good day please help me with this question  With rapid development in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technology, automation is at a tipping point. Today, robots can perform a slew of functions without considerable human intervention. In a report you are required to critique the benefits of warehouse automation and warehouse robotics technology in relation to the extract above.

Understanding Business
12th Edition
ISBN:9781259929434
Author:William Nickels
Publisher:William Nickels
Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1CE
icon
Related questions
Question

good day please help me with this question 

With rapid development in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technology, automation is at a tipping point. Today, robots can perform a slew of functions without considerable human intervention.

In a report you are required to critique the benefits of warehouse automation and warehouse robotics technology in relation to the extract above.

In Amazon's Flagship Fulfillment Center, the Machines Run the
Show
amazon
At BF14 outside Seattle, the retailer uses algorithms and robots to ship more than a million packages a
day-vastly changing the jobs of humans in the process.
One recent morning, inside a cavernous Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center outside Seattle, Evan
Shobe positioned himself before a bank of nine computer screens. Known internally as the quarterback
desk, or QB, the command center lets Shobe monitor the intricate workings of a building the size of
about 15 footballs fields. Thousands of blue dots show robots ferrying products around the facility;
Transcribed Image Text:In Amazon's Flagship Fulfillment Center, the Machines Run the Show amazon At BF14 outside Seattle, the retailer uses algorithms and robots to ship more than a million packages a day-vastly changing the jobs of humans in the process. One recent morning, inside a cavernous Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center outside Seattle, Evan Shobe positioned himself before a bank of nine computer screens. Known internally as the quarterback desk, or QB, the command center lets Shobe monitor the intricate workings of a building the size of about 15 footballs fields. Thousands of blue dots show robots ferrying products around the facility;
yellow figures that look a little like restroom signs represent the humans who load and unload the
robots. A maze of green lines shows conveyors speeding orders to stations down the line and,
ultimately, to waiting delivery trucks. The system is running smoothly on this early August morning, as
it mostly does seven days a week at more than 900 Amazon logistics facilities across the U.S.
BF14, located in exurban Kent, Wash., is Amazon's flagship fulfillment center and regularly hosts senior
company leaders-Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy dropped by recently-who want a better
understanding of what happens after a shopper clicks "Buy Now." It was the first facility of its kind
capable of processing more than 1 million items a day, three times what was possible at the company's
state-of-the-art warehouses a decade ago. Improving technology means Amazon can stay several steps
ahead of brick-and-mortar rivals Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., which are now adopting many of the
practices Amazon has worked on for years.
More than the physical robots, the stars of Amazon's facilities are the algorithms-sets of computer
instructions designed to solve specific problems. Software determines how many items a facility can
handle, where each product is supposed to go, how many people are required for the night shift during
the holiday rush, and which truck is best positioned to get a stick of deodorant to a customer on time.
"We rely on the software to help us make the right decisions," says Shobe, BF14's general manager.
Automation has made it possible for each fulfillment-center supervisor to manage dozens of
employees, a factorylike operation becoming standard in the industry. In 2012 a logistics warehouse
manager supervised about 10 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2020, after
Amazon had become the industry's biggest employer, there were almost twice as many frontline
workers for every supervisor.
Transcribed Image Text:yellow figures that look a little like restroom signs represent the humans who load and unload the robots. A maze of green lines shows conveyors speeding orders to stations down the line and, ultimately, to waiting delivery trucks. The system is running smoothly on this early August morning, as it mostly does seven days a week at more than 900 Amazon logistics facilities across the U.S. BF14, located in exurban Kent, Wash., is Amazon's flagship fulfillment center and regularly hosts senior company leaders-Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy dropped by recently-who want a better understanding of what happens after a shopper clicks "Buy Now." It was the first facility of its kind capable of processing more than 1 million items a day, three times what was possible at the company's state-of-the-art warehouses a decade ago. Improving technology means Amazon can stay several steps ahead of brick-and-mortar rivals Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., which are now adopting many of the practices Amazon has worked on for years. More than the physical robots, the stars of Amazon's facilities are the algorithms-sets of computer instructions designed to solve specific problems. Software determines how many items a facility can handle, where each product is supposed to go, how many people are required for the night shift during the holiday rush, and which truck is best positioned to get a stick of deodorant to a customer on time. "We rely on the software to help us make the right decisions," says Shobe, BF14's general manager. Automation has made it possible for each fulfillment-center supervisor to manage dozens of employees, a factorylike operation becoming standard in the industry. In 2012 a logistics warehouse manager supervised about 10 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2020, after Amazon had become the industry's biggest employer, there were almost twice as many frontline workers for every supervisor.
Expert Solution
steps

Step by step

Solved in 3 steps

Blurred answer
Similar questions
  • SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Understanding Business
Understanding Business
Management
ISBN:
9781259929434
Author:
William Nickels
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Management (14th Edition)
Management (14th Edition)
Management
ISBN:
9780134527604
Author:
Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter
Publisher:
PEARSON
Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis: A Pract…
Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis: A Pract…
Management
ISBN:
9781305947412
Author:
Cliff Ragsdale
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Management Information Systems: Managing The Digi…
Management Information Systems: Managing The Digi…
Management
ISBN:
9780135191798
Author:
Kenneth C. Laudon, Jane P. Laudon
Publisher:
PEARSON
Business Essentials (12th Edition) (What's New in…
Business Essentials (12th Edition) (What's New in…
Management
ISBN:
9780134728391
Author:
Ronald J. Ebert, Ricky W. Griffin
Publisher:
PEARSON
Fundamentals of Management (10th Edition)
Fundamentals of Management (10th Edition)
Management
ISBN:
9780134237473
Author:
Stephen P. Robbins, Mary A. Coulter, David A. De Cenzo
Publisher:
PEARSON