In recent years, the logistics industry in Mexico has experienced significant growth due to various factors such as increased consumption, nearshoring, and the growing demand for e-commerce. This necessitates companies to adopt new technologies to remain competitive globally.
Automation offers various benefits such as operational efficiency in warehouses and distribution centers, cost optimization, scalability, and increased accuracy. However, its adoption remains in its early stages in Mexico and Latin America.
The initial investment can be prohibitive for small and medium-sized enterprises, and there is a critical need to train the existing workforce in the use and maintenance of these new technologies.
Erik Markeset, CEO of Tsol, pointed out that while some companies seek technology to optimize labor costs, unlike in other countries where labor is expensive, this objective is not yet viable in Mexico.
“In countries where labor is expensive, justifying these investments in Mexico can be difficult, but it depends on the objective. If the goal is to reduce labor costs, it may be challenging, but if the goal is to have more precision in certain operations, that could justify it,” he said in an interview.
Technological advancements are benefiting operations in terms of precision. Markeset mentioned that companies like Gather are developing drones that take inventory photos and process them with artificial intelligence, simulating the human eye. This could be a viable option in Mexico.
He also emphasized the importance of companies identifying their needs and seeking guidance from experts who can recommend solutions for their operations.
“All of this is very complex, and it’s easy to make mistakes in acquiring these tools, underscoring the importance of expert advice in this area. There is a need for experts to understand both the problem and the variety of solutions,” he said.
Furthermore, Markeset noted that labor is still cheap in Mexico compared to the investment in technology needed to reduce that cost. However, at this rate, that balance could level out in a short time.
“Technology is becoming cheaper, and with the increasing labor inflation in Mexico, the minimum wage has been increasing. At some point, we will reach a point where we are talking about the goodness of automation,” he said.
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