The $0.50 Bin and the Brain in the Corner: What AI-Native Replenishment Actually Looks Like

Most writing about LLMs in industry has no number attached. This one does: one everyday operation — refilling a parts bin — instrumented end to end and costed to the cent. A vendor-published sensor-and-SaaS kanban system costs approximately $544 per bin over three years; the AI-native cell on my desk lands at approximately $40.50. Both figures are real, and the difference between them is…