Efficiency gains with Drones and Robots
How drones and robots are changing stores and warehouses
Mostly, robots are still working alongside people. They connect and collaborate with human staff to improve operations and customer experience. In-store robots help out by alerting staff to potential hazards in-store such as spills or shoplifters, or notifying stock control employees when a shelf is empty in real time. They can welcome customers and direct them to their chosen product, so that human employees can dedicate themselves to more complex responsibilities. The warehouse is where robotics is producing a real revolution for retailers. Smart forklift robots, moving robots, sorting robots and picking robots are substantially increasing efficiency rates in warehouses and simultaneously reducing accidents. They have the added benefit of being able to work 24/7, delivering a rapid ROI for the retailer.
In the last decade, robotics technology has become increasingly sophisticated. New advancements in big data, artificial intelligence and modern materials are creating smarter robots more capable of complex tasks. Large scale retailers have tens of thousands of robots fulfilling orders in warehouses worldwide, backed by fleets of drones that enable same-day delivery for their impatient customers. As economies of scale in robot and drone manufacturing lead to lower production costs, many smaller enterprises are now finding ways they can apply robotics at smaller scale to their retail operations.
Drone shipments to retailers will total 122,000 units worldwide by 2023.
77
Geek+ partners with China Telecom (Europe) to provide integrated warehouse solutions
of retailers plan to deploy AI by 2021, with warehouse robotics stated as the main use case. 8
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8 Gartner, 2020
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