Automating Logistics: Robotics in the Warehouse

Warehouse Automation

Warehouses serve as a buffer between supply and demand. Historically centered on simple inventory storage, they’ve transformed into strategic hubs, delivering additional value for downstream customers while optimizing for high product flow rates.

Why should we care? Warehouses are a proving ground for robotic automation—offering mature deployments that provide actionable insights while still holding significant untapped potential, with only about 20% of warehouses having adopted some form of automation to date (Source: 26% of Warehouses to be Automated by 2027).

While warehousing solutions must be tailored to specific needs, there are some general principles worth highlighting.

Core warehousing operations follow a predictable flow:

A Warehouse Management System (WMS) is essential for achieving these objectives. This mature software tool automates traditional warehouse office work and provides real-time performance tracking. It also acts as the central hub that connects all autonomous solutions in the warehouse.

1. Receiving

The first responsibility in a warehouse is receiving inbound freight, which typically arrives in containers. This process requires coordination before arrival to ensure freight arrives at the correct loading dock, with proper staffing and equipment waiting at the designated bay.

Container Unloading

When a container arrives at the dock, staff typically have one to two hours to complete their first task: unloading the container. If unloading exceeds the agreed-upon timeframe, detention fees may apply.

Trailers usually come packed one of two ways: loose or palletized.

Loose cargo comes in many different shapes and sizes, but to simplify the conversation let’s just assume it’s a container completely full of boxes.

Unloading loose cargo remains a manual task in most warehouses today, however, there are automated solutions available. The most common configuration is a mobile platform with a robotic arm like Boston Dynamics' Stretch robot, equipped with a suction end effector and nearby conveyor belt to move goods from the trailer into the receiving area of the warehouse.

The alternative, palletized loads, are extremely common in warehousing as a standardized way to move large volumes of goods and require the use of Material Handling Equipment (MHE), such as a pallet jack or forklift, to unload the container into the receiving area.

Moving goods is one of the most fundamental tasks in a warehouse. This has driven efforts to automate MHE and free up human workers, as demonstrated by this autonomous forklift from VisionNav Robotics.

The goal here is to unload freight faster at a lower cost.

Count, Confirm, and Inspect Inventory

Teams typically divide the unloading process between two roles: one person unloads the container while another inspects the inbound cargo. The inspector verifies product types, quantities, and condition, completing a checklist that becomes the official record of delivery in the WMS.

Much of this work is still done by hand with a barcode scanner connected to a phone, tablet, or computer, but there are solutions like Kargo's Tower that uses computer vision to automatically scan freight labels and document damage during unloading.

Automated scanning highlights a warehousing best-practice for throughput:

A key challenge with automation is that while individual warehouse tasks can be automated, these solutions often struggle to plug in seamlessly with existing warehouse operations.

Consider Kargo's solution: While it eliminates manual inspection (-1 touch) for palletized loads going directly to storage, warehouses still need either additional automation or a human worker (+1 touch) when storing individual items and verifying box contents.

To address this challenge, many warehouses have streamlined operations by combining tasks to minimize touches. For example, a single worker at a receiving station may simultaneously check goods into the WMS, verify quanty, inspect for damage, and sort inventory for put-away.

2. Put-Away

Put-away is the process that involves moving products from the receiving area to their designated storage locations.

When pallets arrive in a suitable format for warehouse storage, they can go directly to their storage location. Either an autonomous forklift or a human operator with a pallet jack can complete this straightforward put-away process.

Parcel Sortation

If the shipment needs further processing—such as breaking down a pallet into individual boxes (de-palletizing) or separating mixed goods into containers for efficient picking later—this process is called sorting.

This includes items that must be placed into standardized totes for downstream automation and products or bins that need additional labels affixed, based on the facility's specific operational requirements.

Once a product is checked into the system and sorted, it must be moved to its assigned storage location designated by the WMS.

Point-to-Point (P2P) Transportation

If the product isn't already on MHE, it must be loaded now.

In greenfield deployments, facilities can build fixed infrastructure like conveyors for long-distance transportation within a warehouse. However, P2P transportation becomes more complicated when you have to fit into an already-operational warehouse.

A fairly-mature solution is to deploy Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), the successor to Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) with big upgrades to sensors and computer vision.

Even with the automated movement of goods, workers often need to complete final tasks like transferring items from cart to shelf. This human-robot partnership is so common that the dynamic has a name — cobotics, with the robots aptly called cobots.

3. Storage

The primary function of a warehouse is to store goods.

Manually-Operated Warehouses

While each warehouse has its unique characteristics, they typically follow established organizational patterns. The most common is the triadic system, which divides the warehouse into three zones. This system categorizes inventory based on movement frequency: fast-moving items (70% of movement), medium-moving items (20%), and slow-moving items (10%).

In warehouses that rely on human operators, this triadic setup optimizes efficiency by placing frequently accessed items in easily reachable locations. This strategic organization reduces handling time and improves order fulfillment rates during the picking process.

Errors may materialize in picking if inventory management isn't actively maintained. The monitoring responsibility falls to either human operators or automated systems, like this drone-based solution from Gather AI.

Automated Warehouses

Modern greenfield facilities, particularly those using Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), may appear to deviate from the triadic model. However, their control systems are trained to apply triadic principles that optimize stock placement and retrieval, even if this organization isn't immediately visible to human observers.

