How warehouse automation actually works
Plain explanations for people deciding whether to automate, with real figures from sites that are running.
Discrete, cluster and batch picking, and what to do with the sort
Cluster picking caps your wave at about ten orders because the trolley holds one tote per order. Here is what removes the cap, and what it costs.
What Happens to Automation at Peak? How to Plan an Automated Warehouse for Your Busiest Weeks
Robots and sorters flex at peak. Storage does not. That asymmetry is what you have to plan around in September, not November.
What Warehouse Automation Costs in Australia, and How to Work Out the Payback
The award floor is $27.08 an hour from July 2026, and face rent overstates your floor saving. Those two inputs move the payback more than the machine price does.
Automating a Cold Store or Freezer: What Changes, and What to Check Before You Commit
Taitung's freezer-rated system went live over one weekend. Cold does not change the robots much. It changes the questions you ask before you sign.
Automation in a 3PL: How Do You Justify It When the Contract Is Three Years and the Client Might Leave?
A retailer automates against its own ten-year forecast. A 3PL automates against a contract that might be re-tendered in three years.
What Automation Actually Does to Your Headcount
Jingyuan cut its picking team from 20 to 7. That is one very manual site, not a forecast for yours. Here is where the hours actually go.
Do You Still Need Conveyor? What Robots Replace, and Where Conveyor Still Wins
Conveyor does four separate jobs. Robots replace three of them well, and most sites still keep a short run at despatch.
Buying From the Manufacturer, or From Someone Reselling Them
It is hard enough keeping up with our own product, and we are the same business. What distance from the manufacturer costs you.
How Many Robots Do You Actually Need?
Munro runs 205 robots against 5,239 pods. Alloys runs 5 against 100. Neither number tells you yours, because the fleet size is an output.
Can You Automate a Warehouse You Are Already Running?
Taitung went live on freezer automation over one weekend, inside a building that was already working. Most Mushiny systems are brownfield.
Automating Your Whole Range, Not Just the Easy SKUs
Most systems only take the easy SKUs, so the awkward end stays manual and you run two operations. Here is how to cover the range.
Automated Bagging Without the Project: What a Simple Machine Gets You
Wheel it in, plug it into a standard outlet, divert your label print job. What a simple bagging machine does, and where it is the wrong answer.
Robots and People: Keeping Them Apart, or Letting Them Share
Munro runs 205 robots and no picker walks among them. Fencing people out is what lets those robots navigate the fast, cheap way.
Storage Density: How High Can Tote Automation Actually Go?
Wanuo Textile holds 18,000 totes in 500 square metres. Height and depth are what turn a footprint into capacity, and neither is free.
How Does Warehouse Automation Talk to Your WMS?
Almost any automation can be connected to almost any WMS. Where you put the line between them is what decides the project.
AMR or AGV: Which One Fits Your Warehouse?
The difference is who chooses the path. That one fact decides what a layout change costs you and what happens when the route is blocked.
What Is an AMR, and What Does One Actually Do in a Warehouse?
A robot that decides its own route, lifts a shelf pod and carries it to a picker. What that actually buys you, and what it cannot do.
What Is an ASRS, and Do You Need One?
ASRS is a category, not a product. The useful question is which kind, and what the height actually buys you.