Welcome to the 16th newsletter for 2026!
A quick note before we get started: If you are new here, welcome. I use this space to write through what I am seeing and learning across warehouse design and automation as the industry evolves.
Your MODEX Reading List
MODEX starts Monday.
If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know how I think about walking a show floor - readiness before shiny, integration before throughput, what breaks before what scales.
For many of you who've joined recently - welcome, and this one's for you. What follows are 10 pieces from the archive that will sharpen how you evaluate what you're about to see in Atlanta. Think of them as filters.
For the rest of you - treat this as a refresher. Re-read the one that hits different now that you're a few months deeper into whatever you're building.
10 reads before you talk to a single vendor:
Ready Before Shiny → [link]
"It Scales" Is a Lie and I Can Prove It → [link]
$4B Lost in Automation: Robot Fit vs. Business Model → [link]
API Docs Are Easy. Integration Isn't. → [link]
Design as Leverage → [link]
We've Been Selling Safety Wrong → [link]
Automation Fails at the Org Chart, Not Go-Live → [link]
The 5% Keyhole → [link]
Peak Reveals the Warehouse You Actually Run → [link]
Signed at the Portco Level. Priced in at Exit. → [link]
These aren't vendor takes. They're field notes from facility walks, broken integrations, and the conversations that happen after the demo ends.
I'll be on the floor at MODEX this week. If you're there too - hit reply and let's grab a coffee. Always happy to compare notes in person.
See you out there.
— Parth
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