Joe Daft

There's something about being 553 metres above a city that puts things into perspective. Standing at the top of the CN Tower in Toronto at the end of an incredible week, I found myself reflecting on how far Autrix has come and what this moment really means. We kicked off our first international project this week, and it's hard to fully capture what that represents, not just for the business, but for everyone who's been part of this journey from the beginning. When I started Autrix, the mission was straightforward: make intelligent warehouse automation work for businesses that actually need it. Not the enterprise giants with unlimited budgets and entire IT departments, but growing companies facing real operational problems who need something that works. That mission hasn't changed, but what has changed is the scale of opportunity we're now pursuing. Building a business from scratch is nothing like the sanitised success stories you read about. It's late nights solving problems without obvious answers, tough calls where you're not entirely sure which direction is right, and plenty of moments where you question if you're heading down the right path at all. But our team kept pushing, they kept improving, they kept delivering for clients who put their trust in us when we were just getting started. One thing I've learned is that building the right culture early matters more than almost anything else. We've consistently focused on creating an environment where people feel comfortable being open about challenges, take ownership of problems rather than passing them on, and genuinely support each other. It sounds simple, but it's not always easy to maintain as you grow. For us, it's proved to be one of the most important decisions we made. What has become very clear to me is that when people feel trusted and empowered, they step up in ways you can't predict or plan for. What makes this week special is not the international stamp but what it represents about my team, who built this capability. Now we're taking what we've built and proven across the UK, and delivering it across an ocean with the same approach to understanding client challenges, the same standards for how we work, and the same determination to do things properly rather than just quickly. What makes me proudest isn't that we're working internationally. It's seeing our team handle every challenge with the skill and commitment that's been there from day one. Watching them rise to new complexities, adapt to different time zones, and navigate all the additional layers that come with working across borders. They didn't just manage it, they excelled at it! I'm proud of what we've built together as a team at Autrix. The technology is great, but more importantly, it's about our team and the approach that's got us here. This is just the beginning, and there's more to come... watch this space!