According to www.dcvelocity.com, a panel of four senior executives from KNAPP North America, TGW North America, Dexory, and SICK identified transformative trends and practical pathways in warehouse and supply chain automation over the past five years.
Five Years of Accelerated Progress
Jusuf Buzimkic, Chief Sales Officer at KNAPP North America, highlighted autonomous mobile robotics (AMRs) for variable picking and dense storage, vision-based trailer loading/unloading—including mixed-case palletizing—AI integration with physical robotics and digital workflows, multi-task robotics (beyond single-purpose use), digital twins for simulation and stress-testing, and predictive maintenance. Stipe Galic, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing at TGW North America, emphasized a strategic pivot: from chasing cutting-edge tech to prioritizing seamless integration and holistic ecosystem design—warning that isolated automation islands often fail in real-world operations. Ken Yaxley, Industry Manager, Industrial Robotics at SICK, cited AI-driven robotics, collaborative robots, AMRs, machine learning for predictive maintenance, and machine vision for inspection and traceability. Oana Jinga, Chief Commercial & Product Officer and Co-Founder of Dexory, stressed growing practicality and scalability: solutions now deploy flexibly alongside legacy infrastructure, enabling continuous, real-time visibility into inventory accuracy and space utilization—replacing periodic manual checks.
Getting Started Without Technical Expertise
For organizations lacking in-house technological know-how, the panel agreed on problem-first, incremental implementation. Jinga advised starting with a clear operational pain point—such as inventory accuracy or labor-intensive processes—rather than technology selection. Yaxley recommended targeting applications with the highest ROI first and leveraging integrators and OEMs for expertise. Buzimkic underscored the need to map current workflows, define future goals, build a financial case, and secure cross-functional alignment—while noting many companies engage experienced suppliers early via a consultative design approach. Galic urged peer conversations and partner selection based on long-term support capability—not just equipment sales—and highlighted the critical importance of choosing consultants with domain-specific expertise.
Purchasing Drivers and Integration Realities
Today’s automation buyers prioritize speed to value, measurable ROI, and data accuracy over automation for its own sake, according to Jinga. Interoperability is non-negotiable: solutions must work with existing WMS and ERP systems and scale without vendor lock-in. Buzimkic named ROI, geopolitical risk and tariffs, strategic alignment, and solution flexibility as top purchasing factors. Galic identified labor scarcity and space constraints as primary operational pressures—but added that the cost of opportunity—e.g., lost market share or eroded customer loyalty from inaction—is increasingly decisive. Yaxley noted that while ROI remains central, human resource shortages, quality, and traceability are now major drivers.
Dispelling Misconceptions
Buzimkic stressed that automation demands a cultural shift, requiring C-suite alignment and active sponsorship across engineering, operations, and maintenance—plus honest assessment of internal capacity versus lifecycle costs. Yaxley cautioned against one-size-fits-all thinking:
“There are no single one-size-fits-all solutions. Each application process has its own unique requirements to be solved efficiently and effectively.” — Ken Yaxley, Industry Manager, Industrial Robotics, SICK
Jinga reframed automation’s core value:
“Automation is not just about replacing manual labor; it’s about improving decision-making. The real value often comes from better data, greater visibility, and fewer surprises in day-to-day operations.” — Oana Jinga, Chief Commercial & Product Officer and Co-Founder, Dexory
Ensuring System Interoperability
To guarantee smooth interface among diverse automation providers, Jinga advised selecting solutions built on open architectures with well-documented APIs and verified interoperability in live customer environments—not vendor claims alone. She also emphasized designing for a long-term technology ecosystem, where partners complement—not replace—existing systems to reduce integration risk over time.
Source: DC Velocity
This article was AI-assisted and reviewed by the SCI.AI editorial team before publication.
