Posted on November 6, 2018
By Rick Steger
Imagine asking a picking robot in any language you want for a product on a shelf 40 feet above the warehouse floor. Sound too futuristic? Think again — this kind of technology and others are currently making their way into a warehouse near you.
Multilingual voice controls, the Internet of Things (IoT) and emerging technologies are streamlining the modern warehouse amidst a climate of rising costs, according to our new JLL report, Industrial Warehouse of the Future. Additionally, as operators introduce more of these efficient warehouse technologies, many are also incorporating quality-of-life enhancements to counteract labor shortages.
With warehouse vacancy rates below 3 percent in the top logistics markets,industrial developers are reconsidering warehouse design to help e-commerce distribution companies and other users shrink their supply chain footprints. Despite the 239.1 million square feet of warehouse space under construction in the second quarter of 2018 — a 3.7 percent increase from the previous quarter — development can’t always keep up with the demand for facilities.