Avoid Robot Regret: What Separates Automation That Delivers from Automation That Disappoints

Nine in ten supply chain leaders now call warehouse automation a basic requirement. Choosing a system is still one of the largest capital decisions a supply chain organization makes, and the vendor it picks is usually the one it works with for the next 10 to 15 years.

We surveyed 250 supply chain decision-makers across the U.S. and Canada about how their automation investments have performed. One in four wish they had made a different choice, and 65% say their total cost of ownership came in higher than expected. This report explains where that regret comes from and what buyers can do about it before they sign.

What You’ll Learn:

• The three decisions behind robot regret: how lifetime cost, accountability for issue resolution, and operational readiness determine whether a system delivers.
• Where regret concentrates: why buyers who chose low-cost providers were nearly five times as likely to say they picked the wrong vendor.
• What to ask vendors before you sign: from how much maintenance costs rise each year for existing clients to who owns root-cause resolution when the system goes down.
• What leaders plan to buy next: where AI, mobile robots, robotic arms and humanoids fit into investment plans over the next five years.