10 minutes with...

Tell us who you are.

I'm passionate about helping organisations get the most out of their automation investments. Throughout my career I've worked at the intersection of people, process and technology, helping businesses not just implement automation, but build the capability and resilience needed to succeed long term. 

Today, I lead Lifecycle Services for the Kardex business arm, Remstar, across Australia and New Zealand. I work with organisations across a range of industries, helping them improve performance, navigate change and create operations that are fit for the future. For me, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing customers realise value well beyond the initial implementation.

What is your primary market in ANZ?

We work with organisations that rely on efficient and reliable material handling operations. That includes manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, healthcare, mining, government and a range of other sectors across Australia and New Zealand. 

While every industry has its own challenges, most are facing similar pressures around labour availability, rising costs, productivity and customer expectations. They're all looking for ways to build more efficient and resilient operations.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment?

The biggest shift I'm seeing is the need for greater resilience. 

A few years ago, most automation projects were driven primarily by productivity and efficiency. Those factors are still important, but today organisations are also looking at how they future-proof their operations against labour shortages, skills gaps, supply chain disruptions and increasing customer expectations. 

The conversation has shifted from simply improving performance to building businesses that can adapt and respond to change more effectively

How does your company help them to overcome it?

We help customers build resilience into their operations through a combination of automation, service and long-term partnership. 

The technology is only one part of the equation. Through lifecycle services, preventative maintenance, remote support and ongoing optimisation, we help customers maximise performance throughout the life of their investment. 

I've always believed the real measure of success isn't what happens on installation day. It's the value customers continue to realise years down the track.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

AI has enormous potential, particularly when it comes to helping organisations make better and faster decisions. 

We're already seeing opportunities in areas such as predictive maintenance, operational analytics and inventory optimisation. As these technologies mature, we'll move towards systems that can not only identify issues but provide recommendations before problems impact the operation. 

That said, AI is only as good as the data and processes behind it. Our focus is on helping customers build the right foundations so they can take advantage of these technologies in a practical and meaningful way.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?

I don't think there's going to be one piece of technology that completely changes the game. The real transformation will come from how organisations bring together AI, automation and data to create more connected operations. 

We're already collecting more information than ever before. The next step is turning that information into insights that help businesses make smarter decisions in real time. 

The organisations that will lead the way won't necessarily be the ones with the most automation. They'll be the ones that can connect people, systems and data to improve visibility, respond faster and make better decisions.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

For me, innovation starts with curiosity.

The best ideas often come from the people closest to the customer or the challenge being solved. We encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across our teams because that's where meaningful innovation happens.

Technology changes quickly, but organisations that create a culture of learning and adaptability are the ones that stay ahead.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

People want to know they're making a difference.

I've found that the best way to attract and retain great people is to create an environment where they can grow, contribute and see the impact of their work. That means investing in development, providing opportunities to take ownership and building a culture based on trust and respect.

At the end of the day, people stay where they feel valued and where they can continue to learn.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

I see automation as an enabler, not a replacement for people.

The future isn't about removing humans from operations. It's about removing repetitive and low-value tasks so people can focus on problem solving, innovation and creating value for customers.

The businesses that get the most from automation will be those that use it to enhance the capability of their workforce rather than simply reduce costs.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

I always come back to one simple question: what problem are we trying to solve?

It's easy to get caught up in new technology, but technology should never be the objective. It should be the enabler.

Whether it's a new solution, a new process or a new way of working, my focus is always on creating sustainable value for customers, employees and the business.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

That successful transformation is much more about people than technology. When I first started, I probably spent too much time focusing on the solution itself. 

Over the years I've learnt that the technology is often the easy part. The real challenge is helping people embrace change, build confidence and align around a common goal. The more experience I gain, the more convinced I become that people are the most important part of any transformation journey.

Tell us who you are.

I’m Andrew Leslie, CEO of A&RT, an Australian industrial automation company that helps manufacturers in food, packaging and broader industry actually make their operations work better, not just look good in a PowerPoint.

My background is in electronics, robotics and industrial automation, but if I’m honest, I’ve spent most of my career trying to make complicated systems look simple enough that people assume they were simple to begin with.

That’s probably my main skill, making hard things look easy. It’s a bit of a double-edged compliment. You’ll be standing there after a project works and someone will say, “Oh, that doesn’t look too hard, I could probably build that.”Which is great… until you realise that’s only true because someone already did a fairly large amount of unglamorous work making it behave properly.

A lot of my time is spent between engineers, operators and executives translating, unblocking, and occasionally reminding all three groups that physics is not, unfortunately, optional.

What is your primary market in ANZ?

We tend to work with businesses at a point where growth starts exposing operational bottlenecks, whether that’s labour constraints, safety risks, inconsistent output, quality challenges or ageing processes that no longer scale.

Food manufacturing in particular is a fascinating space because the expectations keep rising: higher throughput, better traceability, less waste, tighter margins and greater consistency, all while maintaining quality.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge currently driving customer investment?

