# 282: Inside a Warehouse Automation Project: How Sumitomo Drive Technologies Is Transforming Logistics and Reshoring Operations

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2026-04-07
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Tony Barlett, COO, and Shawn Lambert, Operations Project Manager, from Sumitomo Drive Technologies, detail their ongoing warehouse automation project at their Chesapeake, Virginia headquarters. The initiative replaces 30,000 square feet of high-bay racking with a dense AutoStore system and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), integrated via Swisslog, to compress inventory into a 7,500 square foot footprint. The guests explain how this shift from pen-and-paper operations to a digital interface addresses labor shortages, improves safety, and enables the company to grow 50% over the next five years without a proportional increase in headcount.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=0) Introduction and Project Overview
- [5:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=310) The Walmart Analogy and System Mechanics
- [10:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=607) Business Case: Density and Labor Shortages
- [20:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=1202) Digital Transformation from Pen-and-Paper
- [21:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=1317) Workforce Impact and Recruitment Strategy
- [27:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=1629) Reshoring History and Manufacturing Evolution
- [30:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=1827) AI Integration and Future Scalability
- [34:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-07-282-inside-a-warehouse-automation-project-how-sumitomo-drive-technologies-is-tra#t=2085) Advice for Automation Projects

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Sumitomo Drive Technologies (company)
- AutoStore (product)
- Swisslog (company)
- Swisslog Sync (product)
- AGV (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [242. Mouser’s Matt Bell & The Next Generation of Automated Warehouses](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2026-03-10-242-mousers-matt-bell-the-next-generation-of-automated-warehouses) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Softbank distancing itself from Pepper, AutoStore's Mike Demko, robotics industry services](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-06-25-softbank-distancing-itself-from-pepper-autostores-mike-demko-robotics-industry-s) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Pushing the limits of warehouse inventory management](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-06-28-pushing-the-limits-of-warehouse-inventory-management) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Mark Messina on the future of warehouse automation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-03-18-mark-messina-on-the-future-of-warehouse-automation) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [New Atlas video; Climbing to new heights in warehouse automation with BionicHive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-11-01-new-atlas-video-climbing-to-new-heights-in-warehouse-automation-with-bionichive) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

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