Warehouse Robots Triple Speed—But What About Human Jobs?

At Decathlon's warehouse in Northampton, robots have changed the way people work. Before the robots arrived, workers had to walk more than six miles every day to pick items for stores and customers. Now, a group of 100 robots moves quickly around the warehouse, climbing shelves that are over 12 meters high and bringing boxes directly to the workers. The company says this new system is more than three times as efficient as before. Decathlon also says that no one lost their job because of the robots, but some unions are worried that robots might eventually replace human workers.

Diana Kovacs, who has worked at Decathlon for about three years, says she has grown fond of the robots. She stands at her picking station, waiting for robots to bring her boxes of things like trainers, socks, or sports equipment. A screen tells her how many items to put in each box, and when she is done, the robot leaves and another one arrives. Before the robots, workers had to be on their feet all day, climbing ladders to get boxes from high shelves. Now, the robots do that hard work, which makes the job easier and safer for people. Diana says the robots have not taken away jobs but have helped workers learn new skills and become more versatile.

Alastair Bell, the UK logistics director at Decathlon, says the robots have made the warehouse three times more efficient. Fewer people are needed to do the same work, but the company has moved workers to other jobs, such as customer service and repairs. The robots use sensors and GPS to know where everything is in the warehouse and can pick up boxes very quickly. Some people, like Steve Garelick from the GMB union, are worried that robots will eventually take away too many jobs. Others, like Tony Bellot from the University of Northampton, believe that robots will help people learn new skills and that there will still be jobs for people in the future. The warehouse industry is changing, and workers will need to know more about technology and computers. Even though robots cannot work overtime or handle sudden increases in orders, they have made the warehouse a more efficient and safer place to work.