This Month in Modern: Strong recovery hastens technology adoption

It’s now clear that one of silver linings of the past year is that the pandemic has hastened the adoption of the software and automation necessary to streamline operations to meet rising e-commerce demands—especially in the face of shrinking labor availability.

As the market recovers and fulfillment pressures mount, flexibility and scalability are more important than ever—putting a premium on the use of software, flexible automation, mobile solutions and emerging next-generation technologies to gear up for inevitable growth.

This month, Modern offers a few editorial options that track this “technology acceleration” trend. First, I’m going to suggest you register for our “2021 Virtual Summit: Gearing up for growth” that’s set to roll out on Thursday, July 29 (register at supplychain247.com/summit-2021 or check your e-mail for your invitation).

This summit was specifically programmed to help warehouse and DC managers harness the automation and technology tools available to manage through this disruption and prepare for whatever comes next.

Now, if you’re looking for some data to validate the momentum, look no further than senior editor Roberto Michel’s analysis of Modern’s “2021 Software User Survey,” the most comprehensive snapshot available of current software usage and investment plans by warehouse and DC mangers.

Michel reports that with the overall situation improving, readers report “less hesitancy” when deploying warehouse-focused software. “We found a significant drop in respondents saying they are ‘holding off’ on investment, and that’s understandable,” says Michel. Last year, 41% said they plan to “hold off” on investments, while this year that response plummeted to 23%.

“We appear to be back to a more robust technology investment approach,” says Michel. “Also, it’s not just the newer tech like AI or robotics that are attracting interest. We’re seeing an upswing in more established categories like WMS, LMS, inventory control and slotting as companies look to get more productivity from their resources and work to keep pace with strong demand.”

Another trend that may be getting a much-needed boost is the use of drones inside warehouse/DC facilities. Executive editor Bob Trebilcock brings us up to date on this technology trend that was quite slow to catch on at first.

Trebilcock takes us inside a DC in Hedehusene, Denmark, operated by DSV, a global third-party logistics (3PL) provider. During the weekends when the warehouse is closed, a fleet of 12 drones takes flight for a visual inspection of the pallet locations identified by the WMS. If a space is empty, the drone sends a photograph of the location back to the system that creates an exception report that’s ready for the team on Monday.

“I’ve been interested in drones in supply chain ever since Jeff Bezos appeared on ‘60 Minutes’ a few years ago,” says Trebilcock. “Yet, year after year, they appeared at the bottom of the list of technologies our readers were interested in. More recently, I began to notice press releases talking about the roll-out of drones in supply chain applications, so I wanted to learn more. I think it’s safe to say it’s still an emerging technology, but an exciting one.”