The biggest shift really started with COVID, and it hasn’t gone away, it just evolved.

Before COVID, most manufacturers could absorb inefficiencies with labour. If something got hard, slow or inconsistent, you could usually just hire your way out of it. That stopped overnight.

COVID exposed how fragile that model actually was, not just in terms of supply chains, but in day-to-day operations: labour availability, absenteeism, shifting demand patterns, and the general reality that “normal operations” can disappear very quickly.

Since then, we’ve seen a permanent change in how businesses think. It’s less about optimisation for cost alone, and more about operational resilience, can we still run if conditions aren’t ideal, if labour is tight, or if demand moves unpredictably?

In food and manufacturing especially, the conversation has shifted from “How do we reduce cost per unit?” to “How do we make sure we can keep producing at all, consistently?”

And once that question shows up, automation stops being a nice-to-have and starts becoming part of the operating model.

How does your company help them overcome it?

We focus on solving the actual problem, not just selling equipment.

Automation is sometimes portrayed as a silver bullet, but in reality the best outcomes usually come from understanding process flow, product characteristics, maintenance realities and operational pain points.

Sometimes that means robotics. Sometimes it’s smarter controls, better material handling, machine upgrades or process redesign.

Our philosophy is to right-size the solution. Industrial automation should feel like a competitive advantage, not an expensive science experiment.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

We’re excited about AI, but practical about where it creates real value.

Industrial environments demand reliability, so we’re less interested in AI for the sake of AI and more interested in applications that improve operational performance.

Areas like predictive maintenance, fault diagnostics, process optimisation, machine vision and operational decision support are especially promising.

Most factories already have enormous amounts of data. The challenge isn’t collecting more, it’s turning it into decisions that actually improve performance.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the ANZ industrial sector in the next five years?

I think we’ll see a major shift toward flexible, intelligent automation.

Historically, automation worked best in highly repeatable environments with little variability. That’s changing.

Technologies like advanced vision systems, adaptive robotics and smarter software layers will allow manufacturers to handle greater product variation, shorter production runs and changing demand without massive complexity.

For food manufacturing especially, that flexibility could be transformative.

The other shift will simply be accessibility, technology that once only made sense for very large manufacturers will increasingly become viable for mid-sized businesses.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

We try to build a culture that is practical, collaborative and curious.

Industrial automation has a way of keeping everyone humble. If you think you know everything, a production line will usually correct that assumption fairly quickly.

We encourage people to challenge ideas, stay close to operational realities and make decisions with confidence, while staying adaptable enough to change direction when needed.

Some of the best ideas don’t come from boardrooms. They come from standing on a production floor hearing an operator say: “This bit drives us crazy every shift.”

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

People want meaningful problems to solve and a sense that their work matters.

One of the advantages of industrial automation is that the outcomes are tangible. You can point to something and say, “We built that. We improved that.”

We also focus on giving people variety, ownership and opportunities to grow. Engineers, technicians and automation specialists tend to thrive when they’re learning and solving new problems.

And, importantly, we try to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, because nobody gets into engineering dreaming about spreadsheets and approval workflows.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

I see automation becoming a core capability of modern manufacturing rather than a competitive luxury.

The goal isn’t replacing people. It’s creating safer, more productive and more resilient operations.

In sectors like food manufacturing, automation will increasingly help improve consistency, quality, traceability and workplace safety while helping businesses remain globally competitive.

The best factories of the future won’t be “lights out.” They’ll be smarter environments where people and technology work better together.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

High conviction, loosely held.

You need a clear perspective and the confidence to make decisions, but also enough humility to adjust when the facts change.

We try to stay focused on customer problems rather than becoming overly attached to particular technologies.

Because in automation, the shiny thing is not always the right thing.

Our Business Strategy Consulting services help small businesses develop a roadmap for growth. We work with you to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and create a tailored plan to achieve your business goals.

Tell us who you are.

A Senior Manager in Grant Thornton Australia’s supply chain and management consulting team, based in Sydney. I’ve spent the last 18 plus years designing, fixing, and occasionally rescuing supply chains across retail, FMCG, healthcare, and logistics, including warehouses, DC builds, automation programs, and the governance that stops them going sideways. Before consulting, I cut my teeth in delivery roles at a leading intralogistics provider, so I’m as comfortable on a warehouse floor as I am in a meeting room debate about best practice. 

What is your primary market in ANZ?

We work where the supply chain is business-critical and the trade-offs are real: retail and consumer, FMCG, healthcare, and industrial businesses investing in distribution centres, automation, and productivity uplift.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge that is currently driving customer investment?

Volatility is now constant rather than exceptional, challenging traditional approaches to warehousing and transport as sudden shifts in demand become common. Labour shortages have become a persistent structural issue across Australia's economy, directly impacting logistics operations such as staffing, safety, and wages. Space remains another ongoing challenge: low industrial vacancy rates mean simply expanding facilities is less viable, so businesses are focusing on maximising existing space, increasing throughput, and enhancing flexibility.

