The Automation Journey | A Podcast from Rocrich AGV Solutions

Your automated system is installed. The vendor says it's ready. So why isn't it performing? Scope creep, vendor accountability gaps, and underperforming systems in the first 90 days - these are three of the most common and costly challenges in complex automation deployments. And they're almost always avoidable. This excerpt from Episode 5 of The Automation Journey covers the section of the convers...

Most automation buyers know they need to comply with standards. Very few know which ones apply, where the boundaries sit, or what happens when two standards conflict. This excerpt from Episode 4 of The Automation Journey covers the standards landscape governing mobile automation in North America - what ANSI B56.5, R15.08, and ISO 3691-4 each require, how to choose the right framework for your faci...

Your automated vehicle meets every standard on paper. But is your facility actually ready to operate differently? In this episode, Colin sits down with Pat Davison, Director of Standards at MHI - the largest material handling and supply chain association in North America - to cut through one of the most misunderstood areas of any automation project: the standards landscape. Pat has been involved i...

Most automation projects start in the wrong place. The technology gets chosen before the process gets redesigned. The pilot gets scoped too small to succeed. And by the time the robots arrive, the foundation wasn't ready for them. In this excerpt from Episode 3 of The Automation Journey, Troy Donnelly covers the fundamentals that determine whether automation delivers - from mobile automation compl...

Most automation failures don't start with bad technology. They start with automating the wrong process. Troy Donnelly has spent nearly three decades designing, implementing and operating automated systems - from an automated 3PL to leading Toyota's global autonomous vehicle strategy. In this episode, he shares how to identify which processes are actually worth automating, why redesigning operation...

Integrated automation looks seamless on paper. Making it work is a different challenge entirely. In this excerpt from Episode 2 of The Automation Journey, Lina Alvarado, Director of Supply Planning and Execution, walks through the implementation realities that catch even experienced teams off guard - from the knowledge gap left when vendors move on, to the SOP documentation no one thinks to prepar...

Vendor selection isn't about the slickest pitch. It's about who stays when the system breaks. You're planning a major warehouse automation project. Multiple vendors, integrated systems, tight timelines. But how do you protect your ROI when the real world doesn't match the business case? Lina Alvarado is a Director of Supply Planning and Execution with over 20 years in supply chain and distribution...

Getting everyone aligned on an automation initiative is one of the hardest parts of the process. In this short-form episode, host Colin Hutchings and Derrick Shannonhouse, VP of Transformation at Equipment Depot, cut straight to the practical steps — from securing a C-suite mandate to structuring a program management office that keeps projects moving without creating bottlenecks. Listen to the ful...

How do you know when automation is actually the answer, and where on earth do you start? In the debut episode of The Automation Journey, host Colin Hutchings sits down with Derrick Shannonhouse, VP of Transformation at Equipment Depot, to work through the signals that reveal a facility is at a breaking point, how to build a business case that survives scrutiny, and the single most common mistake t...

Mobile automation is messy. Brownfield constraints. Finance is pushing back on ROI. Safety sign-offs. Departments that need actually to work together. The Automation Journey cuts through the noise and helps you make decisions that stick. Each episode tackles one fundamental question: Where do we even start? How do we build a business case that finance will believe? What does "safe by design" actua...