LIGHT LOADS STORAGE - Intensive storage

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION LIMITS ATTENTION POINTS

Vertical cabinets with pull-out

drawers

Modular system with GTM (Go to market) philosophy

• Unsuitable for high rotation codes

• Building height

• Drawer sizing, type and picking stations

• Compartment configuration

• Maximum capacity and load distribution

Horizontal rotary warehouse

Modular system with GTM (Go to market) philosophy

• Usable height

• Unsuitable for heavy codes

• Machine balancing

• Compartment configuration

• Header configuration

Mobile Shelving System

Lightweight shelving

transported with

• Usable height

• Dimensioning the number of robots

70 Webinar ‘What automation to densify storage and gain area’, Simco Consulting slides

AMR

(Autonomous Mobile Robot)

• Configuration of preparation stations

Miniload

Single/multi-tool stacker crane in single/double depths

• Cost and system complexity

• Less convenient on low heights

• Single / Double / Multiple depth

• Mono / Bi-column

• Type and number of forks

Multishuttle

Modular system with lift and shuttle

• System costs and complexity

• Single/double depth

• Number of lifts

• Number of shuttles

• Modularity

Autostore

Modular system with robots moving on the roof

• Usable height

• Building height

• Modularity

• Dimensioning the number of robots

• Maintenance

Table 4: Storage of lights load - Intensive storage⁷¹

Figure 24: Example of storage solutions⁷²

Light loads are small objects that can be placed in boxes, parcels or drawers. Let us look at the solutions in more detail below.

• Vertical cabinets with pull-out drawers and Horizontal rotary warehouse the storage density is given by the possibility of having the goods placed on drawers stacked one on top of the other, which insist on a few square metres rather than a series of trolleys next to each other. In these cases the space used is only a few square metres, and there is no need for work aisles because the trolleys then reach an operator in horizontal rotation. These solutions, however,

71 Webinar ‘What automation to densify storage and gain area’, Simco Consulting

72 Webinar ‘What automation to densify storage and gain area’, Simco Consulting slides

require greater attention because the drawers or trolleys must be correctly sized and balanced to prevent operators from waiting too long between one drawer and the next because, in this case, they have to do all the horizontal movement to reach the operator.

Figure 25: Example of vertical cabinets with pull-out drawers⁷³

Figure 26: Example of horizontal rotary warehouse⁷⁴

73 Webinar ‘What automation to densify storage and gain area’, Simco Consulting slides

74 Webinar ‘What automation to densify storage and gain area’, Simco Consulting slides

• Mobile shelving system: this solution is suitable when you have a building with a limited height. In this case, the shelves are light and can be reached by a person on foot.

The shelves are transported by small robots to bays where the operator works.

Here the focus must be on the creation of the picking display and therefore one must on the one hand try to maximise the picking per shelf and one must size the number of robots so as to avoid bottlenecks.

Figure 27: Example of mobile shelving system⁷⁵

• Miniload: is a system in which we have a machine moving horizontally in a narrow aisle and vertically moving the gripper pull along a column to pick and deposit packages or drawers. The storage system can be single or double-deep and each system must integrate a gripping element, such as a telescopic fork, suitable for 'picking'. The Fork is the perfect handling system for a

single/double-depth storage/ retrieval Miniload system.

While providing high performance, they do have their limits.

Meanwhile from a cost point of view, the investment to implement this solution is quite high, so the company must be sure that there will be a return in the medium term.

In addition, it is not advisable for all types of goods; this aspect should also be studied before implementing this solution.

75 https://tech.fanpage.it/i-robot-di-amazon-arrivano-in-italia/

Figure 28: Example of miniload⁷⁶

• Multishuttle, is a solution that improves warehouse efficiency compared to the miniload. One no longer has a single machine within an aisle but as many machines as there are floor levels.

In this case, the performance is greater because each level is able to handle goods.

Of course, this merchandise must then be moved vertically by lifts that must be well designed to avoid bottlenecks, but here the dynamic capacity can be increased with a static capacity, a similar surface performance.

Figure 29: Example of multishuttle⁷⁷

76 https://www.jungheinrich.it/sistemi/trasloelevatori/magazzini-automatici-minuterie/trasloelevatori-minuterie

77https://www.materialhandling247.com/product/multishuttle_flex_automated_inventory_staging_buffer_

system/storage

Also in this case, as in the case of the pallets, we have the multilevel variant, i.e. a middle way between the miniload which works alone in one aisle and the

multishuttle which works with machines for each floor, in this case we have shuttles covering a certain number of floors which, placed one on top of the other, cover the entire height.

Compared to the miniload, there is a greater dynamic capacity, which, on the other hand, remains somewhat lower than with the multishuttle.

• Autostore: is a technology where we have the highest representation of storage density because we have stacks of cassettes on top of each other and attached to each other. On top of these boxes move small robots that pick up the required boxes.

Compared to multi-shuttles they work on a more limited height. At certain height levels, although not fully utilised, these solutions are optimal from a surface yield point of view because they have no clutter from the working aisles, they have no clutter between one box and the next, so the storage density that can be achieved is considerable.

Figure 30: Example of autostore⁷⁸

78 https://www.fivesgroup.com/smart-automation-solutions/technologies/as-rs/autostore