Warehouse Automation Regret Haunts Supply Chain Leaders
A survey of 250 U.S. and Canadian supply chain decision-makers finds one in four regret their automation decisions.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Robotics
Exotec, a warehouse robotics company, released an "Avoid Robot Regret" survey finding one in four supply chain leaders regret their warehouse automation decision. Ninety-four percent of respondents say switching automation providers would be prohibitively expensive.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that disappointment often starts before installation, when buyers underestimate total costs and fail to assign clear responsibility for performance. Warehouse operators weighing automation investments may face long-term lock-in if lifetime costs are not calculated upfront.
The survey, fielded August 17-31, 2026, sampled 250 supply chain decision-makers, with 60% reporting automation designed by multiple companies. Sixty-nine percent did not calculate full lifetime cost before investing, and the report does not separate hardware performance from integration outcomes.
The players
Exotec
Exotec is a warehouse robotics company that commissioned the survey and sells automated warehouse systems.
The details
Sixty percent of respondents had automation designed by multiple companies, and one in seven leaders said no vendor took full responsibility for system performance, so they saw no benefits. Seven in ten respondents said undisclosed automation costs increased their annual maintenance expenses.
Timeline
Survey responses were collected August 17-31, 2026.
The report was published November 2, 2026.
Robotics Landscape
The Exotec survey shows that 27% of respondents said their warehouse was not ready when they invested in automation, pointing to readiness gaps that precede the hardware itself. Its finding that 60% had automation designed by multiple companies highlights integration responsibility as a recurring source of underperformance in warehouse robotics deployments.
Operators planning warehouse automation purchases should calculate full lifetime costs, including maintenance and switching expenses, before signing contracts. Clarifying in advance which vendor is responsible for overall system performance may reduce the risk of paying for systems that deliver no measurable benefit.
The takeaway
Before investing in warehouse automation, decision-makers should define total cost of ownership and assign one vendor clear responsibility for system performance. Readiness of the facility itself also matters, since 27% of surveyed respondents said their warehouse was not prepared when they invested.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in the Robotics section for context on warehouse automation trends.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Supplychain247.
