Automation Flexibility

A Balancing Act

By: Mark Kerry

     In the mid-80s, automation was the trend for many companies. For many CEOs and decision-makers, the new world that automation promised – computer-controlled inventory, facilities that worked around the clock and a reduced labor force – was just too good to resist.

       As the times changed, however, so did customers’ needs. Customers who had previously accepted full pallets of product at regular intervals now demanded just the amount they needed when they needed it. For many, this meant shipments of multiple SKUs in smaller quantities and at different intervals. Any supply chain player not prepared to get smart, reduce inventory and increase stock turns was going to be looking at large amounts of stock sitting unsold in a facility. That spelled financial disaster.

       Those who had invested in the convenience of...

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