder of Adagy Robotics. Learn more about how robotics is becoming more accessible in supply chains.

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We are at a point where we understand that if you can make one piece of hardware do multiple different tasks, you can derive a lot of value from that

Rosalind Shinkle, CEO and Co-founder of Adagy Robotics

AI: the game-changer in robotics

According to Rosalind, AI is being integrated across the robotics stack, making robots more flexible, dynamic, and capable of interacting with an unknown world in a way that was impossible before. This shift means that smaller logistics companies, that couldn’t necessarily afford extensive automation in the past, can now take advantage of robotics in new ways.

Learn more about AI in robotics

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Robotics and smart warehouses

¹ Supply chain technology - Citi

² First to last mile - BlueYonder

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