Automation works best when the work is predictable, but real-world operations rarely are. In this episode of MHI Cast, Dan Garcia of TGW Logistics North America and Nate Richter of Packsize explore how warehouses can prepare for oversized products, changing order profiles, demand spikes, and other exceptions that fall outside the standard automation flow. They discuss designing for variability, using data to identify the exceptions that matter most, the role of integration partners, and why the smartest strategy isn’t automating every exception — it’s knowing which ones are worth solving.

When automation underperforms, the technology itself may not be the problem. In this episode of MHI Cast, Pete Blair, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Pickle Robot Company, Kyle Smart, Sales Manager of Emerging Technology at Hyster-Yale Group, Jay Howard, Product and Business Development Manager at Intralox, and Rick Fox, President and CEO of FOX IV Technologies, Inc. explore the systems, processes, and people behind successful deployments – from identifying breakdowns at critical handoff points to strengthening workflows before introducing robotics. They also discuss organizational buy-in, avoiding over-automation, and why building flexibility and resiliency into an operation can be just as important as choosing the right technology.

Dashboards don't improve warehouse performance—decisions do. Jim Barnes, CEO of enVista, Robert Nilsson, CCO at VARGO, and Wanda Riddick Johnson, Supply Chain Technology Fellow at Deloitte, discuss how organizations can move beyond reporting to create adaptive warehouse systems that leverage real-time data, trusted execution, and outcome-focused leadership.