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Home Expert Advice Ask the Expert Four Technologies Revolutionizing the Global
Logistics Industry
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FOUR TECHNOLOGIES REVOLUTIONIZING THE GLOBAL LOGISTICS INDUSTRY

June 27, 2024
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INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES ARE REVOLUTIONIZING THE GLOBAL LOGISTICS INDUSTRY. IN
CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL LOGISTICS DAY, WE SPOTLIGHT FOUR INNOVATIVE LOGISTICS
TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE DRIVING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND RESHAPING HOW GOODS
MOVE AROUND THE WORLD: GOODS-TO-PERSON ROBOTS, AUTOMATED STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
SYSTEMS, AUTOMATED CASE ERECTORS AND PACKAGING SYSTEMS, AND AUGMENTED REALITY.

The movement of goods around the world has never been faster than it is today,
and rising demand for more expeditious, accurate, cost-effective, scalable, and
sustainable service is driving supply chains and prevailing manual logistics
processes to capacity and beyond.

In the age of Industry 4.0, industrial automation, digitalization, and digital
commerce, logistics plays an impactful role in facilitating the global movement
of goods with the speed and precision that customers demand. Logistics — which
encompasses the transportation, distribution, and warehousing of goods
manufactured from raw materials — is essential in mobilizing the supply chain.
The global logistics industry powers the forward and reverse current of goods,
services, and information from their respective points of origin to their points
of consumption and, in 2022 was valued at over $9.8 trillion and projected to
reach $16.8 trillion by 2032. 

However, according to a 2021 study by Research and Markets, more than 80%
percent of warehouses weren’t using automation at all, making them more
susceptible to human error, safety risks, and labor shortages. The logistics
industry has since begun to replace some of its many manual processes with
automated processes — including digitized order-picking processes, conveyor
belts, picking carousels, and robotics — and is on pace to continue that trend.

In fact, the global logistics automation market is projected to grow to $51.2
billion in 2028 from just $32.7 billion in 2023. This rapid $18 billion uptick
in growth isn’t difficult to justify, as the logistics industry is essential to
maintaining the intricate balance between supply and demand and ensuring that
goods reach their final destinations seamlessly and efficiently.

In honor of the critical role that logistics operations play in the global
supply chain and the millions of hardworking professionals whose labor fuels the
increasingly fast-paced flow of goods, the United States House of
Representatives followed the lead of several states, including Pennsylvania, and
issued a congressional record recognizing June 28 as National Logistics Day as
an official holiday in 2022.

In celebration of this new holiday and anticipation of the industry’s continued
evolution, we’re showcasing four cutting-edge Industry 4.0 and logistics
automation technologies poised to boost efficiency, enhance worker safety,
improve fulfillment accuracy, lower labor costs, and keep global supply chains
moving at top speed: goods-to-person robots, automated storage and retrieval
systems, automatic box erector and packaging systems, and augmented reality.

Goods-to-Person Robots

Goods-to-Person (GTP) automation is an innovative approach that enhances the
order-picking process in warehouses. In traditional picking methods, human
workers traverse vast storage spaces to retrieve items for orders, which is
time-consuming and prone to errors and the impacts of widespread labor
shortages. GTP automation creates a paradigm shift. Instead of workers spending
precious resources to retrieve goods from storage, the goods are delivered to
the workers via GTP robots.

These machines, which include automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous
mobile robots (AMRs), are smart robots equipped with advanced range sensors,
laser navigation, and vision systems to help move items within the warehouse.
The most notable difference between these two types of GTP robots is their
movement capabilities. AGVs follow fixed paths or parameters that are predefined
by magnets, wires, tape, or other physical boundaries. Unlike their more rigid
counterparts, AMRs can perceive the environment around them and navigate their
own paths based on the inputs gathered by their sensors. Both AGVs and AMRs are
guided by fleet management software that govern and orchestrate their movement
in a warehouse. These robots follow the most streamlined routes, prioritize
urgent orders, and cut down retrieval times. GTP robots can also be equipped
with different attachments, like conveyor belts or forks for pallets, making
them flexible tools for transporting goods.

A Raymond Courier AGV in use at the RS warehouse in Fort Worth, Texas. See it in
action here.

When orders are received, GTP automation software identifies where items are
located and dispatches robots to retrieve them and deliver them to picking
stations. Once a GTP robot delivers an order, it can collaborate with its human
counterparts — who are now free to focus on more skilled-labor activities — to
check orders and move them to fulfillment. As such, GTP robots help warehouses
improve their efficiency and accuracy and reduce their reliance on manual labor,
which improves employee safety and satisfaction, minimizes operational risks
resulting from injuries and labor shortages, and can even help lower labor
costs.

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems

Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) are a class of GTP robot that
specializes in retrieving and storing goods. These robots, like AGVs and AMRs,
utilize smart software and sensors to efficiently store and retrieve items
within a warehouse or storage facility but are built into storage infrastructure
instead of made to navigate warehouse floors. AS/RS are designed to follow
predefined routes to access items and are broadly categorized as either
unit-load systems, mini-load systems, carousel-based systems, and vertical lift
modules. Unit-load AS/RS are designed for handling larger loads, like full
pallets or cases, and often utilize cranes that can navigate fixed and moveable
aisles and tote objects weighing several thousand pounds. Mini-load AS/RS,
however, are meant for lighter loads, like cartons or trays, and typically
utilize smaller cranes or shuttles designed to operate in narrow aisles to move
items. Carousel-based systems use a rotating mechanism to bring the desired
shelf or bin to a fixed inserter or extractor, which then places or retrieves
the item. Similarly, vertical lift modules (VLMs) operate with an inserter
extractor located in the center of an enclosed structure, accessing trays
stacked in columns on either side.

