Three letters get thrown around in every automation conversation right now — AS/RS, AMR, AGV — and half the time the people saying them are using them interchangeably. They're not the same thing. Not even close. And if you're evaluating any kind of automation for your DC, mixing them up can point you toward a solution that doesn't fit your operation at all. An AS/RS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System) is a fixed infrastructure play. Think tall vertical carousels, shuttle

A lot of the nearshoring conversation happens in boardrooms and earnings calls, not in DCs. Cost of goods, freight rates, geopolitical risk — all real, all worth talking about. But I want to talk about what actually changes when your sourcing geography shifts, because it changes a lot more than your PO lead times. When you're running offshore supply, you get used to operating with deep safety stock. You order in big batches because ocean freight rewards volume. Your counts ma