CHAPTER 4 New Technology Changes How Work Is Done
New Technology Is Changing Supply Chain Operations
Information technology is merging with traditional technologies used to run supply chains. Traditional technologies such as machines that make products in factories, forklift trucks that move products within warehouses, and vehicles that deliver products to customers are all taking on new capabilities as they are enhanced with information technology. Many of the tasks involved in moving products from one location to another remain the same, but the ways in which these tasks are performed and managed are changing in a big way.
Robots and smart machines are changing the way factories and warehouses operate. Factories once needed people standing alongside assembly lines to perform work such as welding, cutting, fastening, and parts assembly. Programmable robots can now do those jobs. Warehouses once needed people to put away products and to pick, pack, and ship products. Those jobs can increasingly be done by robots and driverless vehicles.
Routine and repetitive ...
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