Bir Singh, Co-Founder, Addverb.

What is the current status of automation in material handling and intralogistics operations in the industry today?

Material handling and intralogistics operations are among the crucial elements for businesses in this expeditious and competitive business environment. With the rising demands in e-commerce and B2B, anticipation of upsurge in efficiency and accuracy in automation is fundamental for companies to achieve operational competence.

Businesses are embracing automation technologies and advanced robotics to resolve the adversities of growing order volumes and meeting delivery deadlines with order correctness. For smart warehouses, Addverb equips the companies with Enterprise Software Solution and Warehouse Execution Systems with the goal to ensure the best execution of factory and warehouse activities.

What are the key challenges companies are currently facing in warehousing and logistics?

Companies are experiencing numerous operational as well as strategic challenges in integrating automation technologies in the existing logistics systems. The initial investments remain a key restriction for few companies, especially for SMEs and MSMEs. Harmonising automation and advanced robotics with legacy infrastructure, shortage of skilled workforce to manage these solutions and downtime during the transition phase are some of the deep-rooted pain points. Additionally, resistance to change and job displacement concerns are significant barriers during the automation adoption process.

Realistically speaking, what are the technologies widely adopted by the industry that have matured and provide a good RoI?

We have seen an upsurge in the adoption of ASRS systems for high-density storage, AMRs for faster material handling and streamlining order fulfilment, WMS & WES for optimising operational efficiency and accuracy.

Addverb’s technologies showcase latest advancements in robotics and automation which assists enterprises in streamlined operations and improved productivity. These solutions effectively manage resources and balances workloads to maximise outcomes. These kinds of developed solutions are increasingly being scaled across sectors like FMCG, retail, pharma, and e-commerce.

How has the post-pandemic era changed customer expectations around warehousing and last-mile logistics?

Post-pandemic, there has been an increased focus on the speed, safety, and accurate order fulfilment. With the evolved technologies, customers are expecting shorter delivery windows, transparency and accuracy in deliveries. Businesses are also dealing with higher order frequency in smaller quantities, which requires agile storage and picking systems. Automation, particularly in the form of micro-fulfilment centres and voice-assisted picking, has emerged as a practical solution to address these evolving needs. Addverb has observed a growing preference for hybrid automation models to support rapid, reliable last-mile delivery.

What are the top emerging technologies or innovations that will shape the future of material handling and warehousing? How is the role of AI and data analytics evolving in this space?

The emerging innovations that will shape the future of material handling & warehousing include vision-enabled collaborative robots, edge computing for real-time warehouse operations and 5G-enabled mobile robotics. Addverb is leveraging AI and ML across its automation suite for smarter navigation, predictive maintenance, and resource optimisation. Our hybrid carton shuttles (Veloce) demonstrate Addverb’s smarter and intelligent robotics solutions to handle real-time complexity. AI has been fundamental in learning from warehouse data to continuously improve workflows, inventory accuracy, and operational planning.

What progress can one expect towards fully autonomous warehouses or ‘dark warehouses’?

While the notion of dark warehouses is still in preliminary stages for most markets, considerable progress has been made in creating nearly autonomous environments. Addverb's integrated systems—spanning AMRs, WMS/WES, ASRS, and robotic picking—form the foundation of future dark warehouses. The combination of AI-driven decision-making, robot fleet management, and sensor-based automation enables 24/7 operations with minimal human intervention. Although the complete autonomy is not yet industry-wide, companies with high throughput and standardised SKUs are actively piloting these models, particularly in sectors like e-commerce and FMCG.

(The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented.)