Unexpected shocks can disrupt your supply chain, causing costly delays, damaged goods, and dissatisfied customers. Discover how automated warehouse shock monitoring helps protect every shipment with SpotBot® GL.
Key takeaways:
- Warehouse automation can significantly boost productivity, but unexpected events remain a substantial risk.
- Automated warehouses often encounter collisions, drops, and handoff errors, resulting in costly damage and downtime.
- SpotBot GL delivers real-time shock monitoring, reducing damage, and integrates easily into warehouse systems.
- SpotBot® GL outperforms passive loggers with cloud reporting and advanced analytics.
- SpotSee combines trusted technology with over 40 years of experience in impact monitoring and support.
According to a recent McKinsey report, warehouse automation can boost labor productivity by as much as 85%, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Automation in warehouses offers numerous advantages, including reducing human error, lowering labor costs, and enhancing worker safety. Yet even with these benefits, one challenge remains: shock events.
Drops, collisions, and bumps are still common in automated environments, and their impact can be costly, from damaged assets to unexpected downtime. The good news is that pairing automation with automated warehouse shock monitoring solutions, such as SpotBot GL, helps mitigate these risks while providing you with greater visibility into operations.
Common impact risks in automated warehouse environments
Warehouse automation brings undeniable advantages, but it also introduces unique challenges when impacts occur. In manual operations, the main concern is often human error, such as workers accidentally dropping pallets. In automated environments, however, new types of risks emerge, including:
- Collisions between Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs)
- Palletized goods dropping during lifts or transfers
- Inconsistencies during human–machine handoffs
The immediate result of these incidents is usually inventory damage, but the ripple effects can be far more severe. Collisions, for example, may damage AMR payload trays, bringing operations to a standstill. In many cases, impact-related disruptions lead not only to downtime but also to costly root cause investigations.
In a manual warehouse, identifying what went wrong may involve reviewing CCTV footage or speaking with staff. In an automated setting, it’s rarely that simple. Conventional visual inspection is often inadequate, requiring in-depth analysis of system logs, machine data, and extensive software diagnostics. These investigations can be both time-consuming and expensive, especially when specialized expertise is needed.
What is the SpotBot® GL?
SpotBot GL is purpose-built for automated warehouses, providing you with real-time visibility into every impact. This warehouse-compatible impact data logger combines cellular connection, an accelerometer, and cloud-based reporting to track shocks from 3.5 to 100G.
As an automated warehouse shock monitoring device, SpotBot® GL can:
- Track and record shock, humidity, and vibration
- Send instant alerts via cellular connection
- Confirm events with its built-in display
With precise sensors, SpotBot GL helps you detect problems immediately, rather than discovering damaged goods after they reach customers. For warehouses handling fragile or high-value assets, it is an essential tool for protection, efficiency, and peace of mind.
Hypothetical warehouse use case: SpotBot® GL in Action
Imagine running a busy fulfillment center powered by autonomous forklifts and AMRs. Everything seems efficient until you notice a rise in unexplained damage to pallets stacked with electronic devices. There’s no clear root cause, yet the losses are mounting and warehouse performance is slipping.
Attaching the SpotBot GL to those pallets provides the visibility you need. It captures vibration and shock events during AMR transfers and provides data you can use to retrain robot pathing software. With these insights, many warehouses have reduced inventory damage by up to 60% in just three months.
Benefits of real-time shock monitoring in automation
Using the SpotBot GL impact monitor to track shock in real time brings clear advantages. It puts you in a stronger position to:
- Detect damaged items early, preventing costly returns and protecting your brand reputation
- Remove guesswork and improve accountability at shift changes with accurate event logs
- Identify recurring force events, recalibrate machines, and optimize maintenance schedules
- Track how operators and third-party contractors handle sensitive inventory in shared facilities
When every second counts, automated warehouse shock monitoring with SpotBot® GL gives you the visibility you need to act fast and stay in control.
Integration into existing automation workflows
One of the biggest advantages of the SpotBot® GL is its seamless integration with existing automation systems. In other words, adopting automated warehouse shock monitoring with SpotBot® GL does not require a costly system overhaul. It is designed to:
- Work with most robotic pallet systems, conveyor transfers, and crane lifts
- Attach quickly to racking systems, platforms, or shipping crates
- Fit into QA protocols and preventive maintenance programs
- Support SOP validation for OSHA and ISO 9001 initiatives
SpotBot® GL vs. traditional data logging tools
SpotBot® GL is more than a typical warehouse impact data logger. Unlike passive tools that only capture historical data, it monitors shock events in real time and alerts operators immediately. This allows you to intercept damaged items before they reach the end of the supply chain.
Traditional loggers often require manual data retrieval, which slows operations. With SpotBot GL, information is transmitted instantly to the cloud, providing you with immediate access without requiring additional steps.
Through the SpotSee Cloud, you also gain powerful shock analysis tools. Visualize impact patterns, track geo-located incidents, compare events over time, and uncover insights that keep your warehouse safer and more efficient.
Why SpotSee is a smart partner for smart warehouses
When it comes to protecting sensitive goods, the expertise of your partners matters as much as the tools you use. This is especially true for complex projects like automated warehouse shock monitoring. SpotSee is more than a product supplier. We are a trusted solution partner with a track record you can rely on.
With over 40 years of experience in impact monitoring, we have established credibility across high-stakes industries, such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and warehouse automation. Our offering goes far beyond the SpotBot® GL. We provide professionals who guide deployment, interpret data, and deliver results with ongoing support so your investment performs at its best.
One customer described it best: “It’s like putting a black box on our most sensitive workflows.”
Don’t let shock undermine smart infrastructure
Shock events, such as AMRs colliding with racks, may be invisible in the moment, but their costs are not. If left unchecked, they can ripple through your operations, eroding efficiency, productivity, and profitability. SpotBot® GL automated warehouse shock monitoring gives you the power to spot and resolve issues before they escalate.
With SpotBot® GL, your facility gains real-time intelligence that protects high-value inventory and critical systems. As automation scales, it strengthens resilience and keeps operations running without interruption. Contact our team today to discover how SpotBot GL can enhance your warehouse automation strategy.
