Maksymilian Zieciak

Summary John Markoff’s article in the New York Times “Skilled Worker, Without the Worker” details the technologically changing landscape in the supply chain realm. Technology, in the form of robots, has begun to impact traditional distribution and manufacturing jobs. Robots are now much cheaper to utilize in the workplace and the return on investment through productivity can be justified within 10 years for a company. These robots are able to perform 24 hours a day all year long. In the distribution sector, C&S wholesalers is able to use robots effectively and more precisely than human workers to pick and stage orders for distribution into their own grocery stores. They are much faster and increase productivity significantly. The United States government understands the importance of achieving increased productivity within their economy in order to stay competitive in the global market. Some individuals and skeptics argue that robots result in a loss of jobs since humans are no longer needed to perform specific tasks. Even with the use of robots, humans will still be necessary in the workplace because of their ability to reason and their thought mechanisms. Unions will continue to oppose the idea of robots in the workplace because they believe that it will result in a loss of jobs. Robots are programmed to simply perform given tasks but they cannot create strategic vision the way humans can. Humans will still be necessary in driving the success behind a company’s performance. The engineering market for robots has resulted in thousands of new jobs. In today’s world, companies can utilize these robots in certain business areas to achieve efficiency and to increase their bottom-line costs. Robots can make a significant impact in reducing labor costs and improving productivity through faster means.

Analysis
I think this article was very interesting because it truly captures how information technology and the use of technology are making an impact in the supply chain realm for companies. Unskilled labor is being replaced slowly by robots in manufacturing and even distribution. Companies are beginning to see how much more productive and efficient they can be through the use of robots. What used to require heavy lifting by humans can now be accomplished with ease by robotic machines. As society progresses more, robots will replace most of all unskilled labor. It creates concern for many people especially for unions since it means a loss of jobs in the economic landscape. However, the human element of thought cannot be replaced. Humans will still be needed in maintaining and innovating processes for companies. Robots are used in areas that require little thought and heavy labor. The workplace is now becoming populated with robots alongside humans. It will be necessary for humans to learn to work with their robotic counterparts in making a business more successful. Working together, they can create massive economies of scale. I truly feel that one day robots will be running a lot of the operational activities of many companies. I can envision a grocery store, in which robots are cashiers and even baggers. Even nowadays, stores have self-checkout lanes to satisfy the on-the-go customer that is tech savvy enough to act as their own cashier and bagger. I am very curious to see how robots can be utilized in the service sector such as customer service and consulting. Will there ever be robots that will take on more “human like” jobs that involve customer service?

* Markoff, John . "Skilled Work, Without the Worker." New York Times 18 Aug. 2012: n. pag. New York Times. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.