The future may be unknown, but innovation continues to reshape our world and brings opportunities and disruptions across every industry. Although the transformative potential of technology in production systems is widely recognized, the adoption level of automation for supply chain operations lags behind. Businesses find it difficult to make a business case for the Return on Investment (ROI) or are ultimately lacking the liquidity to acquire it.

Automation establishes more resilience

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is creating a lot of uncertainty, today’s crisis might accelerate the implementation of automation by changing perspectives and needs from warehouse, manufacturing, and logistics companies. Being in a crisis situation has exposed vulnerabilities. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for efficiency, cost reduction and a steady workforce ensuring business continuity. Going forward, companies will hunt for more resilience enabling them to anticipate quickly on volatile markets.

Automation can help businesses secure that continuity and can bring competitive advantages by speeding up processes, improving accuracy and flexibility and being more responsive to shifts in demand. From a COVID-19 perspective, automated equipment is not vulnerable to diseases or impacted by the ‘distance economy’.

Financing makes automation attainable

Nevertheless automation, requires investments. Our advice to companies considering an investment in supply chain automation technology is to look at both the hard and soft benefits of the potential technology with their financial advisor. By looking at the big picture, it often becomes clear that the solution will pay for itself very quickly. Additionally, with the right financing solutions in place, automation can be attainable to any type of business, regardless of its own financial resources.