Because of e-commerce and Industry 4.0 demands, supply chain and logistics are among the hottest markets for automation. What are some of the potential hurdles? In this supply chain automation case study, we look at how Cindy Traver, senior director of global operations at RK Logistics Group, managed change.

Chief robotics officers (CROs) and other business leaders charged with adopting or expanding automation must remember multiple stakeholders in addition to technical considerations. Traver had to work with company management and skittish staffers while testing mobile robots from Fetch Robotics Inc. She recalled some of her supply chain automation challenges at last fall’s CRO Summit and RoboBusiness conference.

In addition, many warehouses have constraints that robots must address in terms of space, activity levels, or processes. Autonomous systems are improving, thanks to the feedback that end users such as RK Logistics have provided to developers and suppliers.

In this RBR Insider report, subscribers can learn how Traver dealt with workers who were initially reluctant to work with robots, what RK Logistics and Fetch Robotics learned through their collaboration, and how supply chain automation has helped her company grow.

The global logistics robot market will have a compound annual growth rate of more than 28% from 2018 to 2022, predicts Technavio. There are many opportunities for supply chain automation, so partners and vendors can learn from this case study.