Warehouse Automation for 3PL

When Manual Processes Begin Slowing Everything Down

Plenty of ecommerce brands start with fulfillment methods that feel human sized. A few carts, a few shelves, a handful of SKUs, and a nice predictable rhythm. But as the order volume climbs and the catalog expands, manual workflows begin to sag under their own weight. The same tasks that once felt simple turn into a daily obstacle course of long walks, repetitive motion, paper notes, and improvised decisions. Warehouse automation for 3PL becomes the topic brands search for when they realize that effort alone cannot scale. They need systems that multiply that effort instead of absorbing it.

Automation is not about replacing people. It is about redirecting them. Every minute a worker spends walking across a warehouse, hunting for a misplaced SKU, or redoing a task because a step was missed, is a minute not spent on work that genuinely requires judgment. Good automation removes friction so humans can focus on precision rather than exhaustion.

Why Growing Warehouses Turn Messy Without Structure

Growth rarely arrives in neat increments. Brands double or triple volume during promotions and peak seasons. They add SKUs faster than they add shelving. They bring in new staff who must figure out the labyrinth while the clock is ticking. The result is predictable. Walking becomes the biggest cost. Errors multiply. Fatigue spreads. Teams spend as much time fixing issues as they do fulfilling orders.

Maureen Milligan, Director of Operations and Projects at G10, helps brands untangle these challenges. She explains that "most of the customers who come to us from another 3PL, their challenges have always been access to their data, order accuracy and efficiency, and meeting the committed requirements." Those symptoms often point to a lack of automation. A warehouse dependent on manual processes loses visibility, burns labor, and misses expectations because the system cannot keep up with the volume.

Scanning: The Foundation of Every Automated Workflow

The first step toward automation is not robotics or conveyor belts. It is scanning. Without accurate, real time data, automation has nothing to work with. That is why Connor Perkins, Director of Fulfillment at G10, stresses that "you want everything to be scanned in the warehouse, nothing done on paper." Scanning captures truth at the moment it happens. It eliminates delayed updates, mystery movements, and the guesswork that forces teams to double check work already done.

Once everything is scanned, automation becomes possible. The WMS knows where inventory was received, where it was stored, who handled it, and how long it has been waiting. From that baseline, automated replenishment, pick routing, exception alerts, and real time reporting can all function without bending under the weight of bad data.

Robotics That Shrink Pick Paths and Worker Fatigue

Walking is one of the largest hidden costs in a warehouse. Every unnecessary step burns time and energy. Automation reduces those steps without forcing workers into unrealistic speeds. Holly Woods, Director of Operations at G10, explains that "the Zebra robots are allowing efficiency with pick paths. They are lowering fatigue on employees." Instead of requiring people to travel across wide warehouse zones, automation brings work to them.

Smart robotics systems guide pickers through optimized routes, group batches logically, and reduce the risk of mispicks by presenting the right item at the right moment. Workers stay fresher, make fewer errors, and handle more volume without sprinting. Automation does not remove the worker. It removes the friction.

Eliminating Paper Removes Entire Categories of Mistakes

Paper seems harmless when volume is low. As tasks multiply, paper becomes the enemy of accuracy. Information on paper gets smudged, outdated, or tossed into a pocket and forgotten. Workers rely on memory to cross check information. Inventory is updated after the fact instead of as it happens. Automation solves this by turning every touchpoint into a timestamped event the WMS can trust.

Connor underscores this need for discipline. Every scan is a proof point that ties physical movement to digital truth. Without that, automation becomes nothing more than wishful thinking layered on top of guesswork.

Automated Putaway That Prevents Downstream Chaos

Putaway is one of the most underestimated pieces of warehouse efficiency. Place products in the wrong zone, and you break every downstream step. Automated putaway uses rules inside the WMS to assign products to locations based on velocity, size, packaging type, and demand patterns.

Bryan Wright, CTO and COO at G10, highlights how tight tracking matters here. He describes how the system shows that "the product landed on the dock at 8 o'clock. At 8:10, John picked it up and took it to location XYZ." That level of visibility gives automation something solid to work from. When the system knows where everything lives, it can prevent pickers from wandering the aisles or guessing which pallet contains which SKU.

Slotting That Changes With Your Business

Warehouse slotting used to be a static project done once a year. Modern automation makes it dynamic. As new SKUs enter the catalog and customer demand shifts, the WMS recommends new slotting patterns that shorten pick paths and reduce congestion. High velocity items move closer to packing. Seasonal SKUs shift into temporary zones. Slow movers migrate to upper racks or farther aisles.

Automation turns slotting from a guessing game into a strategic tool. It also helps warehouses stay flexible instead of becoming rigid structures that break every time a brand grows faster than expected.

Automation Across Multi Node Networks

Automation is valuable inside a single warehouse. It becomes transformative across multiple nodes. G10 operates in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas, which means automation helps route orders to the best node, sync inventory across locations, and ensure that each facility is using the same rules instead of improvising.

A multi node network without automation becomes chaos multiplied by geography. Each warehouse invents its own processes. Each region handles tasks differently. Orders get routed inconsistently. Automation keeps the network coordinated so that performance does not depend on who happens to be working in each building on a given day.

Marketplaces Reward Automated Consistency

Marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok Shop measure performance ruthlessly. Late shipments, inaccurate inventory, and slow confirmations hurt placement, visibility, and conversion. Automation helps brands meet marketplace expectations by reducing latency between events. When inventory updates instantly and orders move from pick to pack to scan without delay, marketplaces see stability rather than volatility.

Joel Malmquist, VP of Customer Experience, explains that G10’s systems integrate directly with platforms like Shopify and feed the same backbone used for shipping into retailers such as Target and Walmart. Automated workflows ensure that every channel sees the same truth instead of a scatter of mismatched updates.

Automation That Protects Teams Instead of Replacing Them

Some people imagine automation as a cold replacement for human work. In practice, the opposite is true. Automation shields workers from the most physically demanding, repetitive, and error prone tasks. It reduces walking, minimizes lifting, and shrinks the mental load of remembering special instructions.

Holly notes that reduced fatigue leads to better accuracy and improved morale. Workers can focus longer and handle more complex steps because they are not exhausted by the simplest ones. Automation becomes a support system that helps retain talent instead of churning through it.

Peak Season Without Panic

Peak season tests every assumption in a warehouse. Without automation, the only lever is extra labor. With automation, volume becomes manageable. Robot assisted pick paths absorb spikes. Automated replenishment reduces bottlenecks. Scan based workflows prevent the surge from becoming a guessing game.

Holly describes G10’s peak process clearly: "we start planning peak times months ahead of time. We run forecast models, staffing models, and we audit inventory." Automation strengthens this preparation by making the baseline more predictable. You cannot plan peak if your normal operations already wobble. Automation stabilizes the everyday so peak does not break the system.

Automation as the Backbone of Growth

The real value of warehouse automation for 3PL is not measured in minutes saved or steps avoided, though those benefits add up. The real value lies in replacing chaos with calm. Brands stop firefighting. Teams stop guessing. Data stops drifting. The warehouse becomes predictable, scalable, and ready for more volume without needing more stress.

Mark Becker, CEO and founder of G10, explains the mindset well. Speaking of customers, he says that "we are going to grow with them." Automation is one of the ways that promise becomes real. When systems carry more of the load, growth feels like opportunity instead of pressure. If your warehouse is running on memory, paper, and adrenaline, it may be time to talk to G10 about building an automated foundation that grows with your ambition.