IFS Softeon positions warehouse execution systems as the control layer for modern automated fulfilment.
IFS Softeon says the next stage of warehouse automation will be shaped by how well robotics, labour, workflows and materials handling equipment are connected across the fulfilment environment.
As more warehouses introduce autonomous mobile robots, goods-to-person systems, conveyors, sortation, put walls and other automation technologies, the company says operators need to look beyond standalone systems and consider how work is orchestrated across the entire site.
Scott Gillies, Vice President and Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, IFS Softeon, says warehouse orchestration is about coordinating every moving part of the fulfilment operation as one connected system.
“Simply adding more automation does not automatically improve performance,” says Scott. “In many warehouses, adding standalone robotics or automation without orchestration can actually create new bottlenecks.”
In practical terms, Scott says orchestration means dynamically deciding which orders should be released first, which automation resource should handle each task, how labour should be balanced across zones, and how workflows should adapt when congestion or delays occur.
IFS Softeon’s warehouse execution system, or WES, is positioned as the operational intelligence layer between the warehouse management system and the warehouse floor. It is designed to monitor conditions in real time, redirect work, prioritise orders and balance activity across people, automation and material handling equipment.
“Warehouses are realising that isolated ‘automation islands’ only solve individual tasks,” says Scott. “A robot may optimise picking, or a conveyor may improve carton transport speed, but fulfilment performance depends on how all systems work together.”
According to IFS Softeon, many automation systems are still designed to optimise their own equipment. However, without a broader orchestration layer, each system can optimise locally while creating pressure elsewhere in the warehouse.
Scott says this can lead to bottlenecks between systems, idle automation assets, manual intervention, limited visibility and inconsistent throughput across fulfilment zones.
“One of the biggest issues is that individual systems may optimise locally while hurting overall warehouse efficiency,” says Scott. “For example, a picking robot may continue feeding work into a congested packing area, creating downstream gridlock.”
IFS Softeon says its WES provides a vendor-agnostic integration and orchestration framework, allowing AMRs, goods-to-person systems, conveyors, sortation, put walls and human labour to operate in a coordinated environment.
This approach is designed to support businesses that introduce automation gradually. Many warehouses do not automate all at once, instead beginning with one process, one constraint or one part of the building before adding further systems over time.
“Instead of embedding business logic inside individual robotics systems, the WES manages workflows centrally,” says Scott. “That allows businesses to replace or add robotics vendors over time, scale automation gradually, adapt workflows without rewriting integrations, and select technologies based on operational fit rather than ecosystem dependency.”
IFS completed its acquisition of Softeon in March 2026, forming IFS Softeon and expanding its warehouse management, warehouse execution and distributed order management capabilities.
For Australian and New Zealand operators, Scott says many businesses face the same pressures as larger overseas markets, including labour, space, productivity and wages. However, local operators may now have the advantage of adopting automation technologies that have already been tested in larger markets.
“This makes this a great time for Australian businesses to evaluate and implement automation and advanced warehouse systems,” says Scott.