A mini-load AS/RS that uses shuttle technology. (Image courtesy of TGWmechanics
per CC BY-SA 3.0 and Wikimedia Commons.)

Regardless of configuration, AS/RS offer significant advantages for warehouses
and storage facilities, including fewer employee safety risks, reduced manual
labor costs, improved order accuracy and efficiency, and the ability to operate
in challenging environments like freezer storage and high vertical spaces. AS/RS
technology can even unlock more usable storage space in warehouses. For example,
RS’s own warehouse in Ft. Worth, Texas uses AS/RS systems to cut down on wasted
open areas in favor of compact racks fitted with shuttle systems. These robots
expeditiously deliver and receive goods in the dense storage space — allowing
for more optimized storage spaces and boosting the overall productivity of RS
warehouse operations.

Automated Case Erectors and Packaging Systems

Once orders are picked by GTP robots and their human coworkers, automated case
erectors and automated packaging systems streamline box assembly and packing
processes. Automated case erectors build boxes using pre-sized cardboard forms
and seal them with hot glue, which saves warehouses considerable time and labor
costs and enhances overall operational efficiency. They are especially helpful
in high-volume packaging operations, where the demands of busy production lines
can be met with incomparable speed and productivity, and they often work
alongside fillers, sealers, and labeling systems, creating a seamless packaging
ecosystem. In contrast to automated case erectors, automated packaging machines
cut a bespoke box for each order, creating the precise container based on
product dimensions in order to minimize material waste, which can lead to
significant cost savings as well as more sustainable operations.

The RS warehouse in Fort Worth, Texas, features a SEALED AIR brand I-Pack void
reduction system, which is a popular automated packaging system. (Image courtesy
of SEALED AIR.)

Organizations committed to sustainable logistics practices can also create boxes
out of recyclable or compostable packaging materials using both of these
logistics automation technologies. RS, for instance, uses the SEALED AIR brand
I-Pack void reduction system to right-size packages for their contents, which
conserves materials, maximizes the efficiency of transportation space, and
reduces their carbon footprint. We also use sustainable packaging materials that
contain 50% recycled material and are broadly (94%) recyclable or compostable.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is another technology that is driving efficiency and
digital transformation in the logistics industry. AR devices, such as headsets,
smart glasses, tablets, and smartphones, layer digital data onto physical
realities, allowing workers to access real-time information without disrupting
workflows. These devices — outfitted with built-in cameras, displays, and even
voice control capabilities — enable workers to seamlessly interact with digital
interfaces while simultaneously viewing the real world around them.

AR-enabled smart glasses can improve an array of warehousing processes. (Image
courtesy of Vuzix.)

AR’s innovative capabilities are built on software applications that synthesize
data from the real world to create the digital overlays that employees can
interact with through AR devices that leave their hands free. In addition to
AR’s robust software foundation, hardware like cameras and sensors help AR
capture environmental information and how users behave or interact in it. These
physical devices enable the accurate population of virtual elements via user
gestures and voice recognition.

AR applications vary from straightforward visual aids to intricate interactive
systems and, in the logistics industry, are often used to display important
inventory, navigation, safety, and task management information in real-time. For
instance, AR devices utilized in a warehouse could present users with efficient
routes for order picking, confirm the success of a pick to reduce operational
errors, and even improve job training and, in turn, employee retention. AR
devices can also be integrated into existing warehouse management systems (WMS)
and transportation management systems (TMS) that use data analytics tools to
provide operators with valuable insights into inventory levels, equipment
status, and workflows that enable more efficient space utilization, predictive
maintenance strategies, and route optimization. And AR solutions suppliers are
actively leveraging Big Data and AI to further improve AR’s competencies in
these areas to deliver even more refined analytics and modeling that will enable
logistics professionals to tackle challenges even more effectively.

Revolutionizing the Logistics Industry With Industry 4.0 Technologies

Innovative Industry 4.0 technologies like these are helping the logistics
industry evolve to satisfy rising demand for faster, cheaper, more accurate,
scalable, and sustainable fulfilment services and, in turn, improving the
safety, satisfaction, and efficiency of the millions of laborers essential to
this nearly $10 trillion — and rapidly growing — industry. RS is proud to be an
early adopter of logistics automation technologies, including conveyor belts,
goods-to-person robots, automated storage and retrieval systems, and automated
packing machines, that have allowed us to optimize the efficiency, reliability,
safety, and sustainability of our logistics operations and better serve our
customers. We’re also proud to support customers throughout the increasingly
automated logistics industry with our extensive selection of industrial product
and service solutions — many of which are engineered to enable, enhance, and
maintain automated systems in industrial market segments — as well as our
substantial knowledge of and experience with both. For more information, check
out our collection of RS Expert Advice articles about material handling and
packaging. For assistance deploying and maintaining logistics automation
solutions, please contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or
reach out to the RS technical support team.

How helpful was this article? Click a star to rate.
[4 votes so far. Average rating of 5]


 * TAGS
 * Augmented Reality
 * automation technologies
 * Expert Advice
 * Expert Insights
 * Industry 40
 * Logistics Day
 * Robots
 * RS
 * RS Americas
 * RS Group
 * Supply Chain

Christopher Mowery

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