Articles » The New Warehouse

Big Joe Expands Autonomous Material Movement and Simplifies Adoption

For 3PLs and manufacturers, some of the best opportunities for automation may also be the least complicated. Moving pallets from receiving to storage, transporting components to production, feeding staging areas, and hauling material across a facility are necessary tasks. Still, they can also consume valuable labor without requiring much human decision-making. The AP44 Lets Operations Scale Autonomy Task by Task Big Joe Autonomous Solutions is targeting these workflows with four new vehicles. First, the AP44 autonomous pallet truck, ATC100 autonomous tugger, ASC40 autonomous stacker, and ACV40 autonomous three-wheel forklift. At the center of the lineup is the AP44. It

By Mike Huff|September 4th, 2026|Automation, Continuous Improvement, Forklifts, Material Handling|0 Comments

The First 100 Feet: Where Most Warehouse Delays Begin

This guest post was submitted by Chris Thompson of FMH Conveyors. Most warehouse delays start at the dock rather than in storage aisles or picking zones. The first 100 feet, starting at the trailer nose and continuing to the point where inventory enters the system-directed flow, creates friction that ripples through the downstream process. When teams struggle with dock scheduling, staging discipline, labor handoffs, and equipment flow, they are off schedule before the first ticket of the day prints. High-performing facilities treat those first few steps as a critical transition zone by standardizing truck turnaround expectations, designing staging

By Mike Huff|August 27th, 2026|Space for Thought|0 Comments

Stop Racking Up Costs: Transforming Warehouse Storage Health with Dexory

One of my first jobs in warehousing wasn't a glamorous one. I would get lifted by a forklift in a cage and manually count inventory on the upper levels. What made this particularly unpleasant was doing this in the freezer and getting blasted by the chillers. I wasn't just counting up there; I was finding damaged pallets, identifying risks, locating loose product, and, in hindsight, building character. The higher the racking goes, the harder it is to see what's happening from the floor. For instance, a damaged pallet creates problems across safety, inventory, labor, compliance, and customer service. Floor

By Mike Huff|August 13th, 2026|Continuous Improvement|0 Comments

Improving Supply Chain Visibility Starts with Warehouse Execution

Do warehouses need better visibility to improve execution, or better execution to create real visibility? It can feel like the classic chicken-or-egg debate. There is truth on both sides since visibility helps leaders plan, and execution helps teams perform. If execution inside the warehouse is sloppy, delayed, manual, or disconnected, then broader supply chain visibility becomes flawed. After all, it is called a supply chain for a reason. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You can invest in dashboards, analytics, and tracking tools across the network, but if the four walls of the warehouse are

By Mike Huff|July 17th, 2026|Continuous Improvement, WMS|1 Comment

Warehouse Automation Planning: When to Start Thinking About AMRs

Many warehouse operators begin thinking about automation only after operational pressure forces the conversation, or they see a solution. Labor costs spike. Throughput slows. Service levels start slipping. By that point, the decision often becomes reactive rather than strategic. The reality is that automation works best when companies begin warehouse automation planning well before those breaking points arrive, but predicting the future is harder than ever, where uncertainty is the only certainty. But doing nothing is not an option. For organizations navigating growth, the real question isn’t whether automation will eventually play a role; it's how. It’s when leaders

By Mike Huff|April 7th, 2026|Automation|0 Comments

Automation Decisions: Why Commercial Decision Engines Matter at the Earliest Stage of the Buying Journey

Most automation projects don’t fail because the technology doesn’t work. They stall because the commercial case never solidifies. By the time someone calls a system integrator, the real automation decisions have often already been made. Budget ceilings are loosely defined. ROI expectations are floating around in a spreadsheet. Internal stakeholders have opinions. Some are optimistic, and some are skeptical as the journey takes shape before a vendor ever enters the room. As Christoph Buchmann, Founder and Managing Director of iAutomate, puts it, “Where does the buying journey begin? I would actually say it really starts with having identified a

By Mike Huff|April 4th, 2026|Automation, Continuous Improvement|1 Comment