THE BUSINESS CONCEPT. Double Page Editorial 4 Page Editorial The editorial inclusion is a double page (approx. 1,800 words) article written inpart or in full by our experienced in-house editorial team, which will be published in the next available edition of Corporate Vision Magazine. The client will also receive a highresolution PDF copy of the inclusion at the end of the editorial process which they are then welcome to reshare. The editorial inclusion is a four-page (approx. 3,600 words) article written in-part or in full by our experienced in-house editorial team, which will be published in the next available edition of the publication. The client will also receive a high-resolution PDF copy of the inclusion at the end of the editorial process which they are then welcome to reshare. In celebration of National Payroll Week, expert urges firms to utilise latest payroll tech During a time when the cost-of-living crisis is reigning rife while technological advancements accelerate at a rapid pace, CloudPay has highlighted that those payroll teams embracing a digitalised approach will be key in helping businesses and employees navigate through turbulent and uncertain times and emerge fitter for the future. Through utilising the latest Payroll tech innovation tools such as Earned Wage Access or Pay on-Demand and Pay-to-Card instant payments, businesses can give their employees a consumer-grade experience that aligns with the on-demand society in which we now live. Having access to earned wages when needed, rather than waiting for payday, could also prevent some people from turning to high-interest loans and credit cards. But as the global pay expert explains, too few business leaders grasp how payroll and payments technology can provide significant cost-efficiencies as well as support employees – an opportunity that payroll teams should take advantage of. CloudPay CEO, Paul Bartlett, comments: “The rise of inflation and ongoing cost-of-living crisis is a significant concern for staff and employers alike. And with skills shortages reaching critical levels, there’s a real need for firms to consider what else they can do to attract, retain and support their staff. Post-Covid, payroll and payments leaders need to ensure they align with and adapt to the changing workplace and workforce dynamics. “As purse strings tighten, an individual’s financial wellbeing will be impacted by unexpected events and costs. The growing cost of living is only going to continue to have an adverse impact on staff, and firms need to look at innovative ways to support and ultimately retain staff. “With a potential recession also in the pipeline, large pay rises are not likely to be feasible. However, businesses and payroll teams can support their staff in other ways. One option involves the adoption of new technology in payroll processing and payments, to enable employees to have greater control over how and when they get paid. Earned Wage Access or Pay On-Demand solutions, combined with Pay-to-Card instant payments, allow staff to access their earned wages 24/7, when they need them, via a mobile app. This puts control in the hands of the individual, so they can better manage their personal cashflow by drawing down As the payroll sector celebrates National Payroll Week, leading global employee pay provider, CloudPay, has urged business leaders to consider the significant role they can - and should - play in steering the future of work for individuals, the economy and society at large. a proportion of their earned salary any time of the month. We’re seeing employees use this facility to withdraw relatively small amounts throughout the pay cycle - almost as a ‘digital ATM’. “A rapidly growing number of payroll leaders are recognising the valuable role that technology and process developments can play in tough times, and that such innovations are actually what the future of payroll looks like. But there’s still a way to go to bring the more traditional parts of our industry to adopt these opportunities. “National Payroll Week is the perfect time for experts in the field to not only re-evaluate but also re-educate the rest of the business on the powerful role that payroll plays in today’s economy. While the future is certainly unpredictable, those businesses that utilise the payroll tech that’s out there will be sure to put themselves and their employees in a more advantageous position.” During a time when the costof-living crisis is reigning rife while technological advancements accelerate at a rapid pace, CloudPay has highlighted that those payroll teams embracing a digitalised approach will be key in helping businesses and employees navigate through turbulent and uncertain times and emerge fitter for the future. 13 AMRs: the safe choice for the warehouse. The good news is that the UK is one of the safest countries in Europe in which to work, with consistently one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries across all industries compared to other large European economies. It’s a similar story for work related injuries and health problems. Even better news would be to continue minimising the accidents that still do occur in the warehouse. According to HSE’s ‘Transportation and Storage Statistics in Great Britain’, slips, trips or falls on the same level (45%) were the most common of the main kinds of accidents in transportation and storage for the latest three years (2018/19-2020/21), and 6% were from being struck by a moving vehicle. There were 10 fatal injuries in 2020/21 – a period that of course includes the Covid pandemic – which compares with the annual average number of 13 fatalities for 2016/17-2020/21. The fatal injury rate (0.85 per 100,000 workers) is around twice the all industry rate (0.42 per 100,000 workers). Looking at non-fatal injuries around 2.1% of workers in Transportation and Storage sustained a workplace injury. This is significantly higher statistically than that for workers across all industries (1.8%). Technology has always provided innovative safety solutions, but in the form of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), it can have a massive impact by changing fundamentally how work is carried out in the warehouse – particularly by removing the need for people walking in areas where fast moving heavy vehicles, such as forklift trucks, are travelling. The pressure to fulfil orders with shorter lead times is increasing, upping the activity within warehouses and distribution centres, particularly in sectors such as grocery, which deal in large amount of fast moving items. A distribution centre typically operates with a mixed fleet of counterbalance, narrow aisle and order picking trucks rushing around it. Racking aisles are one area where these vehicles might encounter pedestrian pickers. However the busiest accident risk zones are the areas where staff manually carry or push a cart or pedestrian truck between Goods In, pick zones, packaging desks and marshalling areas. Even with careful planning of pedestrian routes, close proximity between these large machines and people – and therefore risk of accidents – is hard to avoid. All it takes is a moment of hesitation or distraction. Using AMRs to automate the transportation of goods, roll cages, pallets and other storage units between these areas in a warehouse is a highly effective method for separating people from vehicle traffic to avoid the risk of collisions. Where cohabitation of mobile robots and humans does occur, such as to support order picking in an aisle, an AMR equipped with autonomous navigation will provide far superior levels of safety. The faster the robot moves in one direction, the further the area of detection stretches, and the slightest obstacle entering the robot’s vicinity will trigger an emergency stop. Equipped with security cameras and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) units, AMRs can travel on complex routes that are much narrower than alternatives such as AGVs can travel within, and they have a perfect perception of the environment around them. An iFollow robot, for example, analyses its situation in real time to avoid obstacles or even overtake slower vehicles. Two 3D cameras (front and back) give a three-dimensional perception with a wide viewing angle and Frazer Watson, UK–Ireland Country Manager at AMR designer and manufacturer iFollow, examines how AMRs can contribute to improving safety in increasingly busy warehouses. AMRs: the safe choice for the warehouse. volumetric detection of objects even at long distances. Taking in the environment around them, the safety LIDARs complement each other perfectly and play an essential role in the 360° object detection of the vehicle. When the robot works in cooperation with humans, navigation modes can take into account the proximity of the user, for example during order preparation. A further safety design element comes in the form of an AMR that is 100% symmetrical and can navigate in both directions, which will avoid time-consuming and turning manoeuvres. Of course, using AMRs to transport goods across busy warehouse traffic routes not only keeps workers safely distant from busy warehouse traffic, it also provides an aid to reduce strain related injuries. Some 1.6% of workers in warehousing suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders (new or long-standing cases), which is statistically higher than that for workers across all industries (1.2%). Pushing roll cages or manually carrying items around a warehouse will increase the risk of these injuries. With an AMR carrying the load, however, staff are free to concentrate on less physically strenuous tasks such as picking orders. As the miles transported and loads carried racks up on an individual mobile robot, its build will ensure it maintains its performance and reliability and therefore its safe operation. This is where robust build and quality engineering will set a range of robots apart, as is the case with iFollow AMRs. Automated technology keeps robots under control so they do not become the cause of any collisions or stop where they are not supposed to thus causing a hazard. AMRs will follow instructions from a Warehouse Management System (WMS) via robot fleet management software, which should be capable of being implemented on any type of computer. A web application will allow managers to check in on the AMR via a smartphone. With a few clicks, locations can be modified, missions can be assigned to the robots and tasks scheduled. This is the kind of technology iFollow builds into its range of AMRs which are geared to improve productivity in grocery, industrial, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, logistics and mass distribution sectors, which all operate busy, fast moving warehouses. The company made the strategic choice to design and manufacture its own autonomous mobile robots – which are all guaranteed – and fully develops its own navigation and fleet management algorithms. Being designed for intense and repeated use over time, iFollow’s AMRs not only deliver great value and productivity, they also ensure safe operation. Where cohabitation of mobile robots and humans does occur, such as to support order picking in an aisle, an AMR equipped with autonomous navigation will provide far superior levels of safety. 