Warehouse Automation Made Easy: One Workflow That Pays Off Fast

Introduction

Thinking about autonomy in your warehouse, but not sure where to begin? You’re not alone. Many operations leaders know they need to do something—to deal with labor challenges, rising costs, and pressure to boost throughput—but struggle to find a clear starting point.

Here’s some good news: you don’t need to overhaul your entire operation to see results. By automating one of the most common warehouse workflows—moving pallets from inbound staging to putaway—you can unlock quick wins, build a strong business case, and set yourself up for long-term success.

Step 1: Start with What's Repeatable

Every facility does it: receive pallets, stage them, and move them into storage. It’s repetitive, time-consuming, and usually handled by skilled forklift operators who could be spending their time on more complex, higher-value tasks.

That’s where Seegrid Autonomous Fork Trucks (AFTs) come in. They’re built to handle these repeatable, short and long haul runs with consistency, freeing up your team to focus where human judgment is really needed.

Step 2: Prove the ROI Quickly

Here’s what happened when a recent Seegrid customer began their journey by automating this single workflow in their warehousing operations:

• Over 10 full-time employees’ worth of time was freed up by using autonomous vehicles to handle the repetitive pallet moves.
• Payback happened fast—less than two years with a capital purchase (can be shortened to less than two months with financing).
• Over five years, the savings are predicted to exceed more than $1.5 million

That’s the kind of quick win that makes automation an easy “yes.” 

Want to dig deeper? Check out this Application Playbook, where you’ll find a detailed breakdown of how the application works—plus a customer’s 5-year financial impact.

Step 3: Don't Forget the Intangibles

The numbers tell a powerful story, but there are other benefits too:

• Happier teams: Nobody loves repetitive runs. Taking that off your operators’ plates means less burnout and more job satisfaction.
• Safer operations: Autonomous vehicles are predictable, steady, and built with safety in mind—lowering risk in busy areas.
• More reliable processes: AFTs don’t call off sick, don’t quit unexpectedly, and don’t cut corners.

These things may not show up directly on a spreadsheet, but they matter just as much.

Step 4: Keep It Simple to Scale

One of the best parts about starting here? It’s easy to grow.

You can begin with just a few vehicles in one zone, prove out the results, and then expand across shifts, facilities, or even your whole network. No infrastructure changes. No painful downtime. Just steady, scalable progress.

Step 5: Take the First Step

The hardest part of the automation journey is often the very beginning—choosing where to start. By focusing on a single, high-impact workflow like inbound staging to putaway, you can quickly prove the value, earn buy-in, and build momentum for additional autonomous applications.

Seegrid helps companies do exactly that: pinpoint the right starting point, set measurable goals, and make sure the results are there.

Conclusion

Automation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By starting small and smart, you can build a rock-solid business case and see returns almost immediately. Let Seegrid Autonomous Vehicles handle the repetitive work so your people can focus where they’re needed most—and watch the value add up.