Ep. 3 - Why Digitizing The Warehouse Now Cuts Cost, Risk, and Stockouts

What if your warehouse could flex labor across sites on demand, cut safety risk, and feed cleaner data into your WMS—all without a massive retrofit? We sit down with Brian Nachtigall, VP & GM of Vaux at ArcBest, to unpack smart autonomy that blends autonomous forklifts with remote teleoperation for a fast, pragmatic path to automation. No gimmicks, no buzzword soup—just a clear look at how deep learning, digital twins, and disciplined operations deliver measurable wins right now.

Brian traces his journey from Bain to Cognex to Boston Dynamics, sharing what he learned about scaling machine vision, building reliable autonomy stacks, and applying management systems that actually fit the culture. We break down the Vaux suite: robotic forklifts that map your facility, fleet management that coordinates traffic safely, and a human-in-the-loop model that lets operators “dial in” only when tasks get tricky. That pooled remote labor becomes a powerful lever for load balancing across DCs, smoothing demand spikes and reducing stockouts, late fees, and excess safety stock that quietly erode margins.

We also explore warehouse digitization and why data integrity is the real multiplier. By capturing accurate pallet locations and on-forklift dimensions with Vaux Vision, your WMS makes better calls, slotting improves, and the bullwhip effect softens. Beyond forklifts, Vaux's freight movement platforms accelerate shuttle runs, protect sensitive electronics for data center logistics, and enable scaffolding to move non-stackable freight efficiently. Throughout, Brian’s stance is grounded: automate what you can, keep people in the loop for edge cases, and compound gains over time rather than chasing lights-out promises.

If you care about safer operations, faster deployments, and resilient supply chains, this conversation offers a blueprint. Subscribe, share with your ops team, and leave a review with the one bottleneck you’d automate first—we’ll feature our favorite responses in a future episode.