However, as the past eight weeks of volatile global events have demonstrated, operating amid significant energy uncertainty is proving to be the most influential factor affecting costs and driving outcomes but with tailored investment.

How does your company help them to overcome it?
We help clients take uncertainty out by building options that work across scenarios.

Our work usually starts with an end-to-end diagnostic that maps operational reality to commercial impact. We translate what’s happening on the floor into what it means for their EBIT, service, and working capital, then we prioritise the moves that actually shift those outcomes.

From there, we’re comfortable sitting across strategy and execution. If the answer is “fix the operating model and processes first”, we’ll say it. If the answer is “invest but do it in a way that protects flexibility, scalability and cashflow”, we’ll build the case and the delivery path. On every project, we embed our team with our clients to ensure optimal results.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

We treat AI the same way we treat automation. If it cannot be operated, governed, and measured in a live environment, it’s theatre. So, our preparation is grounded in the unglamorous stuff: data quality, system integration across ERP/WMS/TMS, and the capability to interrogate operations with analytics (Power BI, SQL, financial models) so decisions are based on evidence, not gut feel. 

The Australian market is also telling a clear story: many operators expect technology to take cost out, but legacy systems and workforce readiness are major barriers to getting value from AI investments. That gap between “buying” and “benefiting” is exactly where we tend to be most useful.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?
It's not just one machine - it's an integrated system that drives major disruption. 

Successful organisations will be those that coordinate automation, people, software, and exceptions across diverse environments without a single point of failure.

Australia's policy and industry focus on resilience, productivity, and data supports technologies and operating models built to adapt quickly to disruption, rather than only excel in stable conditions.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

We are most effective when we maintain transparency and integrity in our work. This involves relying on evidence-based approaches, implementing iterative cycles of testing and improvement, and delivering results that provide practical value to executive teams.

Additionally, it requires addressing challenging issues directly. For instance, if a client requests automation but is experiencing significant issues with master data or inbound variability, we address these concerns candidly rather than overlooking them. Engaging in honest discussions early helps prevent costly setbacks in the future.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

We give our capable people real challenges early and let them see the broader impact of their work. Engagement grows when team members understand the entire process, not just isolated tasks, helping them develop valuable judgment.

Flexibility is important, but it is also paired with guidance - effective teams maintain high standards, give fast feedback, and support growth without setting members up to fail.

What’s your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

Automation will become a core part of how Australian operations manage risk and service, not a side project with a go-live date. 

The long-term shift is towards operations that can scale up and down, protect safety, and keep service reliable even when labour availability, demand patterns, and space constraints move against you. 

In that world, the best automation is the one that stays valuable when the business changes. Product mix shifts, channels evolve, leases roll, customers demand tighter windows. If the system cannot adapt, it becomes a stranded asset.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

We begin with the promise - what customers expect and what the business aims to achieve. We then build backwards through the operating model, data, process, and technology. When this approach is clear, we can pinpoint operational changes, their impact on the P&L, and justify investment. If the explanation isn’t straightforward, we shouldn’t spend yet.

What’s one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you first started in this field?
That technology is rarely the reason a program succeeds or fails. The people, integration, governance, data discipline, and the Day 2 operating model are the reasons.

I used to think the “big decision” was selecting the right automation solution. Now I think the big decision is designing how the business will run when the project team is gone and it’s raining, peak has started early, two people are off sick, and a supplier shipment is late. If the new world still works under that pressure, you’ve built something worth owning.

Tell us who you are.

Agito is a partner that drives progress by helping organizations move beyond today’s limitations to achieve smarter and more efficient ways of working.

Our mission is to move our customers forward to the next level of efficiency and productivity. Agito comes from Latin, meaning: “I set in motion” or “I drive forward”

What is your primary market in ANZ?

Historically, our market was driven by the development of custom customer solutions and support services within the food and beverage industry, which remains an incredibly important part of our business.

Over the past decade, we have expanded our offering into the intralogistics, post and parcel, e‑commerce, and manufacturing markets, which now collectively represent the largest share of our revenue in APAC.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment?

Historically, labour was a key driver through shortages and rising cost bases

In more recent years,  safety and risk exposure is front and centre, our customers require visibility with flexible, scalable operations needing to reduce single points of failure, keeping people safe. Volatility is also a key driver, characterised by rapid fluctuations in customer demand, shorter delivery window expectations, reduced forecasting horizons, changing inventory requirements, variable service levels, and ongoing geopolitical, regulatory, and logistical shifts driven by global events that can impact our customers immediately.

How does your company help them to overcome it?

