70% of Frontline Workers Report Rising Concerns With Injuries on the Warehouse Floor
Workers also stressed about meeting business goals if warehouse leaders don’t embrace intelligent automation
According to the study,
Interact Analysis projects global warehouse square footage will increase by
As this expansion continues and daily order volumes increase, feedback shared by frontline workers as part of Zebra’s Warehousing Vision Study suggests that warehouse leaders will need to move a bit faster to expand workforce capacity:
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Even warehouse leaders admit they find it challenging to maintain the fill rates (
Given the disparity between customers’ growing expectations and warehouse operators’ limited hiring capacity, warehouse associates say it’s important that collaborative robots (
Ninety-three percent of associates agree the increased availability of automation and mobile technologies would help attract and retain more warehouse associates, and
“Warehouse associates are telling us they feel their lives would be better if their employers thoughtfully integrated more automation solutions into their workflows,” said Andres Boullosa, Global Warehouse Vertical Strategy Leader, Zebra Technologies. “Automating material movement, data collection, and information management helps make busy warehouses safer. It also makes it easier for teams to meet SLAs and maintain a steady, reliable flow of quality goods to the market, which increases both customer satisfaction and worker engagement.”
How (and How Much) Automation is Really Expected to Help Warehouse Workers
Warehouse leaders believe the biggest impact of mobile device-based AI applications will center on worker safety, quality control, and inventory management. While
Many warehouse leaders who plan to augment/automate or have already done so say their goal is to mitigate errors (
Warehouse Leaders Need More Help, Too
Warehouse leaders say their biggest supply chain network challenges are “innovating with technology and intelligent automation” and “meeting changing customer service expectations.” Yet, the latter will not prove possible until warehouse leaders figure out a clear path forward with technology.
“There are so many things that frontline workers are being asked to do in warehouses, including things they don’t enjoy doing, which could and should be automated today,” added Boullosa. “It’s good to hear so many warehouse leaders plan to digitize, automate and add intelligence to their frontline operations, and we are here to help.”
KEY REGIONAL FINDINGS
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Asia-Pacific : Missed SLAs are a tremendous financial burden for88% of decision-makers, underscoring the need to swiftly address inefficiencies. -
Europe : Workplace safety remains a concern, with73% of associates worried about injuries on the warehouse floor. -
Latin America :70% of decision-makers who plan to augment/automate or have done so already say the biggest driver for automation is the need to mitigate errors. -
North America :88% of decision-makers agree adopting new technology is essential to remain competitive in the fast-paced, on-demand economy.
ABOUT THE STUDY
Zebra Technologies commissioned a global research study to explore the trends and technologies shaping warehouse and distribution center operations. Conducted online by Azure Knowledge Corporation, the study gathered insights from over 1,700 associates and decision-makers across manufacturing, retail, transportation, logistics, and wholesale distribution.
ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES
Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) provides the solutions to help businesses grow through increased asset visibility, connected frontline workers and intelligent automation. The company operates in more than 100 countries, and our customers include over
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Media Contact:
Michael Gilhooly
Zebra Technologies
+1-708-814-5281
Michael.Gilhooly@zebra.com
Industry Analyst Contact:
Kasia Fahmy
Zebra Technologies
+1-224-306-8654
k.fahmy@zebra.com
Source: Zebra Technologies Corporation