Customers are increasingly looking at the environmental impact of automation technologies, with sustainability becoming a major part of tenders.

Speaking at Robotics and Automation 2019, Phil Houghton, business development director, KNAPP UK (stand 316), said: “Our customers are looking at sustainability, and the environmental impact of solutions.

"We are using a lot of power recovery technology, so the mechanics of our systems are all very low voltage. A lot have regeneration capabilities, very much like KERS in Formula 1.”

Houghton said that sustainability concerns were also filtering their way down the supply chain, with the market posing questions as to the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.

“We are seeing that coming more and more to the forefront,” said Houghton, “where sustainability is almost the number one requirement beyond the performance of your logistics solution.”

Houghton added that it was software, not just hardware, that was now the “enabler” for e-commerce: “Look at [home] deliveries now [compared to days before e-commerce] and the difference is the speed at which they do it.

"A lot of that is delivered not just by the hardware but by the software. The software is the enabler. Your website having the ability to take the order, drop it into the warehouse and pick and pack it within an hour.”