We believe we play a significant role in helping our customers reduce their exposure to uncertainty, rather than simply reacting to it. This is achieved by strengthening productivity at the core of their operations and supporting their ability to adapt by reducing complex dependencies, thereby improving overall resilience.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

AI is a game changer, and we view it as an enabler that complements human experience rather than a standalone solution.

AI is still a developing area and needs the bandwidth and infrastructure speed to be optimal. We are not there yet when using AI for deep/overarching AI applications.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?

AGITO is focused heavily around insights, using our smarts to support assets and people. AI enabled operations is a big part of that.

With efficient cutting edge technology already at our disposal, advanced analytics and using data at scale, resilient solutions and support along side safety become our competitive advantage.   

Beyond product roadmaps, system integration will be the most disruptive force in the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector over the coming years. The real impact comes from the ability to connect and coordinate advanced technologies across complex operations. Advances in AI will further enhance this capability by improving system visibility, coordination, and decision support.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Our culture supports innovation through an outcome‑driven approach focused on long‑term value rather than quick fixes. Adaptable teams and a strong partnership mindset enable us to deliver meaningful impact for customers, regardless of the scale or complexity of the challenge.

We do focus on providing impact to support our customers finding solutions, whatever the scale of the challenge. 

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

The world is changing and we encourage our people to solve meaningful problems, offering purposeful work. We want our people to have a clear mission and purpose tied to real impact.We have strong organisation values we celebrate often through reward programs. In terms of the doing, we offer flexible hours focused on outputs, not presence, and we respect personal boundaries. Being a smaller organisation we have the benefits of regular two‑way feedback, not just annual reviews.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

Automation is central to our daily work. Our role is to identify, develop, and apply emerging technologies that enable our customers to achieve maximum value from their investments. This requires a strong understanding of system integration principles and the capability to deliver automation reliably and seamlessly. Continuously advancing and accelerating this capability is core to our long‑term vision. We want to continue to be seen as a foundational enabler of productivity, resilience, and sustainable growth. Our business is built around our people, we continue to explore new ways of working for our own people and our partners. 

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

Purpose led progress would be the overarching principle. By applying the fundamentals effectively, we establish a strong foundation that enables acceleration. While automation is inherently logical and systematic, it is equally important to acknowledge and manage the human factors involved. 

Using the basics well, then enables acceleration. Strong, trusted relationships with employees and customers are essential and form the foundation for successful automation outcomes.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

Technology itself is not the primary challenge. Greater focus is required on the human element, effective processes, and continuous improvement. Technology delivers the greatest value when it accelerates and strengthens what is already working well.

Tell us who you are.

I am the Head of Network Development for Wesfarmers Health, where we play a critical role in delivering essential medicines to communities across Australia through a national network of distribution centres and transport partners. Wesfarmers Health is currently undertaking a significant supply chain network transformation program, designed to expand and modernise our capability to reliably supply retail and pharmacy products to our national network of franchise and partner pharmacies. This program is focused on building a more resilient, scalable, and future‑ready distribution network to support continued growth and evolving customer expectations.

What is your primary market in ANZ?

Wesfarmers Health’s primary market is the Australian health, beauty, and wellness sector, with a strong focus on community pharmacy and pharmaceutical distribution, supported by adjacent consumer health, medical aesthetics, and digital health markets.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment in your market?

The realisation of AI deployment use cases in supply chain is further accelerating the pace of change, this is forcing businesses to adapt faster while still delivering stable, reliable outcomes for their customers. This speed of change is amplifying ongoing challenges with labour scarcity and unpredictability, the need for cost‑effective scalable operations solutions to meet customer expectations, and the requirement to maintain a safe working environment amid growing operational complexity. As customer expectations continue to evolve rapidly around service levels, availability, and responsiveness, organisations are increasingly looking to invest in solutions that provide greater flexibility, resilience, and scalability to keep pace without compromising safety or efficiency.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

Our approach to integrating AI‑driven solutions in industrial automation is grounded in the belief that data is the critical enabler. We already generate and hold large volumes of operational data, so the focus has shifted from collecting data to how it is governed, stored, and connected across the business. This includes establishing clarity on where data resides, how it is secured, and how it flows between systems to avoid fragmentation and siloed insights. Rather than pursuing isolated AI use cases, we are preparing the foundations to enable business‑wide intelligence, allowing AI solutions to deliver scalable, cross‑functional insights that support better decision‑making, operational performance, and long‑term automation outcomes.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?

