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RUGGED HELICAL GEARBOX capabilities. As the sensors are updated and the ability for the onboard computers to do tasks that weren’t possible 10 years ago, AGVs can now perform all kinds of applications. We move further away from just simply replacing fork truck drivers and into cobotic applications. Robots and AGVs are part of picking solutions and integral to the rapid ecommerce intralogistics growth.

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However, although AGVs and AMRs are replacing human workers for some types of jobs, we’re a long way from a computer’s ability to think through the challenges of day-to-day intralogistics operations. The jobs that will go away will be the low-hanging fruit for automation. Those are pointto-point transport of goods from the end of an aisle to the dock door, and from the dock door into the truck.

So, human pickers will be here; they’re not going anywhere in the short term. Currently, there isn’t a way to automate that function in a way that is more financially viable, particularly in the fastmoving consumer goods market, which operates on thin margins. You still need people.

Every year there’s a huge number of forklifts sold. But the number of AGVs sold is less than 1 percent of the forklifts sold (but climbing), so by no means are AGVs and AMRs taking over. Although there was resistance to this technology early on, even unions are starting to warm to the technology a little bit. Because of the labor market, they may have no choice. The current labor shortage may be causing some operations to look a little more closely at automation to fill in for the workers they can’t get.

The other side of this equation is that kids coming out of school probably don’t want to drive forklifts and might not even consider warehouse work at all. In that respect, the warehouse industry is no different than the manufacturing industry. Whether it’s driving a forklift all day or spinning lug nuts onto wheels, those jobs are giving way to automation. Instead, the interesting career work for those just out of school or for those whose jobs are being replaced by automation will be the ability to work behind a computer writing code, programming AGVs, or maybe sitting in an office driving a forklift remotely. The warehouse industry needs to be doing the same kind of public relations work as manufacturing: Today’s modern warehouse is a far cry from what it was 20 years ago.

Technology will continue to advance. Our goal should not be to just look at the ROI of replacing manual jobs with automation, but instead to look for ways to move people who had those jobs into positions that are more fulfilling, better paying, and in the long run add more value to the company and society.