Kenco triples warehouse robotics lab to test 30 systems at scale

Kenco triples warehouse robotics lab to test 30 systems at scale

Third-party logistics provider Kenco is expanding its warehouse automation testing facility from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet at its Chattanooga, Tennessee headquarters, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for September 10. The enlarged Innovation Lab will house at least 30 different robot types spanning more than a dozen technology categories, according to Ainsley Williams, Kenco's Vice President of Automation and Innovation.

The expansion represents a strategic shift from evaluating isolated automation tools to testing integrated, multi-robot systems that mirror real warehouse operations. Williams told FreightWaves that the original lab, launched in 2015, quickly became constrained by space limitations when testing individual point solutions.

Why it matters

For an industry where automation deployments routinely fail or underperform, Kenco's vendor-neutral testing model addresses a critical gap: validating how multiple robotic systems work together before committing capital in live facilities. The company operates roughly 140 distribution centers and manages equipment at those sites, giving it direct operational exposure to technology choices. That dual role as both selector and operator creates structural incentives to identify failures in controlled settings rather than production environments.

End-to-end automation on display

The lab's first major demonstration will showcase a complete trailer unloading workflow. One robot will unload pallets directly from dock doors, a second will transport those pallets into the facility, and a third will depalletize cases. Gray Matter software will orchestrate the connected systems, with AutoStore and GrayOrange's HiCLiME platforms among the technologies on the floor. Williams described the vision as a near-lights-out process observable from an overlooking conference room.

"A failed test in a lab is still a successful test in a lab because you wanted to watch it fail," Williams said. "That's kind of the purpose of a lab — to push it to failure. That's not the purpose of production."

Solving the sequencing problem

Williams identified random mixed-SKU pallet building as a particularly high-impact focus area. Current robotic palletizing solutions require cases to arrive in precise sequence, a constraint that works for automated storage and retrieval systems but proves impractical for most 3PL operations. Eliminating that sequencing requirement could unlock pallet-build automation for warehouses measuring 800,000 square feet or larger, Williams said.

The expanded footprint also enables vertical testing that the original lab could not accommodate, including cycle-counting towers that travel up and down warehouse aisles. This reflects broader industry movement toward high-bay automation as available floor space becomes scarce. Williams noted that a single palletizing or depalletizing robot would have consumed virtually the entire previous lab on its own.

Kenco maintains a deliberately vendor-neutral stance in the lab, Williams emphasized. The September 10 event will include Kenco operations staff, suppliers, customers, local politicians, college students, and media.

These details were first reported by FreightWaves.