ASAF CURELARU, head of deployment & maintenance UK & Ireland at Exotec, said global tensions and growing average warehouse sizes are making it difficult to predict a site’s requirements more than five years ahead.

“Uncertainty matters when automation projects that involve multi-million-pound investments are being planned. Rather than trying to solve an uncertain future today, organisations should commit to what they can see clearly, while building an expansion path for what comes next,” he said.

Curelaru argued that good planning allows operators to establish what scaling a system could look like before they invest, giving them greater budget visibility. For example, an operation might need a certain capacity in 2029, with further capacity required by 2035.

“The automation provider can model these scenarios, so the warehouse operator can understand what those requirements could look like, the likely costs, and approximately how much lead time will be needed,” he said. “This flexibility allows an operator to invest in additional capacity rather than committing upfront based on a highly uncertain long-term forecast.”

The UKWA recently claimed that only 10–15% of warehouses globally use robots, suggesting the bigger opportunity may lie in the gradual automation of existing facilities.

For more information, visit www.exotec.com