Investing in resilience: Why future-ready warehouses start with automation
May 13, 2025
And how DexoryView delivered 219% ROI in less than 6 months.
Warehouses are under immense pressure to perform. The days of manual inventory checks and siloed data are gone, or should be. Forward-thinking businesses are recognising that automation isn't a "nice to have": it's a necessity for efficiency, accuracy, and long-term competitiveness. But where should that investment go, and how quickly can it pay off?
According to a Forrester Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study commissioned by Dexory in December 2024, companies deploying DexoryView—a warehouse intelligence platform powered by autonomous robotics and real-time analytics—achieved an impressive 219% return on investment (ROI) over three years, with a payback period of under 6 months.
So, why are businesses betting big on warehouse automation? And how can they be sure that the return is real?
Why your next competitive edge starts on the warehouse floor
The case for automation: More than a cost-cutting tool
When most people think about automation, they focus on reducing labour costs. And while automation certainly streamlines labour-intensive tasks, its true value lies in visibility, adaptability, and speed.
Today’s warehouses are dynamic engines at the heart of the supply chain. Yet many still rely on outdated, manual processes that limit insight, increase risk, and constrain performance.
According to Forrester’s interviews with leading logistics and warehouse operations teams, businesses were previously relying on staff using forklifts and spreadsheets to perform time-consuming inventory counts. This resulted in:
- Poor inventory accuracy
- Excessive stockholding
- Lost pallets and time-consuming investigations
- Operational downtime during audits
- Suboptimal use of warehouse space
- Declining customer satisfaction due to delayed or incomplete orders
These inefficiencies are expensive. And they scale with every warehouse added.
DexoryView: Automation with intelligence
DexoryView is more than an automation tool. It’s a full-stack solution combining autonomous robots that scan warehouses from floor to ceiling with an AI-powered platform that turns real-time data into actionable insights.
The robots autonomously collect data at speed (up to 10,000 locations per hour), removing the need for forklifts and manual checks. DexoryView then maps this data into a live digital twin of the facility, surfacing discrepancies, tracking inventory movement, and uncovering optimisation opportunities across operations.
Quantifying the payoff: What the Forrester study found
To evaluate the business impact of DexoryView, Forrester Consulting built a composite organisation representing a global 3PL with $2 billion in annual revenue and 300 warehouses worldwide. This hypothetical company implemented DexoryView across three warehouses over three years. The results were significant:
Key financial benefits over three years:
- $1.1M in reduced stockholding costs
- $915K in savings from fewer lost pallets
- $867K from automated cycle counting efficiencies
- $693K from reduced fines due to better fulfillment
- $264K in reduced racking damage
- $216K saved on empty location checks
- $254K in reduced audit fees
Total quantified benefits: $4.3 million
Total risk-adjusted costs: $1.35 million
Net present value (NPV): $2.96 million
What stands out is how fast those benefits begin to accumulate. With a payback period of less than 6 months, DexoryView pays off long before many capital investments reach break-even.
Beyond the numbers: Operational and strategic wins
While the financial results speak volumes, the operational improvements enabled by DexoryView are equally compelling.
1. Inventory accuracy
With daily scans, organisations reported inventory accuracy reaching 99.9%, a massive leap from the industry norm. This not only improves planning and reduces write-offs, but also builds trust with customers.
2. Staff productivity and retention
By automating cycle counting, businesses reallocated staff to higher-value tasks instead of eliminating roles, boosting morale, efficiency, and retention. In one case, four cycle counters and a researcher were redeployed to revenue-generating departments.
3. Space optimisation
Real-time visibility into empty slots and overstocked areas meant smarter use of every square metre. The platform’s insights allowed one company to reduce stockholding time by 30%, increasing pallet churn and revenue per square metre.
4. Faster, cleaner audits
With automated daily reports, audit preparation no longer requires halting operations. One company reduced its audit prep time from five days to zero.
5. Health, safety, and cleanliness
The presence of Dexory robots led to improved warehouse conditions, from fewer forklifts on the floor to cleaner aisles and more legible barcodes. This translated into improved safety and even a 99.4% employee retention rate.
Explore how DCL Logistics uses real-time data to transform inventory management
The real cost of waiting
Forrester's study also highlights the risk of inaction. Businesses that delay automation face mounting costs, operational rigidity, and customer dissatisfaction. In a sector where real-time responsiveness is the new competitive edge, visibility gaps can cost millions.
Here’s what businesses stand to lose by sticking with manual or semi-automated processes:
- Labour-intensive operations are prone to error
- Overstocking and space inefficiencies
- Fines from missed SLAs
- Lost customer trust due to fulfilment errors
- Slow adaptation to market fluctuations
A scalable model for growth
Crucially, DexoryView’s benefits are scalable. The composite company only implemented the platform in three warehouses, yet unlocked nearly $3 million in net value. As companies expand usage across sites, standardised processes and centralised insights help scale performance consistently.
And with no upfront hardware purchase, Dexory retains ownership of the robot and provides full support through a subscription model, scaling is both fast and cost-effective.
Automation with ROI that’s real, and fast
In an environment where every decision must be justified by measurable outcomes, DexoryView proves that warehouse automation can go beyond promise and deliver tangible impact.
With autonomous robots, AI-driven analytics, and real-time visibility, DexoryView enables not just automation, but transformation, turning warehouses into adaptive, data-powered assets.
As Forrester’s TEI study shows:
219% ROI. Payback in under 6 months.
That’s not just a good investment. It’s a strategic imperative.