22.10.2026
Warehouse Automation: Could Equipment Longevity Be Your Best Way to Cut Costs?
24.06.2026
By Pauline Jurado · June 2026 · 5 min read
In most automation projects, the actual total cost of ownership (TCO) far exceeds the initial budget. Premature wear, hard-to-source parts and the replacement of entire assemblies: the hidden costs of poorly designed equipment quietly add up. Our 2025 CSR report shows that a rigorous approach to environmental responsibility has a measurable impact on the economic performance of your automated lines.
The Hidden Cost of Logistics Equipment That No One Calculates at Purchase
When investing in a conveyor line or an automated sorting system, the focus is usually on the purchase price and payback period. Yet other factors deserve careful consideration.
The operational reality of an automated warehouse includes unplanned downtime, spare parts that are impossible to source five years after installation, and entire assemblies that must be replaced because individual components cannot be repaired. These costs—corrective maintenance, lost productivity and premature replacement—rarely appear in commercial proposals. They show up in operating results, sometimes as early as the third year.
This is precisely where sustainable equipment design becomes a compelling financial argument.
Durability and Industrial Performance: A False Trade-Off
For a long time, incorporating environmental requirements into industrial equipment design seemed incompatible with performance and cost targets. This was not an unreasonable view: it reflected real trade-offs and compromises. But practices have evolved.
Designing a conveyor made of 95% recyclable metal by weight is no longer simply an environmental constraint. It means using a high-quality, consistent material that is easy to work with, replace section by section and recover at the end of its life. The modularity required by environmental design specifications is the very same modularity that allows a technician to replace a faulty component in two hours, rather than order an entire assembly with a six-week lead time.
This is no coincidence. It is a design approach that benefits both the environment and the operator. And it starts at the production site itself. Our conveyor equipment is manufactured in Saint-Étienne, and that matters. Local manufacturing means a shorter supply chain, a smaller transport footprint from the outset and, above all, full control from design through to assembly. It is difficult to guarantee 98% recyclability for equipment whose manufacturing process you do not control.
WHAT OUR 2025 FIGURES SHOW
In our third CSR Report, the environmental characteristics of our equipment directly reflect design choices that extend its service life:
▪️ 98% overall recyclability — standardised materials that are easy to source and replace individually ▪️ 100% reusable components — an architecture designed for repair rather than replacement ▪️ 95% recyclable metal by weight — consistent materials and simplified maintenance ▪️ 17% recycled metal content — more resilient supply chains and reduced exposure to supply disruptions
CSR and Supplier Selection: An Increasingly Important Tender Criterion
Supply chain departments are no longer solely responsible for selecting equipment suppliers. Procurement teams, CFOs and CSR managers are increasingly involved in automation investment decisions, particularly within organisations subject to non-financial reporting requirements under the CSRD or committed to carbon reduction targets.
In this context, a supplier’s ability to document its environmental practices is no longer a bonus. It is a prerequisite for joining certain approved supplier panels. The EcoVadis Bronze Medal we received in 2025, placing BOA Concept Group among the top 35% of companies assessed worldwide, directly addresses this requirement by providing our customers with independent, standardised and comparable evidence.
What distinguishes a credible CSR approach is consistency and measurability. With the publication of our third annual report, we are documenting our progress.
From an environmental perspective, our indicators now include rigorous monitoring of emissions per employee and per thousand euros of revenue. Our partnership with Elise, a specialist in workplace recycling, has helped us structure our waste sorting processes and recover 397 kg of waste in 2025. Our target of reducing relative greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2027 is embedded in our strategic plan.
From a social perspective, our local commitment has resulted in 23 formal partnerships with organisations in and around Saint-Étienne, the same area where our equipment is manufactured. This is no coincidence: an industrial company that manufactures locally and invests in its community builds a form of resilience that financial statements do not always capture.
“Corporate social responsibility is no longer a separate initiative, but a driver for transforming our business model. Our goal is to deliver industrial solutions that are increasingly efficient, sustainable and responsible.”
— Jean-Lucien Rascle, Chairman and CEO of BOA Concept Group
What This Means in Practice for an Automation Project
If you are leading a warehouse automation project, here are the key questions to ask your equipment suppliers:
▪️ What is the recyclability rate of the proposed equipment, and what does this mean for maintainability? ▪️ Can components be replaced individually, or must entire assemblies be replaced in the event of a failure? ▪️ Can the supplier provide an independent CSR assessment, such as EcoVadis, that can be used in your own procurement reporting? ▪️ How long is the availability of spare parts guaranteed after installation?
FAQ
What Is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of Logistics Equipment?
TCO includes the purchase price, preventive and corrective maintenance costs, unplanned downtime, the cost of spare parts and the equipment’s residual value at the end of its service life. Modular, repairable equipment can significantly reduce maintenance and replacement costs over 10 to 15 years of operation.
How Does Equipment Recyclability Affect Maintainability?
Equipment designed using consistent, standardised materials, such as recyclable metal and standard components, is inherently easier to repair at assembly level. The modularity required by environmental standards enables faulty parts to be replaced individually without dismantling the entire line.
What Is an EcoVadis Rating, and Why Is It Relevant When Choosing an Equipment Supplier?
EcoVadis is the world’s leading corporate sustainability assessment platform, with more than 130,000 companies assessed. It provides a standardised score covering environmental practices, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. For procurement or supply chain directors, it enables suppliers to be compared using objective CSR criteria and provides data that can support their own CSRD reporting.
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