Smart Warehouse Automation for Industrial Logistics: Intelligent Automation Solutions for the Aftermarket

Automotive spare parts displayed nicely on a flat surface with a black background

Blog Post

24.10.2025

The aftermarket sector keeps the world moving — ensuring that vehicles, machines, and industrial systems continue to perform long after they leave the production line. But behind every spare part lies a complex logistics network. Efficiently managing that flow is no longer just an operational task — it’s a strategic differentiator.

Rising customer expectations, shrinking delivery times, and expanding product portfolios make it essential for companies to evolve. Traditional processes can’t keep pace. What’s needed is warehouse automation that delivers speed, scalability, and intelligence — all in one seamless solution.

The Challenge: Managing Complexity in Aftermarket Logistics

Key challenges:

Complex Inventory Management: Spare parts can vary greatly in size, weight, and demand, making inventory management tricky. Traditional methods of manual picking and storage often lead to inefficiencies, stock discrepancies, and delays.
High Demand for Speed and Accuracy: Customers expect fast delivery of parts, often with same-day or next-day shipping. This demand for speed requires highly efficient and accurate fulfillment processes.
Increasing Product Variety: With the growing complexity of products across industries (automotive, land, water, air vehicles, and industrial equipment), spare parts inventories are becoming larger and more diverse.
Multichannel and B2B Requirements: The shift to multichannel retail and B2B models has created new requirements for flexibility in logistics operations, requiring systems that can handle online orders, wholesale, and retail delivery needs.

Traditional warehouse processes can no longer keep pace. What’s needed is a new level of warehouse automation that combines speed, scalability, and intelligence.

Tailored Automation for Every Business Model

The aftermarket industry spans a broad spectrum, from pure online retailers to multichannel, B2B, and wholesale models. Our solutions are adaptable to all these different business models.

Online Retailers

Smaller orders. Faster fulfillment. TGW’s goods-to-person systems and robotic picking ensure accuracy and speed from order to shipment, minimizing human error and lead times.

Multichannel Operations

For businesses balancing online, retail, and B2B channels, TGW automation synchronizes inventories across every platform. Mobile robots and flexible systems like RovoFlex handle varied order profiles with precision and adaptability.

B2B and Wholesale

High-volume orders require robust storage and high-density efficiency. Our Stingray Shuttle system delivers fast access to thousands of SKUs, ensuring that even the most complex spare parts inventories remain organized and responsive.

Industry-Specific Applications

The diverse needs of various industries such as automotive parts, land, water, and air vehicles, and industrial equipment require tailored solutions. Each of these industries has unique inventory requirements:

Automotive Parts: Scalable automation solutions handle a wide variety of components with speed and precision.
Land, Water, and Air Vehicles: Tailored storage and retrieval systems ensure safe handling of fragile or oversized components.
Industrial Equipment: Advanced robotics and automated sorting streamline heavy or complex parts management, improving reliability and throughput.

Redefining Aftermarket Fulfillment

With more than 50 years of expertise in intralogistics automation, TGW Logistics helps aftermarket leaders turn operational complexity into a competitive advantage. Combining proven engineering with robotics, AI, and digital intelligence, TGW systems make spare parts logistics faster, more efficient, and more resilient.

TGW's Quba mobile robots ensure seamless material flow and reduce manual effort, while picking robot RovoFlex delivers precision, speed, and scalability in high-volume environments. Automated packing and sorting minimize errors and lower handling costs, and the shuttle system Stingray maximizes storage density and throughput.

The WERX warehouse management software connects all automated components into one intelligent ecosystem — enabling full visibility, real-time control, and data-driven decision-making across the entire operation.

The result: shorter lead times, higher throughput, and a future-ready supply chain that meets rising customer expectations with confidence and consistency.

Why TGW Logistics Is the Ideal Automation Partner

TGW Logistics is uniquely positioned to help aftermarket companies overcome the challenges they face in warehousing and distribution. Our expertise in automation, advanced robotics, and tailored solutions allows businesses to optimize their supply chains and meet customer demands with greater efficiency.

Whether you're in the automotive, aerospace, or industrial sector, TGW Logistics offers flexible solutions that can scale with your business. By combining the latest in mobile robotics, automated storage, pick robotics, and sorting technologies, we ensure that spare parts can be delivered faster, more accurately, and with reduced operational costs.

In an increasingly competitive market where speed, accuracy, and flexibility are key to success, our solutions provide the cutting-edge technology and reliability necessary to support aftermarket companies in their pursuit of excellence.

Partner with TGW Logistics and let us set your system up for growth and efficiency.

Erich Schlenkrich is VP of Business Development for Industrial and Consumer Goods at TGW Logistics, with decades of global experience in automation and supply chain optimization. Interested in collaborating or learning more?

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Erich Schlenkrich, Vice President Business Development Industrial & Consumer Goods | TGW Logistics

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TGW Logistics is a foundation-owned company headquartered in Austria and a global leader in warehouse automation and warehouse logistics. As a trusted systems integrator with more than 50 years of experience, we deliver end-to-end services: designing, implementing, and maintaining fulfillment centers powered by mechatronics, robotics, and advanced software solutions. With over 4,500 employees spanning Europe, Asia, and North America, we combine expertise, innovation, and a customer-centric dedication to help keep your business growing. With TGW Logistics, it's possible to transform your warehouse logistics into a competitive advantage.