How to Stress-Test Your Automation Business Case Before the Board Signs Off

A former DHL executive who oversaw as many as 500 automation projects a year explains why so many warehouse automation business cases fall apart after go-live.

You built the business case, got sign-off, and installed the system. Then the SKU mix shifts, peak volume spikes, and inventory accuracy falls apart, and suddenly the numbers don't add up.

Adrian Kumar spent more than two decades at DHL in third-party logistics, designing and evaluating automation solutions across hundreds of projects a year. Now working independently, he brings a bias-free view of where mobile automation pays off and where it quietly fails.

Listen and you'll get a practical checklist for evaluating any automation project: the vendor questions that expose weak business cases, the assumptions that get glossed over during solution design, and the operational realities that only show up after go-live. Adrian breaks down why some AGV and robotics investments scale successfully for years while others get ripped out after five.

This episode covers due diligence for vendor selection, brownfield constraints, peak-volume stress testing, inventory accuracy, and the indirect labor costs automation vendors don't always mention. It's built for operations leaders preparing their first automation business case, not for anyone looking for a vendor sales pitch.

## Key Takeaways

- One vendor question separates the honest suppliers from the ones overselling their technology, and it's not about their success stories.

- Solution designs get built on ideal-case assumptions. Adrian explains which real-world variables (SKU mix, returns, non-conveyable items) blow those assumptions up on day one.

- A major retailer invested tens of millions in a pick-to-belt system that got ripped out years later. The reason wasn't the technology, it was math nobody stress-tested upfront.

- Peak volume planning isn't a formula. Adrian lays out when designing to peak makes sense and when leasing flexible capacity is the smarter play.

## Chapter Markers

00:00 Cold open: the risk of large automation write-offs

00:32 Guest introduction: Adrian Kumar's 3PL background

01:20 What the automation market gets wrong today

02:51 Why solution design assumes ideal conditions

05:13 Go-live surprises that expose bad assumptions

08:13 Cookie-cutter rollouts versus bespoke automation builds

10:35 How automation decisions changed over 20 years

12:53 Are automation success rates actually improving

15:31 Where customer assumptions go wrong upfront

18:08 Starting small before a big-bang investment

20:53 Lighthouse sites versus multi-site pilot testing

23:43 Where suppliers overstate achievable productivity

26:39 The vendor questions every customer should ask

30:24 Auditing automation performance years after go-live

34:41 The pick-to-belt system that got ripped out

36:13 Ergonomics and the human case for automation

38:13 Has brownfield-friendly automation caught up

40:43 Evaluating new mobile robot technology

43:14 Where automation wins are today: travel, pick, storage

46:06 How bad inventory data breaks automated systems

49:20 The assumption to stress-test before sign-off

51:50 Designing for peak volume versus staying flexible

54:51 The McDonald's lesson in balance and ergonomics

57:48 Closing thoughts: the vendor question that reveals honesty

Useful Links & Resources

Adrian Kumar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriankumar/

Rocrich AGV Solutions: https://www.rocrich.com

Connect With the Show

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocrich/

Website: https://rocrich.com/contact/