In this year’s Logistics Management technology roundtable, industry leaders argued that supply chain AI is finally moving beyond dashboards and into embedded operational decision-making. Howard Turner emphasized that the future of warehouse automation is less about robotics hardware itself and more about orchestration software that connects WMS, labor systems, robotics, and execution tools into a unified operation. He also noted that “adaptive orchestration” and agentic AI will increasingly help warehouses dynamically optimize labor, slotting, and workflows in real time.
Norm Saenz stressed that successful automation projects depend on disciplined execution rather than chasing hype, arguing that companies seeing the best ROI are investing heavily in data integrity, integration, and operational readiness before scaling automation. Meanwhile, Tom Bonkenburg said robotics adoption has matured from experimental curiosity to a serious operational strategy, though many organizations still underestimate the organizational and workforce changes needed to fully realize value.
“I don’t want to minimize the key differentiators in warehouse automation hardware. There are advantages between systems, but that’s another discussion. Regarding the associated software, I agree that buyers are understanding the value of centralizing the coordination of various pieces of automation and other critical supply chain execution systems.”
— Howard Turner
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