{"id":8117,"date":"2025-06-09T13:09:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T18:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?p=8117"},"modified":"2025-06-09T10:23:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:23:28","slug":"playing-nice-with-the-orchestration-of-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/playing-nice-with-the-orchestration-of-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Playing Nice\u2019 with the Orchestration of Automation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Feature<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
BY FIONA SOLTES<\/span><\/div>\n

\"playingS<\/span>olo performances and smaller ensembles can highlight any orchestra\u2019s performance. But when the entire group plays seamlessly together, the magic of the symphony can be experienced in dynamic, powerful\u2014and sometimes even awe\u2011inspiring\u2014ways.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s supply chain community, there\u2019s much talk of “orchestration” and “harmonization” in warehouses and distribution centers, alongside notes of scalability and interconnectivity. Here, too, there are integral soloists and smaller sections; consider Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Warehouse Execution Systems (WES), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), Autonomous Forklifts, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS), all playing their part. Each is important. Each can be competitive.<\/p>\n

“Implementing automation in a warehouse is not a big challenge the first time you do it,” says Bill Denbigh, VP of go to market strategy for advanced supply chain solutions provider and MHI member Tecsys. “The second time, third time and fourth time, it\u2019s a nightmare.” Automation tends to be monotasking, and these systems tend to be greedy for resources. “They don\u2019t care about anyone else. They want to be the best automation they can be. Naturally, when that happens, you end up with conflict.” Humans in the mix don\u2019t necessarily help.<\/p>\n

At a time when speed, efficiency and accuracy matter perhaps more than ever, how can companies get such systems to “play nice” for the greater good? A sampling of industry leaders shared their thoughts on where things are in terms of orchestration, where things are headed\u2014and what might help in the meantime. Data standardization, the use of APIs to connect disparate systems, open standards and protocols and common data models might be a start. But there\u2019s more.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About the Data<\/h4>\n

Denbigh, located in the UK, still sees a “nascent marketplace.” Things are more mature in Europe than in the U.S., “but even they have significant problems,” said Denbigh, a member of the MHI Solutions Community Software Committee. “Orchestration is about multiple things. Number one is data. Can you get the data unified into an orchestration layer? It\u2019s only as good as the data you can get out. You need the traffic control systems that run the automation to play nice and give you the data you need, which is hard. The motivation in the marketplace right now is not to play nice. Why would they?”<\/p>\n

Task assignment and workload balancing are also nascent. Traffic systems are good at collecting data and doing the tasks, he said, “but very bad at telling you.” Visibility tends to come from feeding work in and measuring results on the way out, and there\u2019s a lag in the middle. In addition, the “where do I send this order to?” element is “very rules-based,” he said. “There\u2019s not a lot of AI or learning involved\u2026. It tends to be, \u2018Those kinds of orders all go to that.\u2019 It\u2019s very rigid right now in the allocation of task assignment.” The market must go toward dynamic assignment of tasks based on the current workload, he said, and that\u2019s still a generation up from today.<\/p>\n

Interplay Needed Beyond Integration<\/h4>\n

Kristi Montgomery, VP, innovation research and development, Kenco Group, hears a dual challenge when speaking with customers: “They\u2019re realizing there\u2019s a necessity for automation, and also realizing that no single vendor can provide all the solutions that are needed to automate their facilities end\u2011to\u2011end. \u2018Integration\u2019 is what supply chain leaders will initially say is needed, but the more they talk, you realize they\u2019re not just looking for the data to pass between the vendors. What they\u2019re really looking for is orchestration, meaning, \u2018If I have this automation solution that\u2019s unloading trailers, I need to have that task done before the next piece of automation arrives to pick it up and take it into the rest of the facility.\u2019<\/p>\n

There\u2019s coordination of when each piece of automation needs to complete its task in order for the next one to be most efficient.” She is seeing some vendors ahead of others. That said, many silos remain. As each vendor has a product or service they want to sell, forced partnerships are often the result. AI and machine learning further complicate the picture.<\/p>\n

