This is an important consideration. If things can be stored more densely and still quickly accessible, that’s a huge improvement. Inventory accuracy can be improved quite a bit with automation as well, allowing a business to store less not-yet-needed stuff.
Another counter-force, though, is that small businesses (and the smarter large ones) are VERY nervous about the fragility of complex systems that don’t have simple human fallback mechanisms. JIT inventory means downtime if a supplier misses a delivery, and hyperdense storage means a LOT more human effort (or downtime if we haven’t prepared for it and have the humans on-call) when the internet’s out or a staff member broke the robot’s arm trying to teach it to dance or whatnot.
This is an important consideration. If things can be stored more densely and still quickly accessible, that’s a huge improvement. Inventory accuracy can be improved quite a bit with automation as well, allowing a business to store less not-yet-needed stuff.
Another counter-force, though, is that small businesses (and the smarter large ones) are VERY nervous about the fragility of complex systems that don’t have simple human fallback mechanisms. JIT inventory means downtime if a supplier misses a delivery, and hyperdense storage means a LOT more human effort (or downtime if we haven’t prepared for it and have the humans on-call) when the internet’s out or a staff member broke the robot’s arm trying to teach it to dance or whatnot.