Tony Wayda, Engagement Principal at JBF, was recently featured in DC Velocity’s look at how AI is reshaping distribution center labor. As warehouse managers contend with 2026’s uncertain business climate, from tariff swings to geopolitical shifts, the article explores how AI-enabled labor management systems are helping frontline workers and supervisors alike, without replacing the human judgment that keeps a DC running. Wayda offered a grounded take on the technology’s real value: rather than eliminating labor, AI stands to elevate it by removing friction from everyday decisions, speeding up onboarding, and giving workers the tools to earn incentive pay through better performance.

Wayda also cautioned against treating AI adoption as a purely technical rollout. Drawing on his experience guiding large-scale system implementations, he emphasized that AI in the DC works best when it’s approached as a strategic operational initiative and when frontline teams are brought into the process early, rather than being handed a finished tool. That perspective echoes a principle central to JBF’s work with clients: successful technology adoption depends less on the sophistication of the tool and more on how deliberately the change is managed and communicated across the organization.

Read the full article on DC Velocity: DC Labor Gets an AI Boost