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How automation is driving the next generation of warehouses

Today's warehouses are pioneering new technology to optimize tasks traditionally carried out by humans and help logistics firms with ever faster delivery.

October 14, 2016

Increasingly they’re pioneering new technology to run multiple production lines, optimize tasks traditionally carried out by humans and help logistics firms to meet demand for ever faster delivery times.

We may have a long way to go to reach human-free warehouses but sophisticated automation is fast becoming a feature of today’s industrial buildings. British online supermarket Ocado, for example, has 20 high-tech warehouses across Britain, while US retail giant Target has kitted out its one of its biggest California distribution centers with robots to stack and retrieve items without human assistance. Likewise, Quiet Logistics has introduced a bot into its clothing warehouse to help transport items from shelves to the packing area.

The use of drones is also being explored both inside buildings to check inventory and even to deliver packages.

So what does advancing technology mean for the future of industrial real estate? Watch the video to hear JLL experts give their views on how automation is changing the sector.