Automation is the answer. But are you asking the right question?
Costs, lead times, integration, performance and scalability: warehouse automation (still) presents significant challenges, and we discuss them here.
Warehouse automation has reached a stage of maturity. Budgets are increasing, timeframes are tightening, and expectations regarding return on investment leave less and less room for guesswork and a ‘test and learn’ approach. In this context, the companies making the fastest progress are not those that invest the most. They are the ones that ask the right questions.
A new era for warehouse automation
Investment is accelerating. Globally, 91% of warehouses have increased their capital expenditure over the last twelve months, and 94% plan to increase it again over the next twelve months. The automation of logistics sites is now regarded as a key strategic priority by 50% of decision-makers*. Against a backdrop of pressure on lead times, costs and service quality, the question is no longer simply whether to automate, but how to automate in a predictable, controlled and scalable manner.
*Source : Interact Analysis, Voice of Market: Order Fulfillment, March 2026