Kenco Group, a third\u2011party logistics solutions provider, saw some of this coming earlier than others due to a variety of clients with unique challenges and different automation. “We\u2019ve been talking in these kinds of terms for a couple of years now as we saw the labor market constraints trending,” she said. Those in manufacturing and retail, however, might be newer to the table when it comes to supply chain automation orchestration.<\/p>\n

Regardless, there\u2019s still a very real reliance on people when it comes to moving forward. “We have a pretty highly automated facility that we run for a large CPG company,” Montgomery said. “There are some really key, critical players\u2014humans\u2014who sit behind the scenes and ensure that each of those components do what they\u2019re supposed to do, in the timeframe they\u2019re supposed to do it.” This requires a lot of sophistication within the teams, she said, including “understanding all there is to understand about each of those pieces of automation and how to coordinate them together.” Eighty percent of processes can probably be done with automation, she said. “But there\u2019s always going to be that 20 percent, the exceptions that humans are going to have to do. So, it becomes about, \u2018How do we get the different skillsets that we need?\u2019” The company has yet to put in automation solutions without also having to upskill or add someone in the space, she said. Further, “Automation will fail every time without good change management practices.”<\/p>\n

No \u2018One Size Fits All\u2019 Here<\/h4>\n

Brian Keiger, chief commercial officer of MHI member Conveyco Technologies, is quick to point out that every company is different. As a result, the journey to choosing the best path forward will also be unique. As an order fulfillment and warehouse systems integrator, Conveyco Technologies doesn\u2019t just come in to automate, he said. “We really go in and try to understand a customer\u2019s business. We want to help them understand the impact of automation.” When someone asks for help with automating processes, then, he starts at the beginning. “I say, \u2018Sign me up to be on your delivery trucks at 3 a.m. out to the stores. They\u2019ll say, \u2018Wait a minute. We want you to automate our warehouse.\u2019\u2026 When you automate, everything is now being tied together into a seamless workflow.” Everything impacts everything else.<\/p>\n

Clients might want to just automate one part, but doing that well takes an understanding of the entire process. “You have to have a little patience, and you have to make sure you\u2019re working with the right people,” he said. A friend of Keiger\u2019s likes to say that it\u2019s not about adding more tech, “it\u2019s about adding the right tech at the right time, knowing when and how to implement it, and doing it in a methodical way so that you\u2019re adjusting and adapting in your business along the way with it.”<\/p>\n

In addition to that thought of automating just “one little part,” Keiger comes across a variety of misconceptions. First, he often hears concerns that automation will replace human workers. “The reality is that automation is meant to augment human capabilities, not replace them. Humans and machines have to work together to achieve more efficiency and more accuracy in the warehouse.” He also hears that automation can happen through a generic, “one size fits all” approach. However, customization will likely be necessary to meet each company\u2019s unique needs. “You can standardize, but it doesn\u2019t work across the board. You need to understand where you need to push and pull those boundaries.”<\/p>\n

Another misconception is that automation is “too expensive.” The initial investment may seem costly, but it can lead to significant long\u2011term savings through increased accuracy, efficiency and productivity. Some also think automation is “only for large companies,” but even small businesses and individuals can benefit. Finally, he hears that systems will “just take way too long to implement.” Pandemic timelines fueled these expectations, he said, but automation can often be phased in. “You can find the right technologies that allow you to flex, phase, grow and adapt. You can allow yourself to start small and scale up over time.”<\/p>\n

Finally, Keiger, who is chair of the MHI Mobile Automation Group, believes it\u2019s important to highlight sustainable practices in the supply chain\u2014including labor sustainability, or creating environments people feel that they can work in and win in. Sustainability is “not just hugging trees.” It\u2019s also about optimizing resources and retaining talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Click here to read the full feature.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISTOCK.COM<\/a>\/ONURDONGEL<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

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Feature \u00a0 BY FIONA SOLTES Solo performances and smaller ensembles can highlight any orchestra\u2019s performance. But when the entire group plays seamlessly together, the magic of the symphony can be experienced in dynamic, powerful\u2014and sometimes even awe\u2011inspiring\u2014ways. 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