Automation is rapidly shifting from optional extra to strategic necessity in intralogistics, driven by labour shortages,
rising customer expectations and increasingly complex supply chains. But the panellists at TEST CAMP agreed that automation is not about replacing people at all costs—it is about solving operational problems.

The “Automation by Default” panel, moderated by IFOY Jury and FOCUS on Transport & Logistics Editorial Director Charleen Clarke, featured Richard Bormann of Fraunhofer IPA, Baret Davidian of Wiltsche-Fördersysteme, Emil Hauch Jensen of The Mobile Robot Company, Michael Malik of STILL and Immanuel Mark of Jungheinrich. For many businesses, labour shortages are now a primary driver of automation. Davidian cited German confectionery manufacturer Reber as an example. “They were running out of people. They were using people from the area, but they were battling to recruit new staff,” he explained. The company eventually invested millions of euros in robotic packaging systems.
Davidian warned that demographic shifts are accelerating the problem. “The ageing workforce presents a significant challenge. In five years’ time, the baby boomers are almost all going to be in retirement.”

However, automation involves far more than simply installing robots. Mark stressed that companies must first standardise processes and improve data quality.“ You need to have your master data right. You need to have your processes straight,” he said. Mark added that automation can significantly improve consistency and reduce errors. “If you have an automated system, it will not become stressed, it will not start to improvise, it will not make any errors.”

The panellists agreed that automation costs are falling rapidly, although return on investment remains critical.“ There are some easy-entry solutions which are much more accessible in terms of costs,” said Malik.

However, he cautioned against focusing only on purchase price. “You need to see the bigger picture—the complete operation, the full business, the processes.”
Jensen believes competition and scale are transforming the market. “The cost of automation is going down dramatically,” he said.“ The Chinese have been coming to Europe in a very big way over the last five years, and that has put huge price pressure on the robotic market.” He also noted that deployment times are shrinking rapidly. “We’re talking about a day.”
Despite the progress, adoption remains relatively slow. Clarke noted that only around three to five percent of forklifts are currently automated. Bormann believes flexibility remains a major obstacle. “You need a structured environment and structured processes for automated forklifts to run efficiently,” he explained.