siliconindia | | February 20189ply chain efficiencies. It may be noted that a diverse team of specialists is needed based upon the broad spectrum of problems. Therefore, such teams comprise solution architects, data and AI scientists, hardware designers and software specialists, among others, who work in tandem to comprehend and uncover the nitty-gritty of diverse industrial requirements. Once a solution is found after years of research, the story doesn't end there. Months of testing and trials follow to check the efficacy of each solution. For example, in warehous-es and DCs, FMCG products have barriers of their own. Although new SKUs (stock-keeping units) tend to be introduced frequently, inventory fluctuations arise for products direct-ly impacted due to seasonal varia-tions. In this scenario, it's extremely difficult to predict or track precise SKU movement. As a result, modular, easy-to-scale systems are needed to facilitate effi-cient operations in warehouses and DCs. To address this issue, mobile ro-bots with cloud or central intelligence makes the current warehousing system eminently suitable for high-through-put. Deploying such solutions en-hances the accuracy of shipments by almost 100 percent.Smart SolutionsThere are other ways too, whereby warehouses, DCs and industrial units benefit from autonomous technolo-gies. To laypersons, what would come to mind immediately is the role played by robots and drones in driving faster deliveries. But an upcoming trend in supply chain blocks is the self-driv-ing or autonomous vehicle. While some elements in the deployment of self-driving vehicles seem futuristic, the fact remains that the future is al-ready beginning to unfold. Backed by Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud Comput-ing, driverless vehicles will become a common sight in future supply chains. Beginning with suppliers, these inte-grated supply chains will be connect-ed with integrated manufacturing sys-tems in the units of manufacturers via the IoT. After online orders have been received, specific supplies would be shifted seamlessly through self-driv-ing trucks to the unit. Thereafter, autonomous mobile robots running inside the unit would feed flexible production lines which, themselves, would comprise a host of autonomous mobile robots.Once done, autonomous mobile robots place the finished products onto autonomous trucks, to be transported to the nearest smart warehouse. In-side the warehouse, consignments are then segregated before being shipped to retailers via driverless transport or even transported straight to clients if needed. All details and data of in-tegrated supply chain dealings will be stored securely in the Cloud. In future, the data will be available for ready reference. Significantly, autonomous tech-nologies would be responsible for the entire transaction, with minimal human intervention only when im-perative. The presence of AI in one or the other form would include Big Data analysis, self-driving vehicles shipping consignments, robots being involved in manufacturing, delivery and other tasks. Not only would ro-bots and autonomous vehicles boost operational efficiencies, but accidents rates will plummet too because human intervention is negligible, apart from the tremendous savings on human labour costs. The impending era of automa-tion is being termed `Industry 4.0' or `Smart Manufacturing'. Thanks to Big Data, IIoT, AI and Robotics, the ware-housing and industrial scenarios are poised to be transformed dramatically, leading to predictable, adaptive and self-optimising production systems. Considering the active use of some autonomous technologies, the future, it seems, has already arrived. Anuj Kapuria
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