A company claimed that in order to address staffing issues in its warehouses, robots were being used.
On the Brackmills Industrial Estate in Northampton, Active Ants UK employs 11 people in its warehouse in addition to robots.
The managing director, Jeroen Dekker, claimed that during busiest times, they had to fly people to and from the UK, which he described as "not a very sustainable model.".
According to the company, there is "misunderstanding" regarding robots. .
According to Khalil Ashong, the country director of Active Ants UK, the company's robots are the "core of what we do alongside people.".
"We frequently mistakenly believe that robots are assuming control. In our situation, the robots are used as a tool because people instruct them on what to do.
They are only as autonomous as we let them be, he continued.
A warehouse measuring 23,225 square meters (250,000 square feet) serves as the home of the e-fulfillment company.
He acknowledged that "fewer" people would be employed in the sector in the future.
Active Ants' robots, according to Mr. Dekker, are "changing the industry" because they assist in managing staffing shortages.
Operations managers from StarTech . com UK, Howard Wilson, went to the Active Ant UK setup to see the robots in action.
"The expansion of the distribution sector requires it. Their mode of operation perfectly addresses the problem of a staff shortage, he added.
The Northampton warehouse of the IT distribution company does not currently employ robots, but Mr. Wilson predicted that technology will "always dictate there is a mix" of humans and robots.
Robots, according to him, "definitely have their place" and are "a small part of the solution."
