Big Data and Robotics: Considerations for an Intelligent Supply Chain
Adam Brown, Senior Director of Market Intelligence at Dematic, illustrates how innovative automation solutions empower customers to tackle today’s supply chain challenges. As part of the Global Strategy and Go-to-Market Team, he shares insights into how big data, AI, and robotics are revolutionising the industry by creating adaptable, customer-focused solutions.
Picture a supply chain that doesn’t just keep up with demand, but one that foresees trends, adapts on the fly, and fine-tunes itself — driving your business forward with a distinct competitive edge. For companies relying on manual operations, the unyielding demand for speed, accuracy, and scalability can feel daunting. What if your supply chain could not only respond to these demands, but proactively evolve to stay ahead of them? With Dematic’s innovative solutions, this isn’t science fiction — it’s the dawn of a smarter, more agile era in supply chain automation, powered by software and robotics.
The power of big data and self-learning robots
In a competitive landscape, staying ahead means embracing technologies that redefine what’s possible. Innovations are shifting supply chains from reactive networks to proactive, insight-driven systems.
“Most of the exciting advancements we have in our industry right now are definitely in big data and AI. We’re taking in multiple forms of information inside a data lake, understanding the patterns that occur in our customers' daily activities, and providing them with insights on where to go next.”
This shift empowers companies to move from guesswork to precision, with advanced warehouse automation including robotics that evolve to solve new challenges autonomously. Brown explains that one of the most exciting advancements in robotics is the ability to self-learn — when faced with a new problem, they can adapt and even train a cloud-based system that shares this knowledge with other bots, enabling continuous improvement across operations
Why now? The shift to e-commerce is unstoppable
The pandemic accelerated the shift from retail to e-commerce, prompting a complete rethinking of supply chain strategies. As Brown describes, the industry experienced a fundamental change, with e-commerce now becoming the focus of supply chains instead of traditional retail. This shift has introduced new challenges but also unlocked significant opportunities. For companies aiming to foster growth and meet demands, embracing automation has become a strategic move that can drive lasting success.
“The industry is seeing an explosion of smaller applications and bot-based applications, much like our implementations with AutoStore™ and Dematic Micro-Fulfilment. A lot of our robotic applications and mobile automation applications are really ripe for this type of modular, closer-to-consumer type of approach going forward.”
The shift to e-commerce has prompted the entire supply chain to re-evaluate how products are supplied and how customer experiences are shaped. In response, companies are increasingly adopting a closer-to-consumer strategy, positioning products for multi-day, second day, or same-day fulfilment to better meet their speed and service expectations.
Finding your recipe for success with Dematic
So, how can operations make the leap from manual labour to automation? Think of it as creating a recipe: Each company has unique needs and challenges, and Dematic helps identify the essential “ingredients” to address them, tailoring solutions to fit specific requirements across their supply chains. Whether implementing large-scale automation or modular systems for targeted applications, Dematic offers solutions — ranging from simple to complex — that fit any operation, helping companies see how each piece aligns with each stage of their supply chain journey.
The time to automate is now
For operations ready to take the move past manual processes, Dematic offers solutions that will adapt and grow with their specific supply chain. By addressing each operational challenge with targeted, effective technology, Dematic empowers companies to meet current and future demands with confidence.
For companies curious about supply chain automation and ready to make the switch, the future isn’t just promising — it’s already here.