Straightforward answers to the questions NZ business owners ask us most often — before, during and after an automation project.
Absolutely. Many of our most successful projects are with NZ SMEs — businesses with 20–200 employees who are facing real labour shortages, rising wages, or throughput bottlenecks. Automation doesn't require you to be a large corporation.
We design phased solutions: you might start with a single robot palletizing cell for $150,000–$300,000 NZD, achieve payback in 2–4 years, and then expand from there. We specifically avoid over-engineering solutions that are bigger than your business needs.
The key question isn't "are we big enough?" — it's "do we have a repetitive, physically demanding task that's creating a bottleneck or costing us in labour, injuries, or quality?" If yes, automation is worth exploring.
Good candidates for automation typically share several characteristics: repetitive tasks performed at high volume, labour-intensive work in difficult conditions (cold, heavy, or hazardous), throughput bottlenecks that limit your growth, and consistent product formats (even if there are multiple SKUs).
The best way to find out is a free site assessment — we'll visit your facility, observe your operations, and give you an honest assessment of where automation would deliver real ROI and where it wouldn't. There's no obligation and no cost.
Our typical project timeline follows these stages:
Total timeline from contract to go-live is typically 6–12 months for a standard robot cell, and 12–18 months for a complete warehouse automation system.
Project costs vary significantly based on scope. As a rough guide for NZ projects:
These are indicative ranges only. The actual cost depends on your specific requirements, throughput, product types, building constraints, and software integration needs. We provide detailed pricing in our concept proposals — always with a clear ROI analysis.
For most NZ projects we work on, payback periods range from 2 to 5 years, with the majority falling in the 2.5–4 year range. Factors that improve payback include:
Use our interactive ROI calculator to estimate your specific payback period based on your actual numbers.
Yes. Several funding pathways are available to NZ businesses investing in automation:
We recommend speaking with your accountant and checking the Callaghan Innovation website for current programmes. We can also connect you with advisors who specialise in automation funding applications.
Minimising production disruption is a core part of our installation planning. For most projects, we use a phased approach: build and test as much as possible off-site, then execute the on-site cutover during a planned shutdown window (typically a weekend or holiday period).
For a standard robot palletizing cell, the on-site installation and commissioning typically takes 1–3 weeks, with the actual production cutover taking 1–2 days. For larger warehouse systems, we stage the installation to keep parts of the facility operational throughout.
We always develop a detailed installation plan with your operations team before work begins, so there are no surprises.
It depends on the system. For robot cells and AMR fleets, building modifications are usually minimal — typically just floor preparation, electrical supply, and safety fencing. These can often be done within your existing footprint.
For high-bay AS/RS systems (stacker cranes), you may need a taller building or a building extension — though Swisslog's Vectura system is designed to maximise the use of existing building height. AutoStore is specifically designed for brownfield installations and can fit into almost any building shape.
We assess your building as part of the concept design process and flag any structural or civil requirements early, so there are no surprises during the project.
This is one of the most common concerns we hear, and it's a legitimate one. In practice, most of our NZ clients don't make people redundant — they redeploy existing staff to higher-value roles, and use automation to handle growth without hiring more people into physically demanding jobs.
Automation typically eliminates the most physically demanding, injury-prone, and repetitive tasks — the ones that are hardest to fill and have the highest turnover. Staff who were doing those jobs are often redeployed to quality control, system monitoring, maintenance support, or customer-facing roles.
We include workforce transition planning as part of our project scope, and we provide training for your team to operate and maintain the new systems.
KUKA is one of the world's top three industrial robot manufacturers, with over 4 million robots installed globally and a particularly strong presence in food, dairy, cold chain and logistics applications — which aligns closely with NZ industry needs.
Key reasons we focus on KUKA: their food-grade hygienic variants (stainless steel, NSF H1 oil) are specifically designed for NZ's food and dairy sector; their cold-chain rated models operate reliably at -30°C; and as the parent company of Swisslog, KUKA and Swisslog systems integrate seamlessly.
We can also work with other robot brands where a project specifically requires it — we're an integration company, not a hardware reseller. But for most NZ applications, KUKA is our first recommendation.
These are three different Swisslog warehouse automation systems, each suited to different applications:
The right choice depends on your product type, order profile, building constraints, and throughput requirements. We'll recommend the best fit after a site assessment.
Yes. Integration with existing business systems is a core part of every project we deliver. Our software platform (Haorui Technology + Swisslog SynQ) is designed with open APIs and standard integration protocols.
We have experience integrating with: SAP, Oracle, MYOB, Xero, Microsoft Dynamics, and custom ERP systems. We also integrate with existing WMS, production planning, and customer order management systems.
The integration scope and complexity is assessed during the design phase. In some cases, the automation software replaces an existing WMS entirely; in others, it sits alongside your existing systems and exchanges data in real time.
We take system reliability very seriously. Our support model includes:
All systems we install include a warranty period and we offer ongoing maintenance contracts tailored to your uptime requirements. We can discuss specific SLA terms during the project planning phase.
Modern automation systems are designed to be operated by your existing staff — you don't need robotics engineers on your team. The operator interface is typically a touchscreen dashboard showing system status, alerts, and basic controls.
We provide comprehensive training as part of every project:
Training is conducted on-site with your actual system, and we provide documentation in plain English. We also offer refresher training and can train new staff as your team changes.
Yes. KUKA has an established presence in Australia and New Zealand through KUKA Australia, and Swisslog has operated in ANZ since 1996 with a 100+ person team based in Sydney. Both brands have completed multiple projects in New Zealand.
As an integration partner, PRA works with both KUKA and Swisslog to deliver complete automation systems to NZ customers. We handle the local engineering, project management, installation, and ongoing support — with the backing of both global brands' technical resources.
Lead times for major equipment (robots, stacker cranes, AutoStore systems) are typically 12–20 weeks from order to delivery in NZ — similar to what Australian customers experience. We factor this into project planning from the start.
For ongoing support, we maintain a local spare parts inventory for the most critical components, and we can air-freight parts from Australia (1–2 days) or Europe (3–5 days) when needed. For software issues, remote support is available immediately regardless of time zones.
NZ's distance is a real consideration, which is why we emphasise building local technical capability — training your team to handle routine maintenance and minor issues independently, so you're not dependent on overseas support for day-to-day operations.
Yes. While we're Auckland-based, we work with businesses throughout New Zealand — including Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago. Many of NZ's largest food processing and logistics operations are outside Auckland, and we travel for site assessments and project work.
For ongoing support outside Auckland, we combine remote monitoring with planned maintenance visits and can arrange local subcontractor support for routine maintenance where needed.
Our team answers questions like these every day. There's no sales pressure — just straight answers from people who know automation.