During put-away, we should already have determined how each item will be stored. If a warehouse typically stores inventory as pallets, a pallet-based ASRS system may be appropriate. Conversely, if items are sorted as individual components or SKUs, a tote-based system might be the better choice.

4. Picking

Once an order has been received, the picking process kicks off order fulfillment by collecting goods from storage. The manual alternative at every stage of warehouse operations includes a lot of scanning, moving, picking and placing and this stage is no different.

Manual picking strategies like person-to-goods can be augmented with an AMR-based cobot solution like what we explored during put-away, but additional automation has been hindered by environmental variability and technical complexity (mobile manipulation tasks).

Further automation of the picking process offers significant benefits, as it has become one of the most physically demanding operations in fulfillment centers with the rise of e-commerce.

By combining mobility tasks handled by AMRs with manipulation tasks (like robotic arms with vacuum end effectors), a new category of robots is poised to transform warehouse automation: Mobile Manipulation Robots (MMRs).

Even with manipulation capabilities there are still instances requiring human intervention. Most commonly this is handled with goods-to-person strategies like this station Brightpick uses in their deployments.

From here, the robot routes the items to a packing station, reducing worker travel time, increasing picking efficiency, and improving order accuracy.

5. Packing

Packing is the final step before an item leaves storage and is shipped. The primary goal of this stage is to protect the goods, optimize space utilization, and ensure efficient handling downstream.

Depending on the type of warehouse, packing workflows can vary:

• Fulfillment Centers (e.g., e-commerce) focus on high-volume, single-item or small-parcel shipments.
• Distribution Centers prioritize consolidating large orders into pallets or bulk shipments for retail replenishment.

Regardless of warehouse type, automation at this stage improves speed, consistency, and cost-efficiency while reducing material waste.

Fulfillment Centers

Most packing stations today still rely on manual labor. Operators are responsible for: selecting the correct box size, adding protective packaging (e.g., bubble wrap, airbags), applying shipping labels, and finalizing the package for outbound scanning.

While automated solutions exist, they are often customized to each warehouse operator's specific needs due to the wide variety of goods that fulfillment centers handle.

For standard e-commerce packaging, solutions from companies like Sparck Technologies are available. However, these systems typically require fixed infrastructure, making them more challenging to integrate into existing warehouse operations compared to other robotic systems we've discussed.

Distribution Centers

Palletizing consolidates goods for bulk shipments. Automating this process reduces physical strain on workers and ensures stable, efficient stacking.

Once palletized, shipments require secure wrapping to prevent shifting during transit.

This is the last opportunity to apply any additional labels or WMS updates before the package leaves the facility.

6. Shipping

Shipping is the final stage in warehouse operations and is critical to meeting customer expectations. The efficiency of this process impacts delivery timelines, freight costs, and customer satisfaction.

While packing optimizes individual shipments, shipping operations focus on bulk movement, ensuring efficient loading and routing of orders.

The shipping and dispatch area uses tools similar to those in receiving for trailer operations. Like many warehouse tasks, loading packaged goods onto trailers typically relies on manual labor and various MHE.

Automated Trailer Loading Systems (ATLS)

Like MHE, previously discussed automation solutions such as autonomous forklifts are valid solutions here. However, for short-haul routes where ownership is shared between shipping and receiving locations, specialized solutions like those from Slip Robotics can dramatically reduce load/unload times, boosting efficiency and reducing dock congestion.

Conclusion

Warehouse automation is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by the need for greater efficiency, lower costs, and improved safety. Across each phase of warehousing—receiving, put-away, storage, picking, packing, and shipping—robotics and automation are reshaping how materials are handled, processed, and moved.

Several key themes emerge from this analysis:

Task-Specific Automation is Gaining Traction

• Many warehouse functions, from container unloading to picking and palletizing, have seen successful robotic deployments.
• These systems are improving throughput, accuracy, and consistency, particularly in high-volume environments.

Human-Robot Collaboration is the Default Model

• While full automation remains impractical for most facilities, cobots, AMRs, and AI-driven picking systems are reducing physical strain and augmenting human labor.
• Automation is being designed to integrate into existing workflows, rather than replace them entirely.

Automation is Most Effective When Reducing Touchpoints

• The most successful automation deployments focus on minimizing human intervention, reducing errors, and optimizing efficiency.
• Examples include consolidated receiving workstations, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), and computer vision-based inspections that eliminate redundant manual processes.

Scalability and Integration Remain Key Barriers

• Many solutions, particularly automated packaging and other fixed infrastructure, require significant capital investment and operational adjustments.
• The challenge is not just adopting automation but ensuring that new systems integrate seamlessly with existing warehouse management systems (WMS) and broader supply chain operations.

Automation is Reshaping Cost Structures

• While upfront costs remain a consideration, automation is proving to be a long-term cost reduction lever through labor savings, space optimization, and improved shipment efficiency.
• Advances in machine learning, predictive analytics, and AI-assisted material handling continue to improve the return on investment for warehouse automation.

Final Thoughts

The industry is shifting toward an environment where automation is not just an enhancement but a necessity for competitive operations. Companies that invest in automation today are setting the foundation for greater agility, cost efficiency, and operational resilience in the future.

As technology continues to advance, the next phase of warehouse automation will focus on refining deployments, improving integration, and scaling automation beyond pilot programs. For decision-makers in logistics and supply chain management, the focus should remain on identifying high-impact automation opportunities, ensuring interoperability across systems, and continuously adapting to the evolving capabilities of robotics and AI.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for future deals and reports.