Automation and artificial intelligence are becoming crucial tools for industrial markets, according to a report from Yardi. Not because of what property owners need — although automation can help with building energy use and maintenance — but what tenants need in place.

Retailers, warehouse operators in B-to-C and B-to-B, logistics firms, transportation hubs, and manufacturers expanded facilities during the pandemic, using e-commerce at a rate never before seen. They needed to store larger amounts of finished goods, assemblies, components, and materials to ensure availability in the face of supply chain collapses.

However, a global movement of products has resumed. As Yardi noted, now companies have turned their attention to inbound and outbound supply chain optimization. A significant portion of that is harnessing the power of robotics and computing to take on more aspects of work, reduce the amount of labor necessary, and speed up activity.