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SWISSLOG’S WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION Vibha Mehta, Editor of Logistics News ME, sits down with David Dronfield, General Manager at Swisslog Middle East, to talk about the company’s future, its participation at Gulfood Manufacturing and much more…
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wisslog, one of the global leaders in robotic, datadriven, and flexible automated solutions, participated in Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 – which was hosted in November 2022. The trade fair is the region’s definitive destination to see the future of food production, from advanced technologies to integrated supply chain solutions and ground-breaking innovations propelling the industry ahead. Highlighting its presence, Swisslog Middle East notably focused on cutting-edge technology solutions that might assist businesses in adapting to
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changes in manufacturing, distribution, and retailing as well as the automation of the food supply chain. Additionally, the attendees were also assisted by Swisslog’s automation specialists in choosing the appropriate automation approach for their vertical farming endeavours and identifying the automation technology required for their operations. Emphasising advancing vertical farming, David Dronfield, General Manager at Swisslog Middle East, says, “The emergence of indoor vertical farming as a potential solution to growing food capacity more sustainably has
been quite evident. Vertical farming can reduce space requirements, water consumption and fertiliser use by up to 99% while eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. This approach is already being used to support the production of fresh greens such as lettuce and herbs, but a broad range of popular produce products could be grown in vertical farms.” Additionally, the operation of this model is also affected by automation, which means that early adopters of vertical farming have already experimented with it and found that it may effectively enable increased space utilisation and optimise vertical farming procedures. Automation, then, is a critical innovation for logistics organisations. Whether due to post-COVID developments or the industry-disrupting waves, automation has brought about an influence that has been much more noticeable and put into practice. Companies must be careful to avoid just incorporating automation into anything and everything. A successful supply chain operation comprises the right product, location, and technique. WWW.CBNME.COM