Robots excel at repetition and struggle with the unexpected, from a cracked tote to an order that won't fit. Thomax founder Thomas Jackson explains where automation projects come unstuck, and what businesses should ask before they bring in the robots.

Every automation project in supply chain is built on a belief that the robots will work. Throughput targets, business cases and go-live dates all depend on it, which is why businesses need to better plan for the day the automation systems stop.

Thomas Jackson, founder and managing director of warehouse management software provider Thomax, has seen what happens when something falls outside what a system has been set up to handle. "There's a lot of excitement about the automation path, and the robot that will do a thousand units in an hour. What happens when it doesn't? What happens when you're doing maintenance, or when the unexpected occurs?"

These can be the "we didn't think about that" moments, and as automation becomes more accessible, more businesses are running into them. Thomas says smaller, modular systems and robots-as-a-service models have allowed businesses automate one area at a time and spread the cost, without tens of millions upfront - creating more opportunity, along with more room for error. 

Warehouse automation thrives on repetition. Thomas points to an operation where the entire range fits four box sizes, all the same length and width with four different heights. "That is the entire variation in their business. Automated systems are great at that because every box is predictable," he explains.

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