There are $2$ case studies in this exam $.$ Please read both the case studies and answer the questions based on your reading.

First $3$ questions are based on Case study $1$ and Next $3$ questions are based on Case study $2.$

Case study $1$

Robots to the Rescue

Background

Our highly interconnected global supply chain faces serious challenges with no obvious solutions. Many of these challenges can be traced to the outbreak of COVID$-19$ in $2020.$ When the world shut down to slow down the spread of the pandemic, many people began to work from home or became unemployed. Meanwhile, purchasing patterns shifted to items needed at home. Demand for home office furniture, toilet paper, and small appliances skyrocketed. Supplies of these items were limited$,$ and manufacturing, warehousing, and delivery workers were at home or working limited shifts.

Further, everyone needed medical supplies such as masks, gowns, and hand sanitizer. It is significant to note that most of these goods were produced in China. China ramped up production of these items and shipped them out. Unfortunately, this increased production did not resolve the problems. Instead, we came to realize that we had a global shipping problem. The one thing China needed to ship out the supplies was the one thing they did not have$$shipping containers.

Shipping containers were unevenly distributed around the world because thousands of them sat on ships waiting to be unloaded or in ports waiting to be picked up and transported. This trend continued during $2021$ and $2022.$ There were multiple reports of ships in daylong queues waiting to make it to port and ports that were backlogged and almost at full capacity. Further, when products finally made it to warehouses, there were not enough workers to pick them up and prepare them for delivery.

The crisis revealed how a shift in the global supply chain can have a cascading effect on global commerce. An October $2022$ report revealed that the following goods were in short supply: various food items, automotive backup cameras, carbon dioxide for beer, baby formula, computer chips, and tampons. Overall, almost every industry has felt the squeeze of supply chain issues.

It is significant that many of these factors are beyond the control of the distribution companies. The global labor shortage is a challenge at every stage of the supply chain. Regarding warehouses, for example, the new generation of the labor force strongly prefers to work in offices. Warehouse work is dirty, tiring, monotonous, and dangerous. To address this worker shortage, many warehouses are turning to robots.

Robotics and automation are not new to warehousing. Conveyor belts, scanners, and other innovations have been transforming the industry for decades. However, these techniques created a hybrid system where technology augmented human activity. In contrast, in modern hybrid systems, human labor augments the robotic technology.

The ultimate goal of robotic technology is to create an operation in which robots are capable of replacing humans. Robots are not subject to fatigue, illness, or injury, and they do not form unions or demand benefits. Training robots is as easy as updating the software that directs the robot. Some experts, however, estimate that we are years away from implementing fully automated warehousing.

The Technology Response

The robots in use today, known as autonomous mobile robots $($AMRs$),$ are capable of understanding and moving autonomously within their environment. Previous generations of robots were capable only of performing repetitive tasks such as moving pallets along predetermined paths. In contrast, today$$s robots can employ artificial intelligence $($AI$)$ to travel autonomously and handle goods of various sizes and shapes.

AMRs can quickly and accurately deliver parts and tools to the skilled workers who need them. They can also handle potentially dangerous materials, thereby eliminating the risk for human workers. Further, AMRs can take over time$-$consuming and redundant tasks to relieve pressure on human workers while at the same time avoiding supply chain congestion by quickly and safely moving goods and clearing backlogged goods from warehouses and other storage spaces.

Robots bring multiple advantages to warehousing. For starters, they are highly proficient at performing repetitive operations such as sorting, picking, and putting products in their designated places. Further, the software that powers these robots can enhance inventory management.

Also, robots can reduce high labor costs. Robots never get sick, not even during a pandemic. They never stay home to attend to their children. Unlike human workers, robots can be easily scaled up and cut back, eliminating the need to hire and train temporary employees.

Another benefit of utilizing robots is improved workplace safety. Monotonous tasks cause both mental and physical fatigue, which reduces productivity and increases the risk of injury. AI$-$