Playing the Long Game | FORTNA

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Article

Play the Long Game

There are many system integrators of warehouse automation equipment, so how does a potential customer choose the right one? During LogiMAT Stuttgart, David Priestman of Logistics Business interviewed Thomas van Workum, President International, and Ric Nuttall, VP of International Sales at FORTNA about the choices and opportunities involved.

Article appeared in Logistics Business Magazine | May 2026.

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Volatility and change are here to stay in modern supply chains, prompting many organizations to accelerate automation initiatives. In this interview, Thomas van Workum and Ric Nuttall discuss how organizations can approach automation decisions in a structured way, what criteria should guide technology evaluation, and how to prepare operations for future change.

There are three major forces that we see in the market now. Firstly, the cost and availability of labor is shifting fast. That drives automation. Labor is more expensive, if you’re able to find it. For many years the ROI calculation was the cost of automation versus the cost of manual labor. Now it’s the cost of automation versus the absence of labor.

Thomas van Workum

President International, FORTNA

Key Takeaways

Start with the problem. Automation decisions should be driven by operational requirements and business objectives, not technology trends.
Stay technology-agnostic. The best solution is not always the newest solution—or the one from a single supplier.
Labor continues to drive change. Workforce availability, cost and productivity remain key factors in automation strategies.
Build for flexibility. Operations must adapt to changing volumes, order profiles and customer expectations.
Think beyond the warehouse. Automation decisions increasingly influence broader business performance, resilience and growth.