I see the widespread adoption of Vision AI in supply chain and warehouse operations being the next transformative technology. Having already demonstrated value at scale in grocery retail environments, Vision AI is well positioned to be extended into distribution centres as major grocers and logistics operators look to leverage, they’re in‑store use cases to enhance operational control in warehouses. With most large‑scale facilities built in the past decade already equipped with modern IT and Security Infrastructure, barriers to deployment are relatively low, making large‑scale rollout increasingly likely. This will drive step‑change improvements across safety, error detection and management, continuous improvement, and productivity, fundamentally reshaping how industrial operations are monitored and optimised.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Our culture supports innovation and adaptability by maintaining a clear, shared focus on uplifting performance and improving operating efficiency across the organisation, while actively enabling transformation rather than protecting the status quo. This is reflected in a deliberate emphasis on transforming the supply chain, simplifying and reducing the cost of core processes, and reinvesting those gains into systems and capabilities that support sustainable growth. By aligning innovation with tangible operational outcomes, teams are encouraged to challenge existing ways of working, adopt new technologies, and continuously improve how we operate. This balance of performance discipline and forward‑looking investment creates an environment where change is not only accepted but expected and actively supported.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent in the automation sector?

A focus on creating meaningful challenges, visible opportunities, and strong support for growth. High‑calibre people are drawn to environments where they can work on complex, evolving problems and are trusted to step outside their comfort zone. Retention comes from actively supporting individuals when they want to try new things—whether that’s new technology, roles, or ways of working—while providing the right guidance and safety net to succeed. By fostering a culture that values learning, experimentation, and development, we attract people who are motivated by progress and keep them engaged as the organisation continues to evolve.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your industry?

Building on the headwinds of labour scarcity and increasing supply‑chain complexity, our focus needs to remain on progressively removing simple, labour‑intensive tasks, while supporting and augmenting higher‑value activities where human judgement delivers the greatest return. At the same time, solutions must be inherently flexible, capable of dynamically supporting different operating modes throughout the day, such as shifting between e‑commerce fulfilment and in‑store replenishment demands. Critically, all solutions must be designed with forward integration in mind, ensuring they can seamlessly adopt and leverage future technologies as they mature, rather than creating new constraints or technical debt.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

Change is inevitable, and success depends less on predicting that change and more on building a team that is genuinely equipped to handle it. I focus on creating robust, adaptable teams that are predisposed to engaging with change in an open, constructive, and solutions‑focused way. If people are not ready or willing to evolve, they are behind the curve before transformation even begins. By investing in capability, mindset, and trust, we create an environment where technological advancement is embraced rather than resisted, enabling the business to move faster, make better decisions, and sustain progress over the long term.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

Building physical assets is “easy” when compared to leading people through a complex business change journey, focus your efforts accordingly!

Tell us who you are.

I’m Michael Kemeny, Managing Director of KNAPP Australia and New Zealand. I began my career in Austria focusing on telecommunications and software management. 

My journey with KNAPP started in solution and project leadership roles across international markets, including China and Australia. Today, I lead KNAPP’s ANZ operations, working with customers and teams to deliver intelligent automation and intralogistics solutions that address real operational, workforce and space challenges.

KNAPP Australia has grown significantly over the past decade, evolving from a small local team into a regional automation leader supporting some of the country’s most complex retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical and manufacturing operations. As part of the global KNAPP Group, we combine over 70 years of innovation with deep local expertise – designing, implementing and supporting end-to-end automation systems tailored to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

A key part of this evolution is how we approach flexibility and future readiness. Solutions such as AeroBot reflect a shift towards modular, infrastructure-light automation that allows businesses to start small, adapt quickly and grow over time – a critical capability in the ANZ market where space, labour and demand can change rapidly.

My focus is on building long-term capability – for our customers, our people and the broader industry. Automation is not just about efficiency; it’s about resilience, adaptability and creating sustainable future-ready supply chains.

What is your primary market in ANZ?

Our primary markets in ANZ include grocery and retail distribution, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food, manufacturing and e-commerce. These sectors are experiencing rapid growth and complexity, driven by rising customer expectations, labour constraints and the need for greater operational resilience.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment?

The most significant shift is the growing pressure on traditional warehouse models. Limited labour availability, high real estate costs, vast transport distances and sustainability targets mean flexibility is no longer optional. Automation has become essential not just for efficiency, but for business continuity and long-term competitiveness.

How does your company help them to overcome it?

KNAPP Australia helps customers rethink how space, labour and technology work together. We deliver modular, scalable automation solutions that maximise existing footprints, reduce reliance on labour and improve throughput and accuracy. Our approach allows customers to start small, scale intelligently and adapt over time without major disruption.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

AI is already embedded across KNAPP’s software, robotics and system intelligence. Our focus is on applied, practical AI that enhances decision-making, system adaptability and operational transparency. Rather than adding complexity, AI should simplify operations, improve predictability and support smarter long-term planning.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?

