Q: What is your number one takeaway from ProMat 2019?
Bob Petersen: It was amazing to look out at the show and see the strength of automation. Companies need to find ways to make life easier for workers from automotive lines to direct store delivery. Automation is the story across the board.
There is clearly an imperative to make operations less people dependent. There are also strong needs to improve consistency and reduce costs within the four walls. Automation technology is becoming more affordable, and has a much broader impact than it did before. ProMat just made all of this abundantly clear to everyone.
Q: What are the three key market trends from your perspective?
Bob Petersen: The first is automation at all levels of the supply chain, as I just said.
The second is the emergence of track-and-trace technologies, especially RFID, Bluetooth and GPS. There’s strong demand across the supply chain for greater visibility. These technologies can be built right into all types of packaging including totes, bulk and pallets.
The technologies provide a front-line view of what is where and when. You could call them cousins of the Internet of Things. People are starting to get their arms around these and other technologies.
The third is the biggest challenge of all – getting your arms around the data that can now be collected. Managing the data collected and putting it to immediate use is not easily done regardless of the company. Furthermore, security is a big issue. Who can see the data, who can use it and what do you do with it. None of that is easy.
Q: How is ORBIS reacting to these market trends?
Bob Petersen: We’re a packaging supplier. Automation helps support what we do, especially reusable packaging and containers of all types. We now design into the packaging new technology that enhances the efficiency of automation.
And the packaging is reused so many times, the cost of the technology per use is very low. That wasn’t always the case. As a result, the package can help provide data that is needed to make all stages of the supply chain more visible. That’s from raw materials to final distribution.
To learn more about ORBIS, click here.
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