July 19, 2019 | less than a minute read

Warehouses and augmented reality

Maples Teesdale

The demand from millennials and Gen Z for ever faster turnaround times will continue to put pressure on supply chains. Advances in technology will undoubtedly result in the advent of largely automated warehouses (with even more efficient use of space) incorporating augmented reality to facilitate faster delivery times. It seems to me that leases of such warehouses may therefore need to include appropriate rights of access to install, monitor and repair such AI/augmented reality technology, possibly even with landlord access to the data.

Augmented reality (AR) is one of the most visibly futuristic developments in recent years. It’s also one of the most useful; unlike full virtual reality it can be easily integrated into everyday situations to provide immediate benefits. Consumers are already seeing the benefits; ParcelBroker’s AR app allows users to quickly and accurately size up a package and choose a range of delivery services straight from their smartphone. AR has also found a home in warehousing operations, where workers are given a set of AR viewers to guide them while picking and packing items for delivery. Businesses which integrate AR into their warehouses are seeing orders picked almost twice as fast, while at the same time errors fell by 40%. Fewer mistakes means fewer costly returns to process.