Story originally appeared in BetaNews on October 5, 2020. Excerpts from the story below. To see the full story visit betanews.com.

Alan Duncan, Senior Industry Strategy Director at Blue Yonder, said: “In the case of a pandemic, or similar catastrophic events, the focus should be on machines autonomously running mundane, day-to-day tasks with people intervening based on experience and complementing the machine with strategic actions.

“Ultimately, it’s machines and people working together that will get us through this crisis, and those that will inevitably occur again. Automation has evolved into having a greater focus on flexibility, scalability and process adaptability, becoming a tool to optimize efficiency through manufacturers’ ability to adapt to demands.”