SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS
IN A TIME OF GLOBAL CRISIS, HOW TO REDUCE COSTS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
No matter where we turn, costs are going up. From supermarkets to fuel stations, to our personal and business energy bills, no one has been unaffected from this steady, and sometimes devastating, increase in prices.
A
ccording to a report by Accenture, the supply chain is particularly struggling;
in the aftermath of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine is only exacerbating a shortage of raw materials, a breakdown in logistics, energy and inflation, and a shortage of talent. Depending on the length and severity of the war, the cost of the disruption to the supply chain could cost €242 billion – or in a protracted war scenario, €920 billion. As the impact of this continues to be felt,
Accenture predicts that consumers will start to cut back on some non-essential items, while businesses will focus on improving operating efficiency. However, the report sets out the argument
for reinventing the supply chain. It sets out the case for optimising the supply chain for value and resilience, rather than just for cost. The three key ideas within this re-design are resilience, relevance and sustainability – three areas in which Yale can deliver.
BUILD A RESILIENT OPERATION WITH ROBOTICS Warehouses are increasingly using robotic lift trucks to improve productivity. Seasoned managers might be inclined to assume that such significant
efficiency gains must come at a steep price, but the truth is that robotics lift trucks actually help lower operating costs. While investing in automation can seem like a
large expense upfront, a combination of labour, maintenance and equipment savings means that robotic lift trucks can cut operating expenses - making them a sound investment. Because an operation can begin by deploying just a single truck as proof of concept before making a larger investment, robotic lift trucks can be trialled before industry leaders commit further investment. Today’s environment is driving operations
to carefully evaluate how they utilise labour, allocating workers only for responsibilities that make the most productive use of their time and considering alternatives for lower-value, repetitive tasks. In addition to rising wages, the constant cycle of hiring and retraining workers can further swell operating costs. Against this backdrop, improving employee
satisfaction and retention can help lower operating costs. Academic research[1] shows that organisations augmented by automation technologies are 33% more likely to be “human friendly” workplaces, in which employees are 31% more productive. That’s because robotics can
14 MARCH 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
relieve workers of the monotony of repetitive tasks that are abundant in supply chain environments, and instead focus on more rewarding, higher responsibility work.
By reducing operating costs and improving
productivity, robotic lift trucks can deliver efficiencies, but the timXeline naturally varies by operation. Several variables, such as the number of manual trucks replaced, robotic units purchased, operating hours and burdened labour rate, will greatly influence the calculation of and speed with which an operation can reasonably expect to achieve ROI.
THE YALE SERIES N: A BESPOKE TRUCK TO SUIT INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
Yale is seeking to help customers with a truck that they can configure for their own application. The Series N is designed for companies in search of equipment that directly serves the ins and outs of their operation. To meet today’s challenges head on,
customers need a truck that is configured to the unique demands of their applications. This means they do not need to pay for features they do not use; instead, they can configure the
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