Specialization, Not Spectacle, Drives Warehouse Automation Momentum at MODEX 2026

A key sentiment shared by exhibitors at MODEX 2026 was that the event produced record footfall at booths with record numbers of leads generated. Not only this, but exhibitors also noted that technology buyers are now at a much more advanced stage of investment in automation and inventory management systems. While in previous years attendees have been in more of an exploratory phase, they are now actively exploring implementation or the next iteration of their automation journey.

Taking a holistic view, innovation was most apparent for the more complex forms of automation like robotic picking arms and mobile manipulators (but not humanoids) with providers having addressed many of the teething problems faced in previous years, and now starting to see more applications at scale. The dexterity and processing power of these solutions are driving these applications, but also the partnerships being established with both fixed and mobile automation providers to smooth direct integrations. Both Ocado and Brightpick showcased the use of picking arms on their Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (ASRS). As for humanoids, the buzz around Agility Robotics’ stand certainly died down this year, and while Boston Dynamics had its Atlas humanoid there, the primary demonstration and interest was on the Stretch trailer unloading system. This further confirmed that mobile manipulation in warehousing is going to come in much simpler formats (i.e., a robotic arm attached to an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) or ASRS) rather than in a 4-limbed human format.

Pallet handling automation has continued its steady improvement. Automated forklifts from Geek+, OTTO Motors, and Agilox, as well as from many of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) (e.g., Hangcha, Yale, Noblelift) were on show and all vendors reported strong adoption over the past year. These are not being deployed as fully autonomous fleets, but rather to take over some linear, repetitive pallet and heavy goods movements, often at the start or end of shuttle lines. Fox Robotics, a previous exhibitor of autonomous forklifts at the show, was recently acquired by Symbotic, which is a strong move for the rapidly growing automation provider. This direct connection now between an ASRS and an autonomous forklift solution focused on trailer unloading (under one provider) could bring customers closer to a fully automated handling flow from delivery through to outbound staging.  

Aside from automation, there were some interesting developments on the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) front. Zebra, in particular, showcased its new devices that can “scan” inventory simply through device proximity, or beep when close to a target product for picking. Another provider, Clustag, demonstrated its high-speed scan tunnels in various sizes and proved how RFID is expanding to more goods types and applications. While RFID use remains limited by label adoption, the benefits of using these devices over traditional scanners will make justifying the shift in companies’ supply chains much more attractive.

Zebra also continues to drive its Machine Vision (MV) capabilities with the Aurora Vision studio, showing use cases for packing monitoring, and palletization. The use of MV for palletization is of particular interest, as automated palletization remains a unique challenge within the industry, presenting an opportunity for major Return on Investment (ROI). There are plenty of palletizing solutions out there from companies like FANUC, KUKA, and Universal Robots, but many are constrained by the system’s ability to understand best configurations and “see” stacking issues. Advancing these MV capabilities will play a key role in improving the reliability and adaptability of these solutions.

Advances in MV are not limited to fixed cells, with evolutions happening in the mobile domain, as illustrated by Gather AI. The company has somewhat pivoted away from its drone-based inventory management system, to embedding camera systems onto forklifts for real-time situation monitoring and compliance management. A similar solutions has already been provided by ELOKON, mostly focused on worker safety, but Gather AI seems to be focusing more on building warehouse intelligence by leveraging existing workflows and equipment.

The overarching takeaway for us at ABI Research is that specialization is yielding the most success in a market becoming increasingly adept with automation and refining investments in technology that creates genuine efficiencies within warehousing and fulfillment. In previous years, we’ve seen companies trying to branch out and develop or acquire solutions in domains that are adjacent to their core offering, but recent activity suggests this hasn’t been the growth driver it was presumed to be.

Two key examples include Zebra selling its robotics division, Fetch Robotics, to Skild AI having acquired it 5 years ago, as well as Honeywell recently announcing the sale of its automation division (made up of Intelligrated and Transnorm) by late this year. Both reference the sales as the means to simplify the portfolio and focus on growth areas within their core offering, such as RFID and MV. This renewed focus already seems to be resulting in strong product developments focused on implementation, rather than trying to access greenfield space with less proven solutions. This again shows that no matter how good a product is, it’s very difficult to successfully bring it to market without refined implementation expertise and established go-to-market channels.

In keeping with this, a common theme emerged in discussions around successful deployments, and that was the importance of orchestration before automation. Given that most system deployments are in brownfield sites, many are done in stages and over long time frames, resulting in a mix of systems that don’t align with one another and that creates operational bottlenecks. Leveraging simulation tools and digital twins (as discussed in a recent ABI Insight, “MODEX 2026 Key Insights: Renewed Focus on Point Solutions and Well-Planned Implementation”) is one way of approaching this challenge, but many underestimate the amount of data orchestration and Information Technology (IT) lift required in providing this information when internal data are siloed.

Companies don’t need to wait until all of their data are ready to start the process, and can instead start with high-impact variables such as order profiles, throughput rates, and resource constraints. Understanding these needs first enables companies to determine the type and scale of automation needed to satisfy demands now, rather than building systems and hoping throughput will match later.