The pandemic has made companies aware they cannot rely on a global supply of personnel and driven a rise in automation, it has been claimed.

Warehouse automation company Acme Intralog, headquartered in Dubai, said demand for its systems had risen 22% in the last two quarters, compared to the same period last year.

Navin Narayan, CEO of Acme Intralog, said: “The intralogistics sector in the region is investing more in modernisation and technology. 

“The pandemic was an eye opener that made companies realise that they cannot always depend on global supply chain and a continuous supply of manpower. Therefore, they are now willing to invest more in automation.”

The company, based in Jebel Ali Free Zone, manufactures conveyor and material handling systems for a range of industries, including retailers.

Narayan said: “This growth is predominantly driven by retail and e-commerce sectors that are looking for solutions for order picking and sortation. If operated manually, these processes are often the most time-consuming, while also being repetitive and dull. Automating these processes can increase productivity as well as accuracy significantly.”

He added: “We are currently working on a project for a large regional retailer and automating their distribution centres in Saudi Arabia. And here in the UAE we are working with one of the largest supermarket chains in the region to provide a sorter for their fruit and vegetable distribution centre. 

“As a result of the automation solutions, these customers will be able to increase the productivity in their micro-fulfillment centres.”

In July leaked research by Amazon said it would run out of labour in the US by 2024 and automation was among the options being considered.

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