Will Robotic Automation Lead to a Lights-Out-Warehouse

What is lights-out warehousing? The simple answer is a facility without people.

One that relies entirely on automated equipment, to the point that no manual touches are necessary. With no employees required on the floor, operations do not need to turn the lights on, hence the term “lights-out warehousing.”

Lights-out is not a new concept, especially in manufacturing, but in reality, such facilities are extremely specialized and extremely rare. While industry experts say that few companies are actively seeking a completely dark facility, today’s warehouse and distribution operations are nonetheless interested in using automation as extensively as possible.

And why shouldn’t they be? The increasing capability of robotics and significant labor challenges facing supply chains certainly incentivize greater adoption.

But as warehouses and distribution centers add automation, is a lightsout facility on the horizon? This white paper seeks to answer that question, examining the industry forces and technologies that lead operations to adopt robotics and automation.