Robin Lamerson

Mar 6, 2025 | mhisolutionsmag.com | Nick Fortuna |Robin Lamerson

BY ISTOCK.COM/A STOCKPHOTOAmid low unemployment and stubbornly high turnover, many material‑handling companies have grudgingly concluded that there just isn’t enough talented labor available. Across industries, employers have stepped up recruiting efforts and increased wages but still lack sufficient manpower for their growing operations.

Mar 6, 2025 | mhisolutionsmag.com | Christian Dow |Robin Lamerson

BY , EVP OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHIAt manufacturing plants and warehouses plagued by high turnover, it might seem like employees don’t truly value their jobs and happily would jump ship to make a few bucks more somewhere else. That outlook tends to change, however, upon the first sign of new automated material‑handling solutions in the facility, as workers begin to fear that they’re being replaced by machines.

Mar 6, 2025 | mhisolutionsmag.com | Carol Miller |Robin Lamerson

BY , CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MHIAs supply chain workforce shortages persist, operations are relying less on recruitment and retention incentives to cope with insufficient headcount. Instead, according to a Descartes survey of 1,000 supply chain and logistics leaders released last year, 54% are applying automation in warehouse applications. Contrary to what the public—and even workers themselves—may believe, the motivation for automation deployments is not job elimination.

Mar 6, 2025 | mhisolutionsmag.com | Jason Schenker |Robin Lamerson

BY , PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS®, CHAIRMAN OF THE FUTURIST INSTITUTE®Some of the biggest risks to the 2025 economic and material handling outlooks evaporated in late 2024 with a swift and decisive outcome of the U.S. presidential election that removed the most significant risks to uncertainty and potential economic and societal disruption.

Mar 6, 2025 | mhisolutionsmag.com | Sandy Smith |Robin Lamerson

BY Robots in the warehouse. Artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive analytics. There is no doubt that the supply chain industry is embracing today’s technology. But just how ready is the industry to use AI‑enabled tools in another area—that which deals with all aspects of its people management? While firms may not be ready to hand their entire human resources department over to AI, tools that can help recruit, train and grow employees certainly maximize efficiency.