According to www.supplychaindive.com, warehouse robotics adoption is expanding beyond mega-enterprises like Walmart and Amazon to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), driven by as-a-service models and peer validation.
Accelerated Adoption Across Company Sizes
A 2025 study conducted by MHI, Peerless Research Group, and The Robotics Group found that 48% of participating organizations were using robots in their plants and/or warehouses, up from 23% three years earlier. The survey included 216 respondents surveyed between January and February 2025 — with more than half representing companies with less than $50 million in annual revenue. This underscores a decisive shift toward democratized access to automation technology.
As-a-Service Models Lower Barriers
Subscription-based platforms — particularly robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) — are key enablers. In the 2024 version of the same MHI survey, 64% of responding companies reported using a RaaS or SaaS system, up from 46% two years prior. Jayesh Mehta, managing executive of industry groups at MHI, attributed this rise directly to the economic flexibility these models offer midsized operators.
- Superior Communications, a mobile accessories distributor, integrated 37 Brightpick autopicker robots into its Tennessee distribution center under a RaaS agreement — a factor explicitly cited by CEO Solomon Chen in the vendor selection process.
- Parcel carrier UniUni, operating over 100 warehouses across North America, began its robotics journey in 2023 via a partnership with UK-based Global Robotics Services (GRS). GRS’s RaaS model required lower upfront investment and offered flexible lease terms.
- UniUni first automated parcel sorting and sequencing — described by CEO Peter Lu as “two of the most labor-intensive and time-sensitive stages of warehouse operations” — before publicly announcing in April 2025 the deployment of two AI-powered sorting tools integrated with its existing warehouse execution system.
Peer Validation Over Vendor Claims
ROI uncertainty remains the top barrier to technology investment, per a Pennsylvania State University whitepaper commissioned by MHI and analyzing the 2024 study data. Sonya Snellenberger, VP of partnerships at Conexus Indiana, emphasized the outsized influence of peer success: “
‘I can hear all day from a tech integrator what they believe the ROI is,’ Snellenberger said. ‘But I want to hear from my peers.’
” She pointed to record-breaking attendance at MHI’s ProMat event in March 2025 — where robotics flooded the show floor — as tangible evidence of broad-based demand: “
‘That’s a huge indicator for there’s an appetite for this,’ Snellenberger said. ‘It’s not just all the big companies.’
”
Practical Caution for Practitioners
While momentum builds, Mehta urged supply chain professionals to assess fit rigorously: “
‘[Small- to medium-sized enterprises], or anyone for that matter, need to thoroughly investigate if they need to implement robotics and if this is helping them become more efficient, or is this just automating a task with little to no difference,’ Mehta said, warning firms to avoid a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality.
” This aligns with industry context: FedEx deployed Berkshire Grey’s autonomous trailer unloader in February 2026; Walmart announced robotics expansion in a Louisiana distribution center the same month. These moves reinforce that scalability, modularity, and integration readiness — not just headline specs — determine real-world impact for practitioners evaluating solutions.
Source: Supply Chain Dive
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
