Skynet has risen at the Games Workshop warehouse here in the states, okay not really, but orders this month might be even more delayed…
It wasn’t that long ago GW cut off restocks to stores for a few weeks, at the time we thought this meant they were installing the new automated systems into the US warehouse and it turns out we were right (just later than we expected). We thought this would be a really good thing when we heard about it, and it probably will be in the long run, however, making the change right before the holidays may not have been the right choice.
As with any new system, there are going to be some kinks to work out and with tons of holiday orders, it is slowing things down. So we’ve been seeing all kinds of delays in releases and shipping lately, and this doesn’t help. Still, in the long run, this should be a huge help for all the US distribution.
GW Warehouse is Even More Clogged As Skynet Takes Over
Image From Hikrobotics
We first heard about the robot takeover back in 2019. According to an Industry Insider from back then, these IRL robots are part of GW’s new automation system and warehouse expansion.
Games Workshop has been growing. Now they’re making things more automated with IRL robots. It’s called something like a Hikrobot– a smart machine that can pull orders from shelves and recharge itself (like a Roomba).
Now, we have full proof that the robots are online, the main issue? It seems the actual people who work there can’t make any changes to the automation or what’s happening, and the automation seems to be making a lot of mistakes currently.
It also seems from the responses customers and retailers alike are receiving that orders can not be canceled once they are placed, as that would mess with the automation somehow. Let’s hope they work this out soon!
Games Workshop: Rise of the Machines
Here is an account of someone dealing with the new automation and a wrong order:
Thanks for reaching out to us. We are not able to cancel the subject order as requested (at least not directly). Our business recently implemented a new, automation-assisted fulfillment system in the US to help us keep up with demand. Unfortunately, we have very limited manual control over orders – once an order has all the items allocated to it and has been accepted into the new queue, we are no longer able to cancel or alter it prior to dispatch, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Although we are unable to prevent this order from shipping, we can still assist you in obtaining a refund. Your request has been escalated to our Logistics team, as they may be able to babysit the order and coordinate with the carrier upon dispatch to have it returned to sender. Please note that this is not a full-proof process, but the further the package’s destination is from our warehouse the better (FYI, we’re in Memphis). Effectively, our Logistics team requests a return to sender through our UPS account rep, and they communicate this down through the UPS network until it is applied to the package.
As you can see from the email, once an order is placed, or anything happens in the warehouse, they basically have no control over what happens. So instead of just canceling, you have to get the item then return it, thus taking up your time and the GW team time as well.
This isn’t a huge deal but we wonder what other types of issues they will have. If nothing else though, it does cement the idea they have moved to full automation. Let’s take a look at another issue that is a little more upsetting:
Regrettably, orders were not processing for several days while the North American warehouse made some changes to its processing systems. Due to these updates, upgrades and the implementation of shiny new picking servitor-like robots some orders are being split shipped to avoid delays in customers getting their goods.
This may result in multiple parcels and deliveries whilst our picking robots complete their set-up and calibration.
This has caused a backlog of orders but our warehouse team are working as hard as they can to get your orders to you as soon as possible. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused by this delay.
Your orders will be held in “Pending” status as we prepare them for dispatch. Once your orders have left our warehouse, you will receive an email to confirm this and your shipping details. I’m sorry we can’t be of more direct assistance with this, but if there’s anything else we can help with, please let us know.
So while this will probably be super helpful in the long run, even GW is saying it’s causing delays as of right now. It normally wouldn’t be an issue, but with the holidays here, be wary of ordering late! Not only that, split shipping is super annoying to keep track of everything.
As we said, in the long-term, this will probably be great, doing it over the holidays for the first time, eh…
All the Newest GW Model Previews For December & Beyond
Do you think this will be good in the end? Have you noticed any delays?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits sprung from Rob staying motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects, while sharing his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
LEGO maniac and scale model hobbyist in the 80s turned miniature wargamer and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition), but Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and minatures made of pewter and resin.
