How to design a good ASRS system?

Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) are inventory management systems that are widely used in manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and warehouses around the world. What are the advantages of AS / RS system? How can we design an excellent ASRS system?