Eighty one per cent of APAC business leaders believe tech implementation is the key to compete and thrive in an on-demand economy, a new study by Zebra Technologies, a global leader in providing solutions and services to enterprises, said.
Zebra Technologies’ ‘Warehousing Asia Pacific Vision Study’ analyses IT and operations decision makers from manufacturing, transportation and logistics, retail, post and parcel delivery and wholesale distribution industries for their current and planned strategies to modernise warehouses, distribution centres and fulfilment centres.
“Warehousing, distribution and fulfilment operations are undergoing a modern-day makeover as they transform to meet the growing needs of the world’s on-demand economy. Warehouse leaders today are turning to technology to address business critical challenges resulting from this global phenomenon, by adopting advanced technology and empowering their workers with a performance edge,” Aik Jin, Tan, APAC Vertical Solutions Lead, Manufacturing and Transportation & Logistics, Zebra Technologies, said in a statement.
The study highlights the forward-thinking fulfilment strategies that companies are focusing on to keep up with the growth of the on-demand economy. Both automation and worker augmentation solutions will be a key focus for decision makers’ plans over the next five years.
More than three-quarters (81 per cent) of respondents agree that augmenting workers with technology is the best way to introduce automation in the warehouse, but only 34 per cent have a clear understanding of where to start automating.
Currently, up to 88 per cent of decision makers are either in the process of or are planning to expand the size of their warehouses by 2024. Meanwhile, up to 85 per cent anticipate an increase in the number of warehouses during this time frame, the study added.
“Consumers today have seemingly insatiable demands for 24/7 product search and purchase. The ‘I want it now’ mentality of consumers stretches across all industries and has since upended the supply chain, impacting manufacturers, retailers and the warehousing operations that serve their needs,” said Deep Agarwal, Regional Sales Director of India, Zebra Technologies.