FORKLIFT driving has become a desk job at Phantom Auto, a California startup today, but the trend could soon extend to a warehouse near you, reports Bloomberg.
It is all part of Japan's Mitsubishi Logisnext's operation that has developed remote vehicle operations that enables forklifts to be operated remotely from thousands of miles away from the warehouse site itself.
A unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kyoto-based Mitsubishi Logisnext is the third-biggest company in the US$45 billion-plus global market for forklifts.
Through their tie-up, Bessemer Venture Partners-backed Phantom Auto and Mitsubishi will offer forklifts that can rove around a warehouse in California, controlled by workers sitting at a desk a continent away.
'We're moving warehouse workers into office jobs,' said Elliot Katz, Phantom Auto co-founder and chief business officer.
Because it removes geographic labour restrictions and improves efficiency as drivers can be 'teleported' into factories experiencing surges, the software offers the potential to knock 30 per cent or more off forklift operation costs, Mr Katz said.
The software fits the Covid-19 pandemic. With online sales of everything from sweatpants to toilet paper booming, warehouses and distribution centres have had to quickly scale-up their operations. At the same time, infection-prevention measures are forcing companies to limit the number of employees working on-site.
Japan too is grappling with a chronic shortage of workers across many industries. London based professional services firm Deloitte estimates that as many as 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled through 2030.
Remote operation helps solve this problem because it offers access to new labour pools - in different regions of a country or even abroad. The ability to control machinery from home or from an office also makes manufacturing and logistics jobs more appealing to workers seeking more flexibility.
SeaNews Turkey
It is all part of Japan's Mitsubishi Logisnext's operation that has developed remote vehicle operations that enables forklifts to be operated remotely from thousands of miles away from the warehouse site itself.
A unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kyoto-based Mitsubishi Logisnext is the third-biggest company in the US$45 billion-plus global market for forklifts.
Through their tie-up, Bessemer Venture Partners-backed Phantom Auto and Mitsubishi will offer forklifts that can rove around a warehouse in California, controlled by workers sitting at a desk a continent away.
'We're moving warehouse workers into office jobs,' said Elliot Katz, Phantom Auto co-founder and chief business officer.
Because it removes geographic labour restrictions and improves efficiency as drivers can be 'teleported' into factories experiencing surges, the software offers the potential to knock 30 per cent or more off forklift operation costs, Mr Katz said.
The software fits the Covid-19 pandemic. With online sales of everything from sweatpants to toilet paper booming, warehouses and distribution centres have had to quickly scale-up their operations. At the same time, infection-prevention measures are forcing companies to limit the number of employees working on-site.
Japan too is grappling with a chronic shortage of workers across many industries. London based professional services firm Deloitte estimates that as many as 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled through 2030.
Remote operation helps solve this problem because it offers access to new labour pools - in different regions of a country or even abroad. The ability to control machinery from home or from an office also makes manufacturing and logistics jobs more appealing to workers seeking more flexibility.
SeaNews Turkey