From pick‑assist to WMS integrations, where UK sites are investing next.
Warehouse automation continues to mature, with a focus on augmenting people rather than replacing them. Pick‑assist robotics, smarter WMS wave planning and vision systems for inbound counting are seeing rapid adoption because they pay back quickly. The key is orchestration: ensuring that data flows between order systems, WMS and carriers with minimal manual handling. For many operators, the first wins come from standardising locations, barcoding all SKUs and enforcing scan compliance. Once the data is reliable, advanced tools like dynamic slotting and labour planning produce strong gains. Safety remains paramount; collaborative robots must be integrated with clear traffic separations, training and incident reporting. Before investing, map processes end‑to‑end and quantify bottlenecks. Pilot on a single aisle or zone, measure results and iterate. With this disciplined approach, automation raises throughput, improves accuracy and creates safer, more engaging work for teams.