The Intelligent Engine: Smart Factories and Autonomous Logistics: Book 2 of Global Supply Chain and Aviation Logistics in the AI Era (Global Supply Chain ... Logistics in the AI Era (5-Book Series))

Bridge the gap between digital planning and physical execution.
While data lakes and predictive algorithms provide the blueprint for a modern supply chain, the true test of logistics happens on the factory floor and inside the warehouse. As the second installment in the Global Supply Chain and Aviation Logistics in the AI Era series, The Intelligent Engine takes you out of the planning room and into the physical world of Industry 4.0.
Walden Katsande provides a masterclass on how machines are no longer just silent beasts of burden, they are communicative, self-optimizing participants in the global supply chain. This book unpacks the transition from manual heavy lifting to robotic choreography, giving you the tools to orchestrate inventory and automated labor with unprecedented precision.
Inside this comprehensive guide, you will discover how to:

• Deploy Swarm Robotics: Replace rigid conveyor belts and traditional forklifts with flexible Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).
• Automate Quality Control: Utilize deep learning and Computer Vision to inspect 100% of assembly line output in milliseconds, eliminating the human fatigue bottleneck.
• Implement Dynamic Safety Stock: Eradicate static “days of supply” formulas and allow machine learning to recalculate optimal inventory buffers in real-time.
• Execute Multi-Echelon Logistics (MEIO): Balance inventory seamlessly across Central Distribution Centers, Regional Hubs, and Forward Stocking Locations to prevent dead stock.
• Achieve “Zero-Touch” Replenishment: Automate the entire purchasing loop for high-volume inventory, allowing human managers to shift from routine ordering to strategic exception management.