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Why Solution Flexibility is the New Standard in Supply Chain

Discover how flexible supply chain automation helps businesses scale, adapt to change and meet evolving customer demands across industries.

by TJ Franco

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In today’s world of unpredictable demand, rapid shifts in fulfillment channels and evolving consumer expectations, one thing is clear flexibility in your supply chain is no longer optional: it’s essential.

Navigating disruption has become the norm for operations battling the constantly changing landscape of e-Commerce. Traditional automation systems were built for stability, not adaptability, and often can’t keep up with today’s demands. This is where flexibility becomes critical.

In this blog, we explore what solution flexibility really means and why it’s key to building resilient, scalable and future-ready supply chain operations.

What does supply chain solution flexibility mean?

Solution flexibility refers to the ability to:

Implement automation in phases
Shift between traditional retail and e-Commerce fulfillment
Scale operations up or down based on demand
Relocate automation equipment if a facility lease ends or footprint shifts

Historically, automation meant committing to large, rigid infrastructure such as multi-level pick modules, conveyor belts and heavy sorters. These systems required significant upfront capital investment and were difficult, costly and often disruptive to modify or relocate.

They worked well in the 1990s distribution model, but not in today’s landscape where market conditions shift quickly, lease terms expire and product assortments evolve. Static systems can become a liability.

Instead, businesses need an approach that supports operational change, accommodates business growth and provides long-term stability.

Solution flexibility allows you to:

Implement automation in phases
Shift between fulfillment channels
Scale operations based on demand
Relocate automation equipment with ease

Flexible solutions built for growth

As supply chains continue to evolve, many organizations are rethinking the role of automation to increase efficiency and also support long-term adaptability. Traditional systems, while effective in static environments, are expensive to scale, difficult to relocate and rigid by design.

That’s why more companies are exploring robotic automation, not just for its performance, but for its flexibility. Solutions like AutoStore by FORTNA are built to adapt as businesses change. Unlike legacy infrastructure, these modular systems use a lightweight grid and robots that can be:

Installed quickly
Scaled gradually as demand grows
Relocated when facilities are outgrown or operations shift

During peak periods or surges in volume, some robotic providers offer robots-as-a-service, allowing companies to temporarily scale operations without permanent capital investment or excess overhead. Compare this to moving to a traditional system, which can cost millions and require months of downtime.

One FORTNA customer successfully relocated their AutoStore system from Southern California to Las Vegas at one-tenth the cost of moving conventional infrastructure. More importantly, the move allowed operations to respond fast, scale quickly and maintain business continuity, which was the key to supporting ongoing business growth and customer satisfaction.

Navigating demand peaks without overhiring

Across industries, seasonal peaks and demand fluctuations are common and, at times, unpredictable. Demand can surge up to 4x over a short period, yet only last six to eight weeks. Traditionally, this meant hiring seasonal labor in advance, investing in training and absorbing the cost of underutilized labor before and after the rush.

Flexible automation offers a more strategic alternative. Instead of overbuilding infrastructure or overstaffing operations, modular solutions that offer robots-as-a-service enable operations to scale when needed.

For example:

A system is designed to support up to 100 robots
70 robots run during normal operations
30 more robots are deployed temporarily to manage peak demand

In this scenario, infrastructure stays consistent, but throughput increases significantly. Since robots can operate across multiple shifts, productivity can be boosted through scheduling without relying on temporary labor.

This approach blends intelligent design with operational agility, minimizing labor costs while cutting the expense of supporting oversized systems during non-peak periods.

Fulfillment models that grow over time

Many facilities, especially those built before the rise of omnichannel commerce, were designed primarily for traditional replenishment. While these models worked well in the past, they often struggle to keep up with the speed, complexity and customer expectations of modern fulfillment.

As order profiles, channel mix and service levels evolve, inflexible infrastructure often become more pronounced. This is where solution flexibility becomes a strategic advantage. Instead of a full redesign or building separate distribution centers, many businesses prefer a phased approach, starting with automating e-Commerce processes.

This strategy offers several benefits:

Minimizes upfront capital investment
Eases the learning curve for warehouse staff
Scales with business growth
Supports a range of needs on one management software platform

As teams gain experience with technology and build confidence in their performance, automation naturally expands to support fulfillment as well.

The result is a model that grows alongside the business, rather than being bound to a rigid, multi-year capital plan. When flexibility is built in from the start, operations are better equipped to adapt and shift demand across channels without sacrificing efficiency.

Benefits of a solution flexibility strategy:

Minimizes upfront capital investment
Eases learning curve for workers
Scales with business growth
Supports range of needs on one management software platform

Customer meeting to analyze and discuss financial reports

Adapting fulfillment models across industries

While the pressure for speed is most visible in retail and e-Commerce, every industry is being reshaped by customer expectations and tighter lead times.

Healthcare and life sciences require precision fulfillment with zero tolerance for delay. Industrial and automotive supply chains are facing intense pressure to adapt to leaner managed inventory and shifting manufacturing sites. Even food and beverage operations balance freshness, traceability and just-in-time fulfillment.

Solution flexibility is not just about technology; it’s about designing processes that respond to the unique needs of each industry and business model. Whether fulfilling direct-to-consumer orders, shipping parts to manufacturing lines or distributing regulated products across global markets, flexibility allows operations to adapt quickly, safely and efficiently.

The same principles apply across industries: design with agility, scale with purpose and ensure the infrastructure becomes a platform for growth.

FORTNA partnered with a leading multi-brand apparel and footwear retailer with over 1,000 stores and one distribution center (DC). As e-Commerce demand grew, the pressure on the DC to handle both replenishment and direct-to-consumer fulfillment intensified. FORTNA worked closely with their team to enhance the DC’s e-Commerce capabilities through thoughtful design and modular automation, enabling faster, more efficient online order fulfillment without a full-scale infrastructure overhaul.

Key questions every supply chain leader should be asking

When it comes to automation, supply chain leaders are asking the same questions:

Is our current system scalable, or is it holding us back?
What’s our operational strategy for peak demand?
Can fulfillment models shift as business priorities change?
Are labor resources aligned with future needs?
Can we move or reconfigure infrastructure as we grow?

Answering these questions is the first step towards uncovering opportunities to reduce costs, improve performance and build a more resilient operation. However, each answer requires more than a one-size-fits-all solution.

That’s why FORTNA begins with understanding the full picture, including:

Existing infrastructure and inventory management systems
Throughput requirements and product mix
System integration, software applications and IT readiness
Growth projections and lease timelines
Workforce dynamics and business goals

Gaining the right insights often means going beyond real-time data. Engaging directly with operators and firsthand observations can reveal the daily challenges. Understanding operations is essential to finding the right path forward to maintaining a competitive advantage.

With that foundation, a solution strategy is built to align with business goals, operational needs and future growth, not only for today’s demands but also ready to evolve as needs change.

FORTNA Can Help

Flexibility is the foundation of supply chain resilience. Whether exploring automation for the first time or upgrading legacy systems, solution flexibility should be central to the strategy. FORTNA helps businesses across industries assess, design and implement solutions that deliver results now and scale for the future. Solutions that are practical, agile and built for long-term success. Let’s future-proof your distribution operations together.

Future-ready starts here

About the author

TJ Franco

Sales Director

TJ is a seasoned supply chain professional with over 15 years of experience in roles varying from production and sourcing, to importing and omnichannel distribution. TJ is a CSSC Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and a member of CSCMP and the Procurement Foundry.