Flexible, infrastructure-light automation will be most disruptive. Solutions that operate within existing buildings, use standard racking and scale incrementally will define the future.Autonomous robotics and modular systems enable businesses to respond quickly to change without being locked into rigid, high-capex designs.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Culture is central to how KNAPP Australia innovates. Our values – openness, courage, appreciation, creativity and reliability, guide decision-making, collaboration and continuous improvement. We foster transparent communication, encourage initiative and support creative problem-solving, while maintaining the reliability our customers depend on.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

Attracting and retaining talent in ANZ requires a people-first approach. We focus on meaningful, high-impact work, professional development, flexible working arrangements and a supportive environment that values the whole person. Employees are drawn to KNAPP because they can grow their careers while contributing to projects that shape real supply chains.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

Our long-term vision is for automation to enable smarter, more resilient and more sustainable supply chains. Automation should empower people, improve adaptability and allow businesses to respond confidently to future uncertainty – not just optimise today’s operations.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

Future readiness. Every decision is guided by how well it supports long-term adaptability, scalability and customer value. Technology must serve real operational needs and deliver lasting impact, not short-term gains.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

Succesful automation is as much about people as it is about technology. Early engagement, change management and operational ownership are critical. When automation is treated as an operational journey – not just a project, it delivers far grater long-term value.

Tell us who you are.

I’m an intralogistics projects professional. I came to warehousing from an engineering background, so I place a strong emphasis on planning, design, and execution. In 2019, I left a career in large-scale consulting to found Studio Logistic, a boutique DC design firm. I felt the industry needed a more specialist capability to help deliver truly high-performance distribution centres.

I had seen a long series of “fast rather than good” projects that produced generic, average facilities, functional, but falling well short of their potential. I believed that with the right tools, discipline, and expertise, that opportunity could be captured, and real performance unlocked. So I founded a company to help companies do that. 

Today, I’m an Associate Partner at Argon & Co, where I lead our intralogistics and warehousing capability in New Zealand. Our team focuses on large-scale warehousing development, automation strategy, and operational transformation across manufacturing, FMCG, retail, and primary industries. I spend much of my time alongside our teams in live projects, helping clients make high-confidence decisions on complex capital investments, particularly where automation, buildings, systems, and people intersect. 

What is your primary market in ANZ?

Our primary market is medium to large operators across Australia and New Zealand running complex distribution, manufacturing, or fulfilment networks. This includes food and beverage, dairy, FMCG, retail, healthcare, and third-party logistics providers—particularly organisations managing growth, labour constraints, or step-change increases in service expectations.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge currently driving customer investment?

There are two dominant challenges. The first is rising service level expectations around delivery speed and accuracy. The second is the changing nature and availability of the workforce.

Higher service expectations require fulfilment models with speed but also very high availability and reliability. This requires systems, and systems that get it right quickly and consistently, supported by excellent operational execution.

This has driven increased investment in systemisation, while also creating tension between maintaining flexibility and introducing the standardisation required to make those systems effective.

Labour-centric solutions remain viable and appropriate in many contexts. However, where there is material risk around the availability or consistency of skilled labour, we are seeing a clear shift toward automation. In those cases, business cases are increasingly being driven by risk mitigation and resilience, rather than by financial return.

How does your company help them to overcome it?

In short, we place significant emphasis on requirements definition, planning, and design as the foundations of successful delivery. We advocate a “plan slow, act fast” approach.

All major change programmes begin with strategic intent. What differentiates outcomes is the ability to translate that intent into a credible, executable plan. A critical part of that process is bringing stakeholders along early, so the plan is not only technically robust, but also broadly owned by the organisation.

Many projects struggle to realise the benefits not because the design is weak, but because the organisation is not aligned to deliver it. Investing time upfront to address this typically saves months, sometimes years, during delivery and stabilisation.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

We see AI primarily as an enabler that improves decision quality and system performance, rather than a wholesale replacement for people. Iris (an Argon & Co subsidiary) is doing great work in AI application development along these lines. 

While some roles will undoubtedly change, particularly in areas like manual data processing, I see the near term impact in industrial environments is most likely augmentation. AI will make people both more capable and more productive.

I am particularly interested in the evolution of AI-enabled vision systems and true edge processing, where intelligence sits directly on devices rather than relying on centralised cloud infrastructure. This has the potential to unlock new use cases on the warehouse floor for both people and automation. It’s an exciting time!

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept will have the greatest disruptive impact in the next five years?

The concept of cross-platform, distributed control is particularly compelling.

Today, most warehouse management and execution environments rely on centralised orchestration, which typically drives a single-vendor approach within a DC. A more distributed control model could enable modular, best-of-breed technology selection and far greater adaptability over time.

If realised effectively, this would materially reduce lock-in, improve resilience, and allow facilities to evolve more easily as volumes, channels, and technologies change.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability?

We develop performance-based solutions from first principles. This allows us to pursue the best solution for each specific context, rather than defaulting to pre-built approaches that are quick to develop but not always a perfect fit.

Because we are independent and vendor-agnostic, we can focus on what will genuinely work in practice. Innovation is encouraged, but it must also be deliverable. The ability to manage risk and bring ideas into operational reality is what ultimately matters.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

Do great work, and then keep doing great work.

