Warehouse Automation: Why 2025 is the Year to Invest in AS/RS
The UK’s economic landscape continues to evolve. Faced with rising operational and employment costs, labour shortages, and global competition, businesses and public services alike are under increasing pressure to innovate – to “do more with less”. At the heart of this transformation lies warehouse automation, an essential solution for organisations looking to increase efficiency, boost accuracy, and future-proof operations.
Superfast Picking: Using the goods to person ‘G2M’ principle, inventory is retrieved in record time.
Space Optimisation: AS/RS systems have greater storage density than traditional racking – typically saving 80% of your floorspace.
Accuracy and Error Reduction: Industore’s vertical lifts use pick-to-light technology to minimise picking errors, thereby ensuring precise order fulfilment.
Security: Computer-controlled AS/RS ensures you’ll always know who took what, when and why – with full audit trails.
Inventory Control: Vertical lift systems provide real-time inventory visibility, reducing stockouts, overstocking, and enhancing order accuracy.
Safety and Reduced Costs: Automated storage reduces manual labour reliance and provides a safer work environment, delivering items ergonomically, reducing accidents or injuries.
Automated Storage Systems and Full Expensing:
Recent changes in the UK Budget, introduced by the new Labour Government, provide an opportunity for businesses to capitalise on automation investments. Measures like the extension of the full expensing scheme encourage organisations to upgrade infrastructure, including Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS). By offsetting capital investment against tax liabilities, companies can implement advanced warehouse automation systems like vertical lift modules (VLMs) and automated storage carousels with reduced financial burdens.
In logistics and manufacturing, automation isn’t just about cost savings – it’s about ensuring operational resilience. Solutions like Industore’s Lean-Lift or Rotomat streamline inventory management, reduce human error, and increase storage capacity, helping businesses keep pace in an increasingly competitive market.
5 Reasons to Invest in Warehouse Automation in 2025
With ground rent costs at a premium and continuing to rise, utilising vertical space is critical to success. Automated systems and warehouse automation maximise a building’s height rather than its footprint. For example, Industore’s Lean-Lifts regularly reduce the storage space required in any facility by 80%. At Swift Aerospace, our VLMs freed up floor space equivalent to a bowling green while doubling storage capacity.
Automated storage systems eliminate manual errors. Pick-to-light technology, integrated with systems like Industore’s proprietary HänelSoft, guides operators to the exact location of an item, ensuring near-perfect accuracy. At Rexel Industrial Solutions, this technology significantly reduced costly picking errors and streamlined order fulfilment.
Faster picking and replenishment processes drive efficiency and throughput. For example, Tec Industrial Ltd. boosted picking and packing speed by 60% with Industore’s solutions, achieving a return on investment in under a year.
Warehouse automation reduces the reliance on manual labour. At Metal Work UK, our Rotomat and HänelSoft combination allowed the company to redeploy staff into more valuable roles, leveraging their product knowledge in customer-facing areas. This not only improved operational efficiency but also enhanced customer satisfaction.
Energy-efficient systems like Hänel’s EcoDrive lower operational costs while supporting sustainability goals. The UK’s push for green technologies aligns perfectly with these advancements, making AS/RS an eco-friendly and financially viable choice.
Addressing Labour Challenges with Automation
Brexit and demographic shifts have intensified labour shortages, particularly in logistics and manufacturing. Seasonal worker visa schemes provide temporary relief but lack long-term reliability. Warehouse automation offers a scalable solution. Systems like the Lean-Lift and Rotomat ensure 24/7 productivity, eliminating downtime and errors associated with manual processes.
Jobe Bruzas, Marketing Manager:
Automation isn’t about replacing people; it’s about optimising operations to allow human workers to focus on higher-value tasks. For example, at CEJN, where automation allowed staff to transition into more customer-focused roles, taking their extensive product knowledge into new areas and driving business growth. Warehouse automation is about streamlining processes and ultimately, empowering teams to focus on what they do best – adding value where it matters most.
The Time to Act is Now. Visit Our Demo Centre:
The UK has a rich history of innovation, yet it regularly lags behind global leaders in automation uptake.
By leveraging systems like vertical lift modules and automated storage carousels, businesses can unlock efficiencies, reduce costs, and drive performance. The time to invest in warehouse automation is now – 2025 is the year to take the leap and future-proof your operations.
Arrange a no-obligation audit, or visit one of our demo centres, in Cardiff and Dublin.
