Robots and Our Productivity Salvation
New data on robot orders for 2023 shows a steep drop following a long trend of steady growth. Is this a sign of declining confidence in robotics, or evidence that ROIs on automation are slim enough to fail when cheap capital disappears as it did in 2023????
I think not. I believe the dip is more like a digestive pause between the appetizer and the main course: a sweeping robot-led transformation of work that will save the world from an impending demographic trap.??
AI Puts Robotics on a Steeper Learning Curve??
Robot costs have been falling for years while AI has risen in power and prominence. These trends are now self-reinforcing as more installations mean more use cases , which generates more data, in turn driving wider applications , leading to yet more installations. US government data shows the green shoots of a productivity flywheel that has started to crank.??
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR), a non-profit founded in Germany in 1987, recently released its top five robotics trends for 2024:??
The data, processing tech, and mechanical systems linking these five trends are all self-reinforcing. Demographics is the spark finally kicking this flywheel into high gear.??
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A Perfect Storm for Robotics??
Robots have a long history of freaking people out. And yet, as more countries slip into demographic decline, we will likely find that they are our salvation.???
South Korea, Japan, Germany, and China are the top four countries worldwide in the number of robots installed per 10,000 workers. They are also among the fastest aging, with grave implications for economic growth. Necessity is the mother of invention and shrinking population is robotics’ ultimate forcing function.??
Get ready to feast on a meal of historic transformation in labor productivity.??
Written By: Kevin O'Marah , Co-Founder Zero100
Feature:?Unilever - Global Supply Chain Reboot
From South Africa to Mexico, London to the Philippines, Unilever is seeing the impacts of the digital transformation of their Customer Operations on a global scale. We went to their HQ to learn more about the digital innovations and process improvements that are enabling the consumer goods company to evolve and thrive in an increasingly volatile environment.
Read or listen here as we uncover how Unilever's experiences and insights can be applied across industries to move towards Zero Percent Carbon, 100% Digital supply chains.
Vice President of Industry and Global Alliances | MBA | Supply Chain, AI, Robotics, and Retail | @gcourtin
8 个月Interesting piece. There is one aspect that isn't mentioned - interoperability. When I speak to customers and prospects who are looking to bring robotics to their warehouses and fulfillment nodes, the question that coming up increasingly - how do I make all this MHE work together? The big pop in robotics a few years ago was around very specific workflows, focused on warehouse functions such as eaches picking to meet the demand for ecommerce. Fast forward and now these buyers are asking - how do I ensure all my robots are in harmony? This question remains open. Buyers are smarter and willing to wait to see how this gets solved.