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An owner’s representative for warehouse automation projects
Most automation projects don’t fail at go-live. They fail months earlier, at vendor selection, when six proposals come back with six different ideas of scope and nobody normalizes them. We sit on your side of the table from the first requirements workshop to the day the system runs at rate.
Where it pays off
Requirements you can defend
Order profiles, design-day and peak throughput, SKU velocity, storage sizing and growth. The numbers every vendor will quote against, built from your data and agreed by your team before the RFP goes out.
Proposals you can actually compare
A shuttle system, a unit-load ASRS and a fleet of mobile robots can all claim to hit your rate. They rarely include the same scope. Each proposal gets rebuilt on one baseline, then scored on weighted total cost of ownership, risk and fit.
Contracts that define done
Acceptance tests tied to your throughput, not the vendor’s demo. Clear exclusions, change-order rules, performance guarantees, spare parts and service terms that still make sense in year five.
Execution that stays on track
Weekly program management across the integrator, rack and steel, structural engineering, permitting, controls and WES. Problems get named early, while they’re still cheap.
How an engagement runs
- DiagnoseA working session on your operation, the business case and the constraint you’re trying to remove. Sometimes the honest answer is process change, not automation.
- DefineThroughput models, storage options, a concept layout and a budget range. This is the basis of design every vendor will price.
- SelectRFP, vendor qualification, site visits and reference calls, normalization and weighted scoring, then negotiation to a contract you understand.
- DeliverDesign reviews, submittals, schedule and budget tracking, factory and site acceptance testing, commissioning and ramp to rate.
What gets reviewed
The technologies change project to project. The questions don’t. Will it hit rate on the worst day of the year? What happens when a component fails at 2 a.m.? Who owns the software, and what does it cost in year three?
Typical scope includes ASRS and shuttle systems, AMRs and ACRs, sequencing buffers, conveyor and sortation, racking and rack-supported structures and WMS, WES and WCS integration.
Independence, stated plainly. We have partnerships with equipment and software makers. When we represent you, any relationship with a vendor on your shortlist is disclosed in writing before the evaluation starts, and the scoring method is agreed with you before a single proposal is opened.
Common questions
What does an owner's representative do on a warehouse automation project?
An owner’s rep sits on the buyer’s side of the table. On an automation project that means defining requirements and throughput targets, running a competitive RFP, normalizing proposals so they can be compared, negotiating scope and acceptance terms, and managing the integrator and suppliers through design, installation and commissioning.
When should I bring in an owner's rep?
Before the first quote. Most of the money on an automation project is committed during requirements and vendor selection. By the time a purchase order is signed, the biggest decisions have already been made.
Isn't the integrator already doing this?
Integrators do a lot of valuable design work, but they’re designing the solution they sell. An owner’s rep checks whether it’s the right solution, compares it to alternatives, and holds every party to the same definition of done.
Do you have relationships with automation vendors?
Yes, with manufacturers and software companies across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. When we represent a buyer, any commercial relationship with a vendor on the shortlist is disclosed in writing before the evaluation starts, and the scoring method is agreed with you up front.
How are engagements priced?
Usually as a fixed-fee phase for requirements and vendor selection, then a monthly retainer for program management through go-live. Smaller reviews, like a second opinion on a proposal you already have, can be priced as a short project.