Flexible automation, labor augmentation and longer lead times for project delivery are among the major trends in material handling, says Christian Dow, executive vice president of leadership and membership at MHI.

Robotics make it easier for operators to manage productivity in a time of severe labor shortages, says Karen Leavitt, chief marketing officer at Locus Robotics.

Yesterday's automation consisted of fixed infrastructure that couldn't be adjusted to meet changing needs. Not anymore, says Rick DeFiesta, executive vice president of sales and solutions Americas with Geek+.

In an age of internet-savvy consumers, companies have employed increasingly sophisticated greenwashing tactics to avoid taking meaningful environmental action, while reaping the reputational benefits of appearing eco-friendly.

Robots offer a solution to both short- and long-term challenges that arise with the growth of e-commerce fulfillment, says Lior Elazary, chief executive officer and co-founder of inVia Robotics.

Courtney Muller, president of Manifest, reviews Manifest 2022, the first-time gathering of logistics industry leaders and innovators held in Las Vegas January 25-27, and offers a peek into next year's event. 

Brian Reinhart, vice president-sales U.S. with Hai Robotics, details the major trends that are impelling distribution operations to embrace automation solutions.