Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s largest wine and spirits wholesaler, serving 47 markets across the United States, Canada, and beyond. For this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, Kevin mixes it up with Karli Sage, Vice President of Supply Chain Management Technology and Engineering at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Together, they discuss how to approach warehouse technology and automation to improve inventory visibility. The discussion highlights the unique challenges of managing thousands of SKUs, maintaining inventory accuracy, and scaling innovation across a complex distribution network.

Why One-Size-Fits-All Automation Falls Short 

Warehouse inventory management looks very different in the wine and spirits industry. As Karli explains, “We have about 17,000 and counting, the different types of SKUs. So it’s very complex.” That level of variety creates challenges that many automation providers have never encountered. “If you’re distributing paper towels, paper goods, or products outside of wine and spirits, it’s difficult for us to determine whether a solution is truly apples-to-apples with our operation.” She adds, “As technology across the supply chain continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly challenging to identify what will actually be effective for our business. That’s one of the biggest changes I’ve seen over the last few years.”

Karli warns against blindly following industry trends, stating that “The shiny object syndrome is a real disease.” Instead, her team focuses on solutions that fit the realities of the unique needs of the wine and spirits industry.

Using Autonomous Drones to Improve Inventory Visibility

Southern Glazer’s turned to Corvus Robotics because of its ability to operate autonomously and integrate directly with warehouse management systems.

According to Karli, the results have been significant. “We’ve been able to speed up the process because what takes someone a few minutes to do, we can now get done in a couple of seconds. She adds, “We can count almost every warehouse within two weeks.” The company has also identified approximately 30,000 inventory opportunities across facilities where drones have been deployed. “ We are no longer shorting products. We are giving them everything that they ordered because we have better visibility.”

Combining Automation with Human Expertise

Southern Glazer’s does not view automation as a workforce reduction strategy. Instead, the company focuses on redirecting employees toward higher-value activities.

Karli believes successful automation projects require clear communication and a well-defined purpose. She explains that “Inventory is dollars. It’s money. It’s what you own.” Helping employees understand the business impact of inventory accuracy became a critical part of the change management process.

The company also emphasized employee development. Karli explains that automation creates growth opportunities, saying, “This allows us to take those individuals and put them into that stretch project that proves to them we see you, and we see what you’re capable of and what you can do.” By pairing technology investments with workforce development, Southern Glazer’s has improved inventory visibility while strengthening employee engagement and operational performance.

Key Takeaways

• Autonomous drones reduced the time required to perform wall-to-wall inventory counts.
• Facilities can now count nearly every reserve location within two weeks.
• Drone deployments have identified roughly 30,000 inventory opportunities.
• Improved inventory visibility helps reduce shortages and improve customer service.
• Southern Glazer’s redeployed cycle counters into higher-value inventory and quality-focused activities.