Key Facts:
- Australian businesses investing in warehouse automation should prioritise the quality of solution design over equipment selection, ensuring technology is evaluated in the context of the broader operation, both now and in the future.
- Effective automation design should begin with operational data - including historical order profiles, SKU velocities, and peak demand patterns - rather than choosing equipment first.
- Simulation modelling plays a key role in identifying potential bottlenecks and constraints before equipment is ordered, reducing the risk of costly problems emerging on the warehouse floor.
- Future growth should be built into the initial design, as modular automation technologies can only be expanded efficiently if scalability is considered from the outset.
- Businesses should evaluate automation proposals based on the depth of analytical and design work behind them, asking what data was used, what scenarios were tested, and how the system can grow over time.
As Australian businesses increasingly turn to automation to improve warehouse capacity, productivity, and resilience, the quality of the solution design behind the technology is becoming just as important as the technology itself.
For businesses considering warehouse automation, it can be tempting to start with the technology: which robots, storage system, or picking solution is the right fit?
But according to Swisslog Australia and New Zealand Director of Sales, Steve Dimitrovski, the more important question is how that technology will work as part of the broader operation - both today and as the business changes.
"Automation is a significant investment, so businesses need to look beyond what the system can deliver on day one," Dimitrovski says.
"The design process needs to consider the operational data, peak demand, future growth, changing SKU profiles and how all the different technologies will work together. That is where the long-term value of an automation project is established."
For Australian and New Zealand warehouse operators, this is particularly important as businesses contend with changing customer expectations, labour pressures, fluctuating demand and increasingly complex fulfilment requirements.
A robust automation design should therefore start with data rather than equipment selection. Historical order profiles, SKU velocities, inventory levels, and replenishment patterns can provide a much more accurate picture of how a system needs to perform across normal and peak conditions.
"Designing around an average day can give you a very different result from designing around the reality of your operation," Dimitrovski says.
"You need to understand what happens when volumes increase, when the order profile changes and when multiple channels are being fulfilled at the same time."
Using simulation in warehouse automation solution design
Simulation is another important part of the process. Modelling an automated system before equipment is ordered allows potential bottlenecks and constraints to be identified under different operating conditions.
For technologies such as AutoStore, for example, simulation can be used to assess different combinations of robots, bins and ports and test how the system responds to changing throughput requirements.
The objective is not simply to demonstrate that a system works, but to understand where its constraints may emerge under pressure.
"Simulation gives you an opportunity to identify problems before they become expensive problems on the warehouse floor," Dimitrovski says.
Designing warehouse automation for future expansion
Future expansion also needs to be considered during the initial design phase. A system that meets today's requirements may become a constraint if volumes, SKU numbers, or fulfilment channels increase.
Modular automation technologies can provide opportunities to expand capacity over time, but the ability to do so efficiently depends on decisions made during the original design.
"Growth needs to be designed in, rather than treated as an afterthought," Dimitrovski says.
Software integration
Software integration is another critical consideration. As warehouses increasingly combine robotics, automated storage, conveyors, sortation and other technologies, these systems need to operate as a coordinated whole.
Swisslog's SynQ software platform, for example, provides an integration and orchestration layer across automated material flows, helping connect different technologies as operations evolve.
Asking the right questions
Ultimately, Dimitrovski says, businesses should assess an automation proposal based on the quality of the analysis behind it, rather than simply comparing equipment specifications or headline pricing.
"Two proposals can look very similar on paper, but the depth of the design work behind them can be very different," he says.
"The right questions are: what data has been used, what scenarios have been tested, where are the constraints, and how can the system expand in the future?"
For Australian and New Zealand businesses investing in warehouse automation, getting those questions answered before equipment is ordered can help reduce project risk and create a system capable of delivering value well beyond its first day of operation.
About us:
About Swisslog
Swisslog designs, manufactures and optimises automated logistics solutions across the supply chain, powered by our modular SynQ software platform. With a global team of passionate employees and a portfolio of best-in-class technologies, we partner with customers from solution design through lifecycle. www.swisslog.com/en-au
