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Image: XPO Logistics Rising e-commerce demand and warehouse labor shortages are not just talking points made by mobile robotics companies as a way to sell more robots. For many in the supply chain, logistics and transportation sector, these are real issues that are being addressed through robotics and automation. Robotics Business Review recently spoke with Mario Harik, the CIO at XPO Logistics , about how the company is deploying collaborative robots across their business lines to help generate value for its businesses, employees, and customers. It considers autonomous mobile robots, including goods-to-person systems, as collaborative, as well as smaller industrial robot arms. Harik spoke with us about the challenges facing the industry and how robotics and automation are addressing them. Mario Harik, CIO, XPO Logistics Harik is responsible for the design and implementation of the company’s integrated technology infrastructure. With a technology budget of more than $550 million, Harik and the XPO Logistics team of 1,800 technology professionals address issues across the areas of transportation, warehousing, last-mile deliveries, and inventory management. From weeks to days to hours Q: From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges in the transportation and logistics industry these days? Harik: It used to be that in supply chain, you had to move pallets of goods and you had two weeks to get these pallets to the destination. Today, you have to move units of goods, and you have to get them to that destination the same day or next day to an end consumer or customer. Supply chain leaders around the world are being pressured to deliver on that promise of speed down to the unit level and just-in-time inventory fulfillment, while keeping the costs equal, or even taking that cost down. We believe that technology is the answer to make supply chains efficient, […]