Making Automation Real for Existing Warehouses
Cartesian Kinetics helps older warehouses adopt goods-to-person automation.
At a glance
Cartesian Kinetics provides fast, retrofittable, Goods to Person automation solutions using its proprietary platform Carte+. Carte+ enables efficient and reliable order fulfillment to cope with increasingly on-demand consumption patterns. Cartesian Kinetics is headquartered in the US and has teams across multiple locations in the US and Bangalore, India.
Industry 4.0 Solution Partner
About Rockwell Automation
We are the largest company in the world that is dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation. Across the globe, our flagship Allen Bradley® and FactoryTalk® product brands are recognized for excellence.
We meet customers where they are in their journey with market leading hardware, software, and services to make them more resilient, agile, and sustainable.
Company Overview
Cartesian Kinetics develops the Carte+ retrofit platform. It is headquartered in the US, with teams there and in Bangalore, India.
Source: Rockwell Automation case study, published September 4, 2025.
Business Challenge
Cartesian Kinetics, a Rockwell Automation OEM partner, is tackling a gap the automation industry mostly ignores: while new, purpose-built facilities get the spotlight, the vast majority of U.S. warehouses are older buildings never designed for robotics. These facilities must keep running daily operations while retrofitting automation onto uneven floors, manual racking, and established workflows — all while handling the unpredictable order patterns of fulfillment (unlike steady manufacturing lines) and rising e-commerce speed expectations.
Scale of the problem
Over 25,000 warehouses across the U.S. were built decades ago and still operate today, but lack the infrastructure modern automation assumes.
Physical infrastructure barriers
Uneven floors, manual racking systems, and pillar placements not designed for robotics make automation integration far harder than in new-build facilities.
Operating while retrofitting
As CEO Jayendran Balasubramanian puts it, automating an existing facility feels like changing a tire while the car is moving — daily operations can't stop for the upgrade.
Unpredictable workflows
Fulfillment and logistics orders arrive randomly, unlike manufacturing's steady cadence, making operators wary of trusting automation to handle the variability.
Rising pressure to automate
Growing e-commerce volume and demand for faster delivery push operators to automate even as they juggle these legacy constraints.
Industry Solution
Modernizing Existing Warehouses with a Tailored Automation Solution
Cartesian Kinetics worked with Rockwell Automation to develop solutions that integrate into existing warehouses and enhance human-machine collaboration. One of the key technologies deployed was Emulate3D™ Digital Twin Software. Emulate3D™ digital twin software allows Cartesian Kinetics to create virtual replicas of warehouse operations, enabling customers to simulate real-world scenarios and predict the impact of various factors, such as peak shopping days or supply chain disruptions. This technology has been instrumental in helping customers test and refine solutions before investing in physical hardware, reducing risk and cost.
Cartesian Kinetics also adopted Rockwell Automation Independent Cart Technology (ICT). Unlike robotics that rely on wheels, ICT leverages magnetic levitation for precise movement. This design allows automation systems to navigate existing racking systems, no matter how imperfect, removing the need for costly and disruptive infrastructure overhauls.
The company’s use of ICT prioritizes human productivity. Robots now deliver multiple bins to stationary workers, enabling them to process orders more efficiently. This “goods to person” approach reduces worker fatigue and cognitive load, creating smoother operations and lessening errors.
Business Outcome
Delivering on the Promise of Automation
The collaboration between Cartesian Kinetics and Rockwell Automation has delivered transformative results for the warehousing and fulfillment industry. In one of their customer facilities, productivity has soured, with human workers achieving 5x the output compared to previous processes. Now, the facility can process more orders in less time, helping the operators scale their operations and meet rising consumer demands. Additionally, error rates dropped by a factor of 10, reducing the costs associated with returns and boosting customer satisfaction.
Overall, Cartesian Kinetics resolved a challenge that automation leaders tend to overlook or avoid altogether. Now, existing warehouses can reap the benefits of automation without major infrastructure changes—so that they remain competitive and amplify the ability of their human workforce.
Workers achieved five times their previous output.
Error rates fell to one-tenth of previous levels.
Key Benefits
| Benefit Area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Productivity | Human workers achieving 5x the output |
| Operations Scale Growth | Helping the operators scale their operations and meet rising consumer demands |
| Cost Reduction | Error rates dropped by a factor of 10, reducing the costs associated with returns and boosting customer satisfaction |