Autonomous mobile robots and other forms of automation are catching on quickly in the warehouse, as operators strive to become more efficient while coping with labor shortages, says Chris Anton, executive vice president of global sales with Snapfulfil.

A robot is just a collection of metal, plastic and rubber. What matters are the tasks and applications that it's given — and how it works alongside humans, says Guy Courtin, global alliances with 6 River Systems.

Brent Barcey, executive director of global sales with Fanuc, discusses the trends that are driving change in supply-chain management, including the skills gap and efforts to boost warehouse productivity.

Voice automation has come a long way, to the point where it's playing a crucial role in helping distribution centers meet demands for shorter order-to-delivery cycles, says Bob Bova, president and CEO of AccuSpeech Mobile.

Preparing your supply chain for sustainable business performance in the aftermath of COVID-19 requires awareness of multi-modal transportation trends affecting your ability to manage cost and customer service.

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

The coronavirus pandemic has made it clear that humans make supply chains vulnerable to failure. Greater reliance on automated solutions will be a given from here on out.