A company claimed to be using robots in its warehouses to help with staffing issues.
In its warehouse at the Brackmills Industrial Estate in Northampton, Active Ants UK employs 11 people in addition to robots.
During busy times, according to managing director Jeroen Dekker, they had to fly people to and from the UK, which he described as "not a very sustainable model.".
The business claimed that there was "misunderstanding" regarding robots. .
The country director of Active Ants UK, Khalil Ashong, described the robots as the "core of what we do alongside people.".
"There's a common misconception where we believe robots are taking over. In our case, the robots are a tool that we use because people instruct them on what to do.
He continued, "They're only as autonomous as we let them be.
A 23,225 square meter (250,000 square foot) warehouse serves as the home of the e-fulfillment company.
He acknowledged that there would be "fewer" employees working in the sector in the future.
By assisting in the management of staffing shortages, Mr. Dekker claimed that Active Ants was "changing the industry" with its robots.
The StarTech . com UK operations managers, Howard Wilson, went to the Active Ant UK setup to see the robots in action.
"The development of the distribution industry depends on it. They operate in a way that perfectly addresses the problem of a staff shortage, he said.
However, Mr. Wilson predicted that technology will "always dictate there is a mix" of humans and robots in the Northampton warehouse of the IT distribution company.
Robots, according to him, are "certainly a part of the solution" and "have their place."