The intralogistics sector in ANZ is relatively small, and strong practitioners want to work on challenging, meaningful projects alongside capable peers. Providing opportunities to work on challenging projects, with opportunities to learn from experienced leaders has proven to be the most effective long-term strategy.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

While I am a strong advocate for automation, I’m a humanist first. I believe automation should make people’s work better, particularly by improving productivity and reducing unnecessary friction in industrial roles. That productivity gain is what ultimately supports higher living standards over time.

As the nature of work continues to evolve, my expectation is that automation will both improve job quality and enable higher-performing supply chains. If it doesn’t achieve both outcomes, it is unlikely to be sustainable or widely adopted.

What is the most important principle that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

I have three.

First, clarity of objectives, particularly how success will be measured, is critical. When objectives are clear, decisions tend to become far easier and more consistent. This can take time to develop, and most people think they’ve locked this down before they really have. 

Second, “plan slow and act fast” is far preferable to planning quickly and then spending years fixing avoidable problems.

Third, evidence matters. Decisions based on opinion have their place, but pressure-testing assumptions and understanding how robust the underlying evidence really is remains one of the most effective ways to prevent poor outcomes.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

That no design is ever truly finished. Only good enough.

Real world design must be based on at least some assumptions anyway, so tying yourself in knots trying to perfect a design based on imperfect information is not a recipe for happiness! 

Knowing when a design is good enough to call it good, and then move into execution and actively manage change is really important to strike the balance between quality and efficiency.

Tell us who you are.

I am David Morahan, Director of Defy Logics, an independent boutique consultancy. I specialise in intralogistics and operations, bringing more than 20 years of experience in warehouse automation, warehouse design, and operational improvement.

What is your primary market in ANZ? 

Defy Logics offers a distinctive value proposition to the ANZ market, delivering specialist consulting services across three core service lines:

1.  Direct engagement with end clients

2.  Subject‑matter expertise supporting other consulting firms

3.  Technical and strategic support for automation vendors

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment?

Over the past 12 months, the availability of skilled labour has become a significant challenge, particularly for organisations operating in regional areas. As a result, many businesses are accelerating their investment in automation to future proof their operations.

How does your company help them to overcome it?

In this environment, selecting the right automation solution is critical; the business case alone is not the sole deciding factor. Scalability and system supportability must be central to the decision‑making process.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

AI presents an exciting opportunity for the industry, and Defy Logics is already leveraging it to enhance analytical capability. However, AI cannot yet replace the deep operational understanding required to design effective intralogistics solutions. An automated system may appear viable by numbers alone, but without considering broader operational constraints, it would not be the correct choice for the clients operation.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years? 

With the rapid development of AI across the industry, I expect to see widespread adoption of AI driven orchestration software, either as standalone platforms or integrated directly into WMS solutions.

For this technology to be effective, every warehouse process must be digitally mapped and assigned clear performance parameters. This enables the AI engine to understand task durations and make highly granular, real‑time decisions to keep operations running without interruption.

e.g. If the system identifies that an order requires a SKU replenishment and knows the operator’s typical task speed, it can determine whether the order is at risk of missing its SLA. The AI can then automatically reprioritise the work, by reassigning tasks to other operators or elevating them in the task queue. This will ensure service levels are maintained. These decisions can be made thousands of times per second, far beyond human capability.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Staying at the forefront of emerging technology is essential for Defy Logics. We take a proactive approach by organising dedicated education sessions with all automation vendors, giving them a platform to showcase their latest innovations and share key solution design considerations.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

As an ever evolving industry that demands both technical expertise and deep warehouse operational knowledge, finding talent with this combined skill set is a significant challenge. Most candidates bring strength in one area or the other, but rarely both. When you add the people and project management capabilities required for consulting, the talent pool narrows even further.

My core strategy is to identify candidates who excel in people and project skills and possess expertise in at least one of the two technical domains, then develop the missing capability through targeted training. Continuous education and frequent structured feedback are essential to retaining top talent.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

As an advocate for automation, my long term vision is for every implemented solution to succeed and fully deliver on its business case commitments. This is critical not just for individual organisations, but for the health and credibility of the industry as a whole. While we are experienced in supporting rescue and recovery projects, our strong preference is to be engaged early, which enables us to shape the right foundations and ensure project success from the outset.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

My guiding principle is that automation must create measurable operational value. At Defy Logics, we focus on clarity, data driven design, and early engagement to ensure automation delivers on its promises.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

The most operationally robust automation solutions are developed not just through data analysis, but by having boots on the ground, engaging directly with operators, supervisors, and stakeholders to fully understand the requirements and nuances of the business. 

Tell us who you are.

I’ve spent over 26 years in automation and supply chain engineering, working across manufacturing, airports and logistics. My background ranges from hands-on engineering to global executive leadership, which gives me a unique view of how technology, people and process need to align to deliver real outcomes. Today, my focus is on taking redefining the BHS space globally with a strong focus in the ANZ market. 

What is your primary market in ANZ?

