Editor Allan Leibowitz comments on the news of the week

One of the big trends in 21st century materials handling has been the rise of automation. Rising labour costs were one of the main drivers of this development, but it is clear that social distancing in the wake of COVID-19 is forcing organisations to think more broadly about how they deploy people and keep them safe. This week, we note two further developments as businesses opt for robotic replacements of manual labour. We report on Manitou's new partnership with Effidence, a designer of robotised solutions for logistics and industry which should result in new automated products. And we also hear from Yale about growing adoption of its robotics range. Things are moving fast in this space - and we're watching the developments.