13 AMRs: the safe choice for the warehouse. The good news is that the UK is one of the safest countries in Europe in which to work, with consistently one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries across all industries compared to other large European economies. It’s a similar story for work related injuries and health problems. Even better news would be to continue minimising the accidents that still do occur in the warehouse. According to HSE’s ‘Transportation and Storage Statistics in Great Britain’, slips, trips or falls on the same level (45%) were the most common of the main kinds of accidents in transportation and storage for the latest three years (2018/19-2020/21), and 6% were from being struck by a moving vehicle. There were 10 fatal injuries in 2020/21 – a period that of course includes the Covid pandemic – which compares with the annual average number of 13 fatalities for 2016/17-2020/21. The fatal injury rate (0.85 per 100,000 workers) is around twice the all industry rate (0.42 per 100,000 workers). Looking at non-fatal injuries around 2.1% of workers in Transportation and Storage sustained a workplace injury. This is significantly higher statistically than that for workers across all industries (1.8%). Technology has always provided innovative safety solutions, but in the form of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), it can have a massive impact by changing fundamentally how work is carried out in the warehouse – particularly by removing the need for people walking in areas where fast moving heavy vehicles, such as forklift trucks, are travelling. The pressure to fulfil orders with shorter lead times is increasing, upping the activity within warehouses and distribution centres, particularly in sectors such as grocery, which deal in large amount of fast moving items. A distribution centre typically operates with a mixed fleet of counterbalance, narrow aisle and order picking trucks rushing around it. Racking aisles are one area where these vehicles might encounter pedestrian pickers. However the busiest accident risk zones are the areas where staff manually carry or push a cart or pedestrian truck between Goods In, pick zones, packaging desks and marshalling areas. Even with careful planning of pedestrian routes, close proximity between these large machines and people – and therefore risk of accidents – is hard to avoid. All it takes is a moment of hesitation or distraction. Using AMRs to automate the transportation of goods, roll cages, pallets and other storage units between these areas in a warehouse is a highly effective method for separating people from vehicle traffic to avoid the risk of collisions. Where cohabitation of mobile robots and humans does occur, such as to support order picking in an aisle, an AMR equipped with autonomous navigation will provide far superior levels of safety. The faster the robot moves in one direction, the further the area of detection stretches, and the slightest obstacle entering the robot’s vicinity will trigger an emergency stop. Equipped with security cameras and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) units, AMRs can travel on complex routes that are much narrower than alternatives such as AGVs can travel within, and they have a perfect perception of the environment around them. An iFollow robot, for example, analyses its situation in real time to avoid obstacles or even overtake slower vehicles. Two 3D cameras (front and back) give a three-dimensional perception with a wide viewing angle and Frazer Watson, UK–Ireland Country Manager at AMR designer and manufacturer iFollow, examines how AMRs can contribute to improving safety in increasingly busy warehouses. AMRs: the safe choice for the warehouse. volumetric detection of objects even at long distances. Taking in the environment around them, the safety LIDARs complement each other perfectly and play an essential role in the 360° object detection of the vehicle. When the robot works in cooperation with humans, navigation modes can take into account the proximity of the user, for example during order preparation. A further safety design element comes in the form of an AMR that is 100% symmetrical and can navigate in both directions, which will avoid time-consuming and turning manoeuvres. Of course, using AMRs to transport goods across busy warehouse traffic routes not only keeps workers safely distant from busy warehouse traffic, it also provides an aid to reduce strain related injuries. Some 1.6% of workers in warehousing suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders (new or long-standing cases), which is statistically higher than that for workers across all industries (1.2%). Pushing roll cages or manually carrying items around a warehouse will increase the risk of these injuries. With an AMR carrying the load, however, staff are free to concentrate on less physically strenuous tasks such as picking orders. As the miles transported and loads carried racks up on an individual mobile robot, its build will ensure it maintains its performance and reliability and therefore its safe operation. This is where robust build and quality engineering will set a range of robots apart, as is the case with iFollow AMRs. Automated technology keeps robots under control so they do not become the cause of any collisions or stop where they are not supposed to thus causing a hazard. AMRs will follow instructions from a Warehouse Management System (WMS) via robot fleet management software, which should be capable of being implemented on any type of computer. A web application will allow managers to check in on the AMR via a smartphone. With a few clicks, locations can be modified, missions can be assigned to the robots and tasks scheduled. This is the kind of technology iFollow builds into its range of AMRs which are geared to improve productivity in grocery, industrial, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, logistics and mass distribution sectors, which all operate busy, fast moving warehouses. The company made the strategic choice to design and manufacture its own autonomous mobile robots – which are all guaranteed – and fully develops its own navigation and fleet management algorithms. Being designed for intense and repeated use over time, iFollow’s AMRs not only deliver great value and productivity, they also ensure safe operation. Where cohabitation of mobile robots and humans does occur, such as to support order picking in an aisle, an AMR equipped with autonomous navigation will provide far superior levels of safety. Editorial Examples
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