Power Talks Ep. 3: Upskilling and Technology: How Partial Automation Can Be a Game Changer

In Episode 3 of our Power Talks interview series, Mike Rill, Director of Warehouse Business Development at Ease Logistics, talks to host Kevin Lawton of The New Warehouse about the critical role of upskilling and employee education in successfully implementing automation technology.

Rill covers change management strategies to get employees comfortable with and excited about automation and key steps you can take to ensure successful deployments of automation technology.

This episode of the Power Talks interview series was filmed live from Resonant Link's booth at MODEX 2024. Subscribe to receive email updates when new videos are released. You'll get actionable insights from logistics and warehouse technology leaders on how to solve labor, equipment, space, and other logistics challenges.

Click play to listen to Rill’s interview or continue reading to get the interview highlights.

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By 2028, the global warehouse automation market is estimated to surpass 36 billion U.S. dollars. But most leaders believe human interaction is still required to successfully operate warehouses and distribution centers. 

By combining the strengths of automation technology and human labor, operators can increase productivity and reduce costs. So how should leaders ensure their teams are set up for success with automation?

Getting Employees to Embrace Automation

According to Rill, many warehouse workers are genuinely concerned about automation eliminating their jobs. A February 2023 report from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows the same, indicating that close to 60% of American adults surveyed are at least somewhat concerned that their jobs will be replaced by automation.

To help employees see the benefits of automation and want to use automation technology, companies must ensure workers understand how automation will improve their quality of life at work. Done right, automation simplifies unsafe and boring tasks, allowing workers to focus on high-value activities.

Upskilling and Employee Education

Employee education is key to ensuring warehouse workers make the most of automation technology. For Ease Logistics, employee education begins early at Ease University, a free onboarding and training program Ease provides. Whenever a new technology is introduced, Ease Logistics is committed to providing employees with the training they need to leverage it successfully. 

Want to Learn More?

To hear more insights and recommendations from Rill, watch the full interview.

Check out our whitepaper, Big Little Things: How Warehouses of All Sizes Can Automate Operations, to learn about common challenges warehouse operators face and how to overcome them with automation. 

And if you missed Power Talks Episode 2, watch the replay to learn about the reasons for and the technology empowering fully automated warehousing with Jonathan Briggs from Nimble Autonomous Fulfillment.