How are AI and robotics transforming supply chains?

Automation maximises efficiency

Liam Buswell, Head of Innovation at True, says that while digitisation can provide valuable insights, it’s really the efficiency gains that can be made with automation that are providing the greatest value. 

“If you really look at the supply chain of your business – every single element of it can be improved, and to a certain extent, automated” says Liam.  

“Even if you were to remove the individual, when you start to add robots who are packing things up in a fully automated warehouse, the levels of efficiency can be really quite significant.”

Industrial robotics: the automation opportunity

Warehouse automation presents an enormous opportunity. According to a report from Citi,80% of warehouses are not yet automated. . Rosalind Shinkle, Founder and CEO of Tuesday Lab explains why - “in the past, automation was only for massive players with the capital and the ability to have really rigid environments in their warehouses.” 

Ros says this is all about to change. 

“I think the next phase of robotics evolution in the warehouse is the deployment of modular, smaller scale, more flexible robots that can operate in unstructured environments and can navigate dynamic environments, and can deliver value. Not just to the huge players, but also to the mid-size and smaller players” she says.  

Lack of capital and the need for rigid environments aren’t the only hurdles for robotics and artificial intelligence adoption in supply chains. Difficulty in programming robots has been another challenge – but one that’s about to be overcome thanks to AI. 

“If we can use large language models to communicate with robots, suddenly the barriers are down and robots are going to become much more accessible and much more usable,” she explains.   

Rethinking tomorrow: the benefits of artificial intelligence

Dr Ivan Poupyrev, Founder and CEO of Archetype AI sums up the benefits of AI nicely. 

“I believe AI will not just increase efficiency, and not just increase productivity, but also it gives you resilience. It gives you the opportunity to plan better, and look in the future, but it also opens up opportunities to innovate.”