In a time of increasing customer demand, robotics technology is helping e-commerce sellers to manage forward inventory and next-day delivery, says Jim Serstad, vice president of product development with Tompkins Robotics.

Control towers are taking on an increasingly vital role in modern-day warehouses, powered by advances in artificial intelligence, says Kevin Reader, director of business development and marketing with Knapp.

Robots present advantages that, combined with human brain and brawn, make for optimum operations that improve the lives of workers, too.

Automation is impacting warehouse operations in multiple ways, promising dramatic efficiencies in labor, hardware, software and order fulfillment, says Chris Arnold, president and chief operating officer of Trew.

The age of big data and the demands of e-commerce are generating more data than ever before — and with it, the need for "actionable" analytics to manage operations in distribution centers, says Charles Armstrong, founding partner with Orion Advisors Group.