How can product brands, retailers, and third-party logistics providers keep up with ever-changing demand? Automation promises to help, from mobile robots and picking arms to a growing range of other systems.
However, throwing technology at supply chain problems isn’t enough to solve them in the long term. Warehouse operators looking to add or expand automation can learn more about automated fulfillment in this free webinar.
Michael Smith, senior director of supply chain at Netrush, and Theron Neese, chief operating officer at Integrated Supply Network, will share lessons from their companies’ journeys to automated fulfillment. Attendees of this webinar will learn about:
- Available technologies for robotic fulfillment, plus criteria for selection
- The role of robotics hardware and software for picking, movement, and sortation
- Developing a good working relationship with a vendor/partner
- How much training associates needed
- The importance of scalability
- The robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model and getting a return on investment (ROI)
Register now for this webinar, which will be at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Attendees can get their questions answered during the live discussion and watch it later on demand.
About the speakers
Michael Smith transitioned to Taylor Communications as director of supply chain after a distinguished 24-year career in the U.S. Navy as the director of maintenance and supply chain facilities. At Taylor, he focused on consolidating the network to establish a single center of excellence.
Following the successful launch of this center, Smith moved to the Cincinnati area and joined Radial as a labor and operations planning manager. In that role, he collaborated with major retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Levi’s, and Limited Brands.
In 2019, Smith met the Netrush team and decided to join the company as the senior director of supply chain. During his tenure, the company has implemented LEAN methodologies throughout its facility, reducing reliance on human labor and increasing its use of technology. Smith led a project that introduced automation and conveyance to Netrush’s retail operations, which resulted in a 30% increase in throughput and a 15% reduction in labor costs.
Theron Neese is chief operating officer at Integrated Supply Network (ISN), a Lakeland, Fla.-based distributor of automotive tools and equipment.
His experience spans from being a business executive at a Fortune 20 company to work in private equity, balanced with deep knowledge of highly regulated environments. Over his career, Neese has managed up to $800 million in revenue, $226 million budgets, more than $120 million in inventory, and over 2,000 employees.
Eugene Demaitre is the editorial director for robotics at WTWH Media, which produces The Robot Report, Automated Warehouse, and RoboBusiness. Prior to working for WTWH Media, he was an editor at BNA (now part of Bloomberg), IDG/Computerworld, TechTarget, Robotics Business Review, and Robotics 24/7.
Demaitre has participated in conferences worldwide, as well as spoken on several webcasts and podcasts. He is always interested in learning more about robotics. Demaitre has a master’s from the George Washington University and lives in the Boston area.
