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FEBRUARY 2019 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 63 operators could easily find materials to create kits. Unfortunately, this has never been an effi- cient use of space in a warehouse. As new part numbers were introduced and others became obsolete, gaps would need to be physically cre- ated or closed up. Many bins would overflow or go for long periods of little utilization as con- sumption rates varied over time. Changing bin sizes and moving the bins around represents a major physical challenge, creating significant temptation to simply work around the excep- tions and rely on human flexibility to cope. The first simple warehouse management software came to the rescue, as it was realized that computers were usually far better than humans at remembering where materials had been stored to the extent that alphabetized or- der was no longer required. Materials could be put away anywhere usually into any unused bin—which was a model known as random storage. The selected location would be record- ed against the part number and quantity so the software would later direct material operators when the materials were needed. On the hardware side, this triggered the step change in the development of automated lo- gistics with things such as automated guided vehicles and cranes. Knowing exactly where materials were, and the adoption of standard bins or racks, made automation viable. The evolution of the hardware has been progres- sive ever since to the state of the art we cur- rently see in the warehouses of the largest on- line retailers. This hardware replaces the work that many people used to do. This is mechani- cal automation based on standardization, ef- fectively Industry 3.0. However, it is true that the control mechanisms within such machines have become smarter based again on hardware development; specifically, sensors mimicking our own innate senses and connectivity allow the machines to make a wider variety of au- tomated decisions. These are not necessarily smart in themselves until the addition of AI in terms of software. The Digital Sixth Sense The evolution of smart software is dependent on the availability of understandable data. As humans, we have a huge amount of data in- put to process through our already evolved five senses continuously. A sixth sense may need to be artificially introduced if people wish to be- come connected such as to the internet directly without the need to see, hear, speak, or type in the future. Unlike people, machines today are acquiring and evolving their sixth sense very quickly, with, for example, the revolutionary IPC's Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) now in place that enables machines and systems