Cybersecurity is becoming a more prominent operational concern for potato processors, packers and distributors that rely on automated storage, order picking and warehouse control systems.

Automation specialist Cimcorp says food and grocery companies are increasingly evaluating suppliers not only on system performance and availability, but also on their ability to support recovery and maintain operations following a cyber incident.

“Customer expectations have changed significantly in recent years,” said Antti Olenius, Team Lead, System Management at Cimcorp. “Today, companies are looking beyond traditional system performance and availability. They want to understand how operations can continue and recover if a cyber incident occurs.”

The issue is particularly relevant in food distribution, where interruptions can delay deliveries, affect product availability and increase waste. For potato companies handling fresh or frozen products, disruption to automated warehousing and dispatch operations could quickly affect production schedules, cold-chain management and customer deliveries.

Cimcorp said customers are placing greater emphasis on disaster recovery, system monitoring, backup strategies and lifecycle management when assessing automation investments.

“If a cyber incident disrupts a distribution centre, the consequences can extend far beyond the facility itself,” Olenius said. “In food distribution, delays can affect product availability, create waste and disrupt the supply chain. That is why business continuity planning has become such an important topic.”

The growing focus on resilience reflects the expanding role of software in automated warehouses. Warehouse Control Systems coordinate material flows, inventory movements and equipment across a facility, connecting physical automation with wider business processes.

“The WCS has effectively become the operational backbone of the distribution centre,” said Juho Nässi, Product Manager, Services at Cimcorp. “When software orchestrates the entire material flow, resilience becomes just as important as performance. If critical systems become unavailable, operations can quickly slow down or stop.”

Cimcorp argues that cybersecurity and recovery capabilities should be incorporated into automation systems during the design stage rather than added after installation. Measures identified by the company include secure system architecture, network segmentation, continuous monitoring, lifecycle management and tested recovery procedures.

“Cyber resilience is strongest when security is designed into the solution from day one,” Nässi said. “Organisations that invest in proactive monitoring, maintenance and recovery capabilities are better prepared to minimise disruptions and maintain performance when unexpected situations occur.”

Cimcorp expects cybersecurity requirements to continue increasing as warehouse automation becomes more connected, data-driven and cloud-enabled.

“In the future, distribution centres will not only compete on throughput and efficiency,” Olenius concluded. “They will also compete on resilience and their ability to keep goods moving when disruptions occur.”