Service Streams

Solution Design
Stream

The gap between a promising concept and a working operation is where most projects get into trouble. The Solutions Design Stream closes that gap — translating business objectives into operational foundations that are safe, executable, and built to perform from day one.

01

Process Design — workflows, flows, and system dependencies

02

Safety Management — frameworks, compliance, and governance

03

Environmental Assessment — impact, energy, sustainability

04

SOP Guidance — clear, compliant, and aligned to the design

What This Stream Delivers

The bridge between
concept and reality.

A solution is only as good as its operational foundations. Before anything is built or go-live is approached, the processes need to be defined, the safety frameworks need to be in place, the environmental obligations need to be understood, and the procedures that govern daily operations need to be clear. That's what this stream delivers — systematically, across four disciplines.

Outcome 01

Reduced
implementation risk

Clear operational foundations before a line is drawn or a bolt is turned. Problems resolved on paper, not on site.

Outcome 02

Safe from
day one

Safety frameworks designed for automated environments — not retrofitted to them after something goes wrong.

Outcome 03

Regulatory
confidence

Compliance with ISO, CE, WorkSafe, and environmental standards — documented, auditable, and defensible.

Outcome 04

Operations ready
to perform

SOPs, process flows, and team structures aligned to the designed environment — so performance is immediate, not eventual.

01

Discipline one

Process
Design

___________

Every manual task, automated interaction, and system dependency — mapped, validated, and ready for execution.

A warehouse that hasn't had its processes formally designed is a warehouse that will improvise under pressure. Improvisation in automated environments is expensive.

We design and optimise the future-state operational workflows that govern how your warehouse actually runs. This means defining material flows, labour activities, equipment interactions, and system dependencies in enough detail that every team member — and every system — knows exactly what's expected of them. Cycle-time estimates and performance assumptions are validated through collaborative workshops, with full stakeholder sign-off before anything moves to implementation.

  • Comprehensive business impact assessment covering the full operational environment

  • End-to-end process flow diagrams for all warehouse and material-handling activities

  • Detailed process descriptions: roles, responsibilities, and time requirements

  • Clearly defined integration points between manual workflows and automated equipment

  • Cycle-time estimates and operational performance assumptions validated in workshops

  • Stakeholder sign-off documentation ensuring full alignment before implementation

02

Discipline two

Safety
Management

___________

Safety frameworks built for automated environments from the ground up — not adapted from manual operations after the fact.

In automated warehouse environments, safety isn't a checklist item. It's a design discipline. The consequences of getting it wrong — operationally, legally, and commercially — are significant.

We help organisations establish safety frameworks that are genuinely tailored to their automated environment — covering regulatory compliance, integration of safety-critical technologies, and the governance structures that make safe operations sustainable over time. Every framework is built to be auditable and defensible, not just sufficient for sign-off.

  • Comprehensive safety risk assessment report tailored to your operational environment

  • High-level safety management framework with clearly defined roles and responsibilities

  • Integration guidance: light curtains, E-stops, zoning, sensors, and interlocks

  • Traffic management plan recommendations for mixed human-automation zones

  • Compliance guidance: ISO, CE, WorkSafe, and other applicable standards

  • Safety audit preparation support and training recommendations

ISO

International safety management standards

CE

European conformity for automation equipment

WorkSafe

Workplace health and safety compliance guidance

03

Discipline three

Environmental
Assessment

___________

Environmental obligations understood and managed before they become regulatory surprises.

Automation and intralogistics projects carry environmental obligations that are easy to underestimate early — and expensive to address late. We surface them at the design stage, where they're manageable.

We evaluate the environmental impact of your project across the key dimensions that regulators, investors, and boards increasingly scrutinise: energy consumption, carbon footprint, noise and emissions, and broader sustainability alignment. Our assessments support both compliance and the kind of responsible operational design that holds up to long-term scrutiny.

  • Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment or compliance checklist

  • Energy consumption analysis and carbon footprint estimates

  • Noise and emissions risk overview for the planned operational environment

  • Sustainability improvement recommendations aligned to your strategic goals

  • Regulatory documentation preparation, reporting, and submission support

04

Discipline four

SOP Guidance
& Review

___________

Procedures that reflect how the system actually works — written clearly enough that operators follow them, not work around them.

A Safe Operating Procedure that doesn't match the system it's meant to govern isn't a procedure — it's a liability. We make sure SOPs are accurate, practical, and aligned to the designed environment.

We review, refine, and in many cases rebuild Safe Operating Procedures to ensure they genuinely reflect system functionality, operational controls, and safety protocols. Good SOPs aren't just documents — they're the mechanism through which your operational design translates into consistent daily execution. We make sure that mechanism works.

  • Detailed review and refinement of client-prepared SOPs

  • SOP templates aligned with warehouse automation standards and best practice

  • Recommendations on operational controls and risk mitigation measures

  • Verification that SOPs accurately reflect system functionality and safety protocols

  • Guidance on version control, approval processes, and formal sign-off

Why this matters

In automated environments, the gap between how a system was designed to operate and how it's actually operated on the floor is where incidents happen, performance degrades, and compliance exposure accumulates. SOPs close that gap — but only when they're written to reflect reality, not aspiration.

Value to Your Organisation

Operational foundations
that hold.

The Solutions Design Stream doesn't add overhead to your transformation — it removes the risks that cause the most costly overruns. Every discipline is designed to resolve problems at the design stage, where the cost of resolution is lowest and the impact on implementation is greatest.

Implementation risk
genuinely reduced

Clear operational foundations — processes, safety frameworks, and procedures — resolved before construction or go-live. The problems that derail implementations get caught here, not on site.

Safety and compliance
by design

Safety frameworks and environmental assessments tailored to automated environments — not generic policies applied after the fact. Governance that holds up to regulatory scrutiny.

Performance from
day one

Robust processes and SOPs designed for the specific operational environment mean teams aren't improvising at go-live. Performance is built in, not discovered through trial and error.

Sustainability
built in

Environmental impact understood, managed, and documented from the design stage — supporting long-term operational excellence and responsible deployment of capital.

Where This Stream Connects

Adjacent streams
worth exploring.

The Solutions Design Stream typically follows a Business Case and precedes Tender and Project Delivery. Here are the streams most commonly engaged alongside or after this one.

Stream - Before

Business Case
Stream

The investment decision that precedes solution design. Independent, board-ready, and built on your data — not a vendor's projections.

Stream - After

Tender
Stream

Once the solution is defined, the right partner needs to be selected. We manage that process independently — from RFP through contract.

Stream - Alongside

Project
Assurance

Independent oversight and expert validation across all phases — ensuring that what was designed is what gets built.

Ready to begin

Define the solution
before you commit to it.

Speak with a senior Ethon consultant about your solution design requirements. No commitment, no sales process — just an honest conversation about what you need and where you are.