It’s hard to deny the benefits that automation, robotics, and advanced technology solutions bring to warehouse operations. They allow facilities to operate more efficiently and more accurately while also being less vulnerable to labor constraints. They provide advanced simulation and optimization models that allow warehouses to understand the impact of a decision before it’s even made. However, those benefits also come with risks—especially as companies rush to adopt automation and digital technologies in an effort to stay ahead.Dr. Miguel Rodríguez García, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been conducting research to better understand, mitigate, and prevent these risks as part of the university’s Warehouse of the Future Initiative. Part of MIT’s Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab, this program seeks to understand and help shape the next generation of highly automated, interconnected, and intelligent warehouses. A key research question that the initiative is pursuing is how to build supply chain operations that can recover even if technologies fail. As part of that effort, the program released a white paper last year titled, “Identifying The Key Vulnerabilities in the Warehouses of the Future.” Based on extensive research and insights from more than 40 warehousing and technology experts, the study identifies five major disruptions that can affect highly automated warehouses. (See Figure 1.)To learn more about the research findings, Supply Chain Xchange Managing Editor Diane Rand interviewed García as part of a series of interviews on supply chain threats for our Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast.As technology…
