ProMat C-Suite Interview: Jeff Moss, Chief Commercial Officer at Dematic

By Gary Forger, Contributing Editor 

Q: What is your number one takeaway from ProMat 2019?

Jeff Moss: The explosion of technology. It was everywhere. And it was a broad range of technology – vision, robotics, machine learning, mobile automation, to name just a few. All of these technologies continue to evolve and gain traction in our industry.

They were the “future” a few years ago, but now they are becoming more and more commonplace. They used to have a small footprint at the show, but not anymore.

Q: What are the three key market trends from your perspective?

Jeff Moss: Top three market trends are shifts in the demand for labor, urbanization and what we refer to as the “tyranny of now.”

The first trend, the shifting demand for labor, is driving the move toward more automation, including robots and mobile automation. This in turn is driving the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), vision systems and advanced sensors to adapt to “not so perfect” workplace environments.

The second trend is one of the strongest forces affecting our industry today - the fact that people are moving back to the city. Today, 54% of the world’s population lives in the city and by 2050 that number is expected to reach 66%.

This pronounced increase in urbanization will pose major order fulfillment obstacles for retailers, grocers and etailers who need to be responsive to the growing demand in concentrated areas and will require automated solutions that can fit into a smaller footprint, creating right size DCs.

The “Tyranny of now” is the expectation that everything should be available in less than one day – and in addition, that shipping should be free! Today, more than ever, companies need to move inventory closer to their customers in anticipation of the demand.

This trend is driving big data analysis, predictive analytics and real time information, enabling supply chain professionals the ability to make intelligent and proactive decisions to maximize daily operational performance.

Q: What is Dematic doing about it?

Jeff Moss: Dematic is doubling down on speed through the implementation of Standard Sub-Systems which includes expanding our eco-system to supplement our own technologies with that of strategic partners, such as the Dematic AutoStore solution.

We are also committed to delivering solutions faster than ever with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located close to our customers, such as our recent additional production facility located in Stribo, Czech Republic.

We continue to focus our investment in robotic picking and mobile automation, including the development of advanced vision technologies and autonomous navigation.  Dematic continues to benefit from our parent company, The KION Group, enjoying economies of scale and leveraged investments in AGVs, Hybrids and evolving mobile technologies.

Last but not least, Dematic continues to evolve our software eco-system and overall delivery capabilities. We recently launched Dematic iQ Insights, offering customers advanced analytics capabilities to support more efficient warehouse operation, enhancing the speed and accuracy of their order fulfillment processes.