Where Inspiration, Immersion and Implementation Come Together
By: Jesse Lockwood, Lead Product Development Engineer, Hy-Tek Intralogistics
Supply chain implementations are becoming more complex while timelines and margins for error are shrinking. To remain competitive under these dynamic conditions, companies need to uncover ways to improve agility and efficiency without sacrificing results. That’s where the Hy-Tek Innovation Lab comes in. Created to connect your supply chain strategy with a real-world implementation environment, the Innovation Lab immerses you into the technology, software, processes and partnerships that can drive the real-time insights you need and reduce implementation risk.
More than a showroom or a “look-and-see” facility, the Innovation Lab is a working warehousing environment that puts plans and systems into action so that you can assess your strategy in application, fine-tune technology, and understand the potential value of your investment, across the entire enterprise. It’s a proven way to operationalize your strategy to improve outcomes and realize ROI.
“Supply chains are complex, integrated systems requiring ongoing investment and a commitment to refinement over time,” said Mansi David, vice president of Product Management, Hy-Tek Intralogistics. “Our Innovation Lab helps our customers hit the ground running because we operationalize their plan, give them real-time insights into how technology integrates and performs, and create a roadmap for moving forward with more agility and fewer unknowns.”
The 20,000-square-foot facility is located just outside of the Cincinnati- Northern Kentucky (CVG) Airport and connects your team with real-time access to cutting-edge automation technologies, simulations, and live performance validation – all connected through Hy-Tek’s IntraOne® full-stack software platform. This means connection to real simulation of picking, moving, sorting, and storing; testing across multiple robotics platforms; detailed analysis of ROI and throughput powered by live system data; and future-ready system design informed by insights gleaned from your lab experience.
“The lab helps us help our customers bring rigor and actionable insights to their innovation strategies,” added David. “When you combine that with the many partners who also contribute to the success of the Innovation Lab, it’s a win-win for every customer seeking direction and validation for their supply chain vision.”
The Innovation Lab partners with industry-leading robotics and automation leaders to provide needed contextual data across the key verticals important to customers. “It’s part of our goal to create an integrated, multi-agent environment that functions like a customer’s own facility.”
According to recent research, more than 60 percent of enterprise buyers plan to visit an innovation lab before investing in their next warehouse upgrade1. What should you expect from your engagement?
Optimization of Your Solution
You can put your planned automation solution into action by testing and optimizing the robotics, picking, sortation, and storage systems in a live environment.
Validation of Your Choices and Reduction of Risk
Through our real-world environment you can confirm your solution works before going live in your facility, ultimately saving you time, costly rework, and warehouse disruption.
Innovation Acceleration
By working closely with our R&D and system design teams, we’ll help you refine concepts and test interoperability, making your path from idea to implementation more agile and efficient.
Full Software Integration
With our IntraOne® software platform, we can bring together WMS, WES, and WCS for seamless orchestration and real-time decision-making.
“The Innovation Lab is truly about being data-driven in every aspect of your implementation,” added David. “From benchmarking throughout the various phases of your project to proof of concept and partner integration, we help our customers confidently move toward the right mix of technology and services for their operations.”
Eldon Travers, principle advisory consultant with AWS has visited several labs in his career and keeps coming back to Hy-Tek. “Hy-Tek provides a real-world example of actual automation, meaning you can interact in real time with the systems and software.” He added that it can help teams in every project phase – “from early decision making to later stages of an engagement where you can watch your own products move through the solutions, simplifying a complex and busy landscape.”
Ready to connect with our team of experts and schedule your visit the Innovation Lab? You can book a tour, subscribe to our “From the Lab” webinar series, or tune into our “Automation Insider” podcast.
1. Peerless Research Group, Warehouse Technology Investment Intentions 2025
