Recently, there has been an unprecedented convergence of market factors driving the adoption of automation in the warehousing environment. Shifting consumer behaviors in retail environments results in smaller store footprints and the need for increased attention to intraday store replenishments, while the rise of e-commerce prompts similarly accelerated service level expectations for smaller quantities of products.
The outcome is increased pressure in the warehouse to respond to higher throughput and demand volatility. With the additional advantage of energy cost savings, this is especially true of refrigerated warehouses.