One in Four Supply Chain Leaders Regret Their Warehouse Automation Decision, and 94% Say Switching Would Be Prohibitively Expensive

Exotec research traces "robot regret" to three decisions buyers make before the contract is signed: cost, accountability and readiness

ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Exotec, a global warehouse robotics provider, today released Avoid Robot Regret: What Separates Automation That Delivers from Automation That Disappoints, based on a survey of 250 supply chain decision-makers across the United States and Canada. The findings reveal a gap between what buyers expect from automation and what they get, with one in four supply chain leaders saying they wish they had gone a different way. However, once they made the decision, 94% said switching providers would be prohibitively expensive, leaving most buyers with the system they chose for the next 10 to 15 years.

Larger budgets and bigger teams don't prevent the problem. Companies with over $1 billion in revenue were more likely to say their most significant automation investment underperformed compared to those with less than $1 billion in revenue (21% vs. 13%). Across the survey, regret traced back to three decisions made before implementation: underestimating lifetime ownership cost, leaving accountability for issue resolution unclear, and implementing automation before the operation was ready.

Lifetime cost. Sixty-five percent of leaders say total cost of ownership came in higher than expected. Seventy percent say undisclosed costs have raised their annual maintenance spend. Among respondents whose systems underperformed, 43% said total costs ran 26% to 100% above expectations.

Clear accountability for performance. Sixty percent of respondents had a system designed by more than one company, and one in seven say they haven't seen the benefits of automation because no vendor takes full responsibility for performance. Buyers who worked directly with the equipment manufacturer rated the speed of root-cause identification higher than other buyers (75% vs. 69%).

Timing. More than a quarter (27%) say their operation wasn't ready when they invested. Early adopters with dedicated automation teams and leadership oversight rarely regretted their choice: 1% say they picked the wrong vendor, compared with 11% of fast followers.

"What we heard from supply chain leaders is that regret is rarely about the technology itself," said Romain Moulin, CEO and co-founder of Exotec. "It starts when a system built by several vendors stops working as one, and the customer is left figuring out who is responsible for the fix. The operations that get the most from their automation are the ones where a single partner owns the whole system performance, from design through the years it runs."

Buyers who chose low-cost providers report regret most often. They were nearly five times as likely to say they picked the wrong vendor (24% vs. 5% of other buyers), and only 52% rated root-cause identification as fast, compared with 74% of other buyers. Across all respondents, 59% say low-cost providers hide costs and common complications upfront, and 22% say their vendor didn't deliver what it promised during the sales process.

Additional findings from the report

• Automation is now table stakes. 91% of supply chain leaders say automation is now a basic requirement, and 86% of those who have automated say they head into peak season more confident than before.
• AI use is near-universal, maturity is not. 99% of organizations use AI in some form, but 24% are still in the pilot phase.
• Humanoids trail purpose-built robots on expected ROI. Most respondents (77%) trust purpose-built fulfillment automation to deliver better ROI than humanoids in the next five years, though 48% say they're optimistic about implementing humanoids.

Exotec conducted this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by RepData among n=250 supply chain decision-makers working full-time in North America (Canada and United States) who oversee and have influence over automation solutions in their warehouses and organizations. Data was collected August 17 to 31, 2026.

To read the full report, click here.

About Exotec

Exotec is a global warehouse automation leader delivering flexible, reliable end-to-end robotic solutions for modern fulfillment operations. By designing and manufacturing its own technology and solutions, Exotec serves as a single automation provider, reducing complexity and risk while accelerating time to value compared to traditional systems. Over 75 industry-leading brands including Oxford Industries (Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer), Carrefour, Decathlon, and UNIQLO trust Exotec to improve operations across 200+ sites worldwide.

SOURCE Exotec