When you invest in automation, the pressure to get systems up and running quickly starts as soon as the project begins. While the opportunity to create value for your organization is exciting, that value can only be realized once the automation is fully operational. This makes the speed of deployment a critical factor in choosing the right automation strategy.

“Once you get onsite, that’s when the clock really starts,” says Dave Bull, sales manager, Dematic EMEA. “With fixed automation that features conveyor and traditional automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs), you’re often designing for 10–15 years in advance, and the build and commissioning can take 14+ months. During that time, you’re paying rent on a building that isn’t productive yet.”

By contrast, flexible automation options like AutoStore™ and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can be operational in as little as 6–8 months, which allows faster deployment, less testing, and quicker returns. That speed has become a deciding factor for many companies weighing fixed versus flexible solutions.

In some cases, the best answer isn’t fixed or flexible alone, but a combination of both. Hybrid automation blends the long-term capacity and stability of fixed systems with the scalability and speed of flexible solutions. For example, an organization may use fixed conveyor and sortation equipment for high-volume, predictable flows and AMRs or pallet shuttle solutions to handle seasonal spikes, product variety, or changing order profiles.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to automation,” says Bull. “Sometimes flexible automation is clearly the right choice, sometimes fixed makes sense, and other times a combination delivers the best outcome. The key is understanding what you’re trying to achieve and matching the technology to those needs and requirements.”

Built for agility and resilience, flexible automation helps future-proof your operations and position them for long-term growth. Modular technologies like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and AutoStore, driven by smart software, create scalable systems that adapt as your needs change. With flexible automation, you can expand capacity in phases, align labor and automation for greater efficiency, and reduce costs through optimized workflows.

Fixed automation features conveyors, sorters, and storage solutions that are engineered for specific, repetitive tasks. Fixed automation often requires higher upfront investment and longer installation times, but it can provide steady throughput in operations with predictable demand and stable product flows.

Flexible automation delivers scalability and speed, while fixed automation focuses on density and long-term efficiency. With flexible systems, companies can start small and expand as demand grows, often financing through leasing and reconfiguring as needs change.

“With flexible automation, you buy what you need today and add to it over time,” Bull explains. “Achieving that adaptability is difficult when you’re trying to predict what the business will look like 15 years from now.” The tradeoff is that flexible systems may face vendor instability, compatibility risks, and limits on building height or storage density.

Fixed automation, on the other hand, excels at maximizing vertical space and handling high-volume, repetitive tasks at speed. These systems often require longer lead times, higher upfront investment, and more disruption during installation. Unlike flexible options, fixed automation is difficult to move or repurpose, making it best suited for operations with stable demand and predictable product flows.

Many operations need both a stable core and a flexible edge. Fixed automation handles high-volume, repetitive flows with efficiency, while flexible systems can scale to work through peaks, manage SKU variety, or support omnichannel fulfillment. With the hybrid approach, you can add flexible modules to legacy systems or layer in new tech over time without having to replace your existing systems.

A recent DHL project demonstrated how mixing fixed and flexible automation can boost capacity and adaptability in the same facility. The operation used high-bay pallet storage with pallet shuttles to handle bulk volumes, while AMRs replaced traditional conveyor and monorail systems at the front end.

Previously, DHL would have laid down long runs of conveyor belts to reach every corner of the warehouse, even if only a few pallets moved through those areas each hour. Using AMRs, the logistics provider avoided investing in permanent infrastructure by deploying robots wherever they were needed.

Fixed systems still provide the backbone for high-volume storage and retrieval, while AMRs add adaptable agility. “The AMRs provided flexibility in both scale and use,” says Bull. “DHL redeploys the new functions with minimal changes, while a conveyor would have required installing an entirely new line.”

Choosing between flexible and fixed automation (or taking a hybrid approach) isn’t simple. The right partner makes those decisions clear and gets them right — and is there for long-term support. Dematic can provide the right automation solution (flexible, fixed, or hybrid) by taking a “technostic” approach and matching technology to each operation’s needs instead of pushing a single option.

Dematic Software makes that possible. Our platform can connect AMRs, pallet shuttles, AutoStore, robotics, and AGVs into a single system that provides real-time visibility, predictive insights, and smarter planning.

Dematic Lifecycle Solutions & Services keeps current operations performing at peak efficiency with global service support, and it can provide modernization options and industry-leading expertise to make sure those operations will scale with you in the future.

“We’re not just installing equipment,” says Bull. “We’re delivering a solution for the entire operation.”