The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to be integrated into many industries, especially the supply chain. It is no wonder that the AI is playing a big role in our everyday lives, minding the fact that robots are being built globally.
The biggest contribution of this technology is considering the fact that it helps to lower costs, increase productivity, and improve key performance metrics. In the following text, we will point out a few examples of how Artificial Intelligence is used in the area of logistics.
The lack of a human operator
With the improvement of AI, the human-less operator technology is on the rise. One of those examples in the industry is Tesla’s self-driving semi-trucks. With the increased productivity that saves money, these trucks can drive up to 500 miles on a full tank. Also, with the driver shortage that the industry is currently facing, this technology could be the solution in the next few years.
The Automated Packaging Solution is another autonomous machine produced by Neopost. This machine takes fan-fold corrugate and after that, it creates a custom fit-to-size box. The way it works is when the operator places an item(s) on the fan-fold corrugate. When the item is placed, a box is created by cutting and tapping the corrugate accordingly once the 3D scanners have determined the minimum box size.
Once the box is made, the shipment goes through a weigh station in order to rate shop and label is both printed and applied automatically. There are a lot of benefits of using this machine, but certainly, the biggest one is the fact that it reduces packaging labor by 88% and that helps to fight the labor crisis.
Robots in warehouses
By using robots, warehouses are starting to become 100% autonomous. In order to fulfill orders, robots are being used and this increases order picking accuracy and cuts down on the time to fulfill orders. Another part of inventory management are drones.
By using drones, time-consuming and error-prone process of inventory management makes the work done in less time. Two drones can do the work of 100 workers in 2 hours with a higher accuracy rate. Alongside that, drones can work at night, survey the warehouse multiple times and create a more accurate picture by comparing results.
IoT as the next step in logistics
The next step for AI becoming more integrated with logistics is the use of Internet of Things (IoT). An infrastructure of technology in common items to send and receive data is created by the concept of IoT. For example, company Solar Roadways, who are testing a road made of solar panels, strong enough to be driven on and equipped with LED lights to mark lanes and warn drivers of traffic accidents.Smart technology like this will enable information to be sent to logistics companies on the status of deliveries. Information on the delayed shipment due to a traffic accident can be sent to update arrival times and create a seamless process for loading and unloading trucks.
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