Ansir’s core market is airport baggage-handling and automation systems across Australia and New Zealand. We design, deliver and support mechanical, electrical and software solutions for some of the region’s largest airports ranging from full system upgrades to long-term operations and maintenance.
Our strength is that we combine local manufacturing with deep automation expertise, giving customers a high-quality, fast-response alternative to the big overseas players.

What is the most significant macro-level shift or challenge (e.g., supply chain resilience, labour shortages) that is currently driving customer investment?

The biggest shifts we’re seeing are labour shortages and the demand for operational resilience. Airports and logistics hubs are being pushed to do more with fewer skilled technicians and engineers, while maintaining reliability and safety standards. That’s driving a huge focus on automation, predictive maintenance etc and long-term service models that minimise downtime and manual intervention.

How does your company help them to overcome it?

We approach it from both sides, technology and people. On the tech side, we’re delivering smarter controls and SCADA systems that give operators real-time visibility of asset performance, enabling proactive maintenance instead of reactive fixes. A large gap in not only the BHS space but logistics and supply chain equally.
On the people side, our cross functional teams provide the technical depth and flexibility customers have come to rely on. We also manufacture locally, which means faster turnaround times and better cost control, crucial when every hour of system downtime matters. Nearly all our competitors rely on overseas manufacturing to cut costs and remain competitive but we have purposefully decided to keep our manufacturing and software development in the region to ensure the highest possible standards.

How is your company deploying or preparing for the integration of AI-driven solutions in industrial automation?

We’re already embedding AI principles into our roadmap. The focus right now is predictive analytics and diagnostics, using machine-learning models to interpret fault data, detect early signs of wear, and recommend maintenance actions before a breakdown occurs.
Our goal isn’t to replace human expertise, but to enhance it, giving our engineers and our customers better tools to make decisions faster and with more accuracy.

Beyond existing product roadmaps, what transformative technology or concept do you believe will have the greatest disruptive impact on the Australian and New Zealand industrial sector in the next five years?

The biggest disruptor will be the convergence of automation and AI.
When we can virtually model entire baggage-handling or production systems, simulate, monitor, and optimise them in real time, it changes the entire engineering lifecycle. It means faster commissioning, predictive maintenance built in from day one, and smarter capital investment decisions. That’s where the industry is heading, and we’re positioning Ansir right at that intersection.

How does your company culture support innovation and adaptability in such a rapidly evolving industry?

Our culture is built on accountability, collaboration, and curiosity. We encourage engineers to challenge the norm, to ask “why” and “how can we do this better.”
Because we manufacture and engineer locally, our teams see the direct impact of their ideas from design through to installation. That end-to-end ownership breeds innovation naturally.
And as we grow, we’re making sure we retain that agility a “small-company mindset” where decisions are quick, and good ideas can move straight into action. In many of our bigger competitors, Ive found this to be a huge limiting factor. The smallest decisions are not possible which almost always results in customer operations being impacted.

What strategies have you found most effective in attracting and retaining top talent?

We’ve learned that purpose and development are stronger motivators than perks.
We focus on giving people challenging, meaningful work, visibility into career growth, and access to training that builds their future value.
We also invest in culture, recognising achievements, encouraging flexibility, and creating a workplace where people feel proud to say they build Australian-made automation that competes globally.
Retention comes naturally when people feel trusted and part of something that’s growing.

What's your long-term vision for the role of automation in your sector?

Automation will continue to evolve from a cost-saver to a strategic enabler. In airports, that means seamless integration between mechanical, electrical, and digital systems, where data from conveyors, scanners, and sensors all feed into one ecosystem that predicts, adapts, and optimises in real time. Ultimately, the goal is not just automated movement of baggage or materials, but autonomous, self-optimising systems that continuously improve performance without human intervention.

As a leader in a field defined by constant technological advancement, what is the most important principle or philosophy that guides your decision-making and long-term planning?

My guiding principle is balance. Technology only works when the organisation behind it is ready to support it. So, we focus on sustainable progress, structured processes, financial stability, and people capability before chasing the next shiny thing.
That’s what ensures long-term success rather than short bursts of innovation that don’t scale.

What's one thing you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started in this field?

There are two sides to this question. Very early in my career, I wish I’d understood earlier how important commercial awareness is for engineers.
Early in my career, I was laser-focused on technical excellence, getting the design perfect, the code efficient, the system flawless. What I didn’t fully appreciate was how much value comes from understanding the customer’s business case. How downtime costs money, how margins drive decisions, and how design choices affect long-term maintenance. Once I connected the dots, it made me a better engineer, and later, a much more effective business leader.

From a leadership point of view, it's more about clarity and people.
When I started in the leadership space, I believed the best engineer naturally became the best leader. Over time, I learned it’s the ability to communicate vision, build trust, and empower others that actually moves a company forward.
You can’t do everything yourself, but you can build a team that achieves more than you ever could alone. Build a strong team and everything else falls into place, providing better outcomes for your customers.