todd armstead, head of network development wesfarmers health

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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!