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Automate Your Existing Warehouse - No New Building, No Downtime

Retrofit your shelf warehouse with autonomous mobile robots - no construction, no capital investment, no operational disruption. Go-live in 6-8 weeks.

Request a Fit-Check How It Works

NEO is a warehouse automation retrofit solution by NEOintralogistics. Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) navigate existing shelf-warehouse aisles, retrieve bins, and deliver them to an ergonomic goods-to-person picking station. No construction, no capital investment - you pay per pick. Go-live in 6-8 weeks in your existing facility.

Why Retrofit Instead of Building New?

Most warehouse automation projects - mini-load AS/RS, shuttle systems, cube-based robotics - require purpose-built facilities, seven-figure capital expenditure, and 12-36 months of lead time. For companies operating out of leased or existing shelf warehouses, that is rarely a viable path.

A warehouse automation retrofit takes the opposite approach. Instead of replacing your facility, NEO deploys directly into your current infrastructure:

Your shelving stays

No demolition, no structural changes, no new racking.

Your operations continue

Installation happens alongside live warehouse operations - zero downtime.

Your WMS stays

NEO:os integrates with your existing warehouse management system via a standard interface. No ERP migration, no IT overhaul.

No capital investment

NEO operates on a pay-per-pick model - robots, software, and maintenance included. Pure OpEx.

The result: automated goods-to-person picking in your existing warehouse, operational within one quarter.

Compare NEO with shuttle and cube-based AS/RS

Best fit for

  • Operate shelf-based warehouses (Fachbodenregal / bolt-less shelving) with manual person-to-goods picking
  • Process 5,000+ picks per day and face labor shortages or rising labor costs
  • Need to automate without disrupting ongoing fulfillment operations
  • Want to avoid CapEx and long implementation timelines
  • Operate leased facilities where structural modifications are not permitted

Not ideal for

  • Your warehouse uses pallet racking exclusively (no shelf-level bin storage)
  • Aisle widths are below 85 cm
  • Items regularly exceed 380 x 270 x 140 mm or 5 kg per unit
  • Your volume sits materially below the recommended threshold of 5,000 picks per day

What Stays, What Changes?

A NEO retrofit leaves most of your warehouse infrastructure unchanged.
The changes are deliberate and minimally invasive.

NEO:runner navigating mixed shelving types in existing warehouse - infrastructure stays unchanged

What stays the same

  • Shelving and racking - your existing shelf warehouse infrastructure remains untouched
  • Warehouse layout - no reconfiguration of aisles, zones, or storage locations
  • WMS and ERP - NEO:os connects to your existing systems; no migration required
  • Inventory - no relabeling, no re-slotting, no inventory freeze
NEO:pickstation with robot arm in motion - new automated picking method

What changes

  • Picking method - from manual person-to-goods walking to automated goods-to-person delivery
  • Labor allocation - pickers stay at ergonomic NEO:pickstations instead of walking aisles
  • Throughput - AMR fleet scales with demand; add robots and stations without construction
  • Accuracy - system-guided picking with digital confirmation reduces error rates

The NEO:runner robots navigate autonomously through your existing aisles (minimum 85 cm width), retrieve the target bin from shelving up to 250 cm height, and transport it to the goods-to-person station. The picker confirms the pick; the robot returns the bin. No walking, no searching.

Requirements: Is Your Warehouse Compatible?

Shelving type Bolt-less shelving / Fachbodenregal Standard commercial shelf warehouses
Aisle width >= 85 cm Measured between shelf faces
Usable shelf height <= 250 cm Top accessible shelf level
Item dimensions Max 380 x 270 x 140 mm Per bin/tote
Item weight Max 5 kg Per bin/tote
Daily pick volume 5,000+ picks/day recommended Lower volumes possible but less cost-effective
WMS Any WMS with API or file-based interface SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, custom - all supported
Floor Standard warehouse flooring No special surface treatment required

If your warehouse meets these criteria, a NEO retrofit is technically feasible. If you are unsure, request a free Fit-Check - we assess your site remotely or on-site within one week.

NEO Retrofit in Numbers

70%
reduction in picking labor
2-3×
increase in storage utilization
6-8weeks
from decision to go-live
0EUR
upfront investment

NEO is not a concept - it is running in live warehouse operations today.

Versandmanufaktur (GLS Group) walked the path from pilot to live operations:

  1. Pilot: A single NEO system installed during ongoing warehouse operations.
  2. Proof of concept: Validated performance in day-to-day operations - picking efficiency, error rate, throughput.
  3. Daily operations: NEO became part of the regular warehouse logistics.
  4. Scaling: Expansion from 1 to 3 systems - no further construction, no operational interruption.
Frank Hammermeister
No other provider combines such a simple automation solution with higher storage density like NEO. We see great potential to significantly support our fulfillment strategy with NEO.
Frank Hammermeister
CEO, Versandmanufaktur GmbH (GLS Group)

Read the full case study →

Currently, there is no other provider besides NEO that offers goods-to-person automation specifically for shelf-racking environments.
Ralf Bühler
CEO, Conrad Electronic SE

Typical Timeline: 6-8 Weeks to Go-Live

A NEO warehouse retrofit follows a structured deployment in three phases.
Your warehouse operations continue throughout.

1

Week 1-2: Feasibility and Planning

Site assessment, aisle and shelf audit, WMS interface specification.

2

Week 3-6: WMS Integration and Preparation

NEO:os connects to your WMS. The robot fleet and picking station are prepared and configured for your warehouse layout.

3

Week 7-8: Deployment and Go-Live

Hardware installation during live operations. The system goes productive. Pick strategies and sequences are optimized in the first days.

Compare this to conventional automation projects (mini-load AS/RS, shuttle systems, cube-based systems) that typically require 12-36 months, a construction phase, and a full warehouse shutdown.

See how NEO compares to cube-based AS/RS →

FAQ

Do I need to stop warehouse operations during installation?

No. NEO is designed for live-environment deployment. The NEO:runner robots, picking station, and software are installed and commissioned while your warehouse continues to operate. There is no shutdown period. Orders continue to be fulfilled throughout the entire deployment process.

What types of shelving are compatible?

NEO works with standard bolt-less shelving (Fachbodenregal) - the most common shelf type in European warehouses. The shelving must allow aisle widths of at least 85 cm and a usable shelf height of up to 250 cm. Specialized racking systems (pallet racking, cantilever, drive-in) are not compatible.

What happens to the existing WMS?

Your WMS stays in place. NEO:os integrates with your existing warehouse management system via a standard API or file-based interface. It receives pick orders from your WMS, coordinates the robot fleet, and confirms completed picks back to your system. No WMS replacement, no ERP migration. Integration typically takes ~4 weeks.

How quickly is an automated warehouse operational?

With NEO, the full deployment - WMS integration, robot fleet, G2P station, and software - is completed in 6-8 weeks from contract signature. The first automated picks happen on go-live day. By comparison, conventional automation projects (AS/RS, shuttle systems) require 12-36 months and a construction phase.

Can I start with a pilot and scale later?

Yes. Most customers start with a single picking station and a small robot fleet covering one warehouse zone. Once results are validated, scaling is straightforward: add more robots and stations without construction or downtime. Versandmanufaktur, for example, started with one system and expanded to three.

Request a Fit-Check

Find out whether your warehouse qualifies for a NEO retrofit. In a short consultation, we assess your shelving type, aisle dimensions, item profile, and daily volume - and give you a clear answer. No commitment. No cost. Typically completed within one week.

Request a Fit-Check
+49 211 936 724 23 sales@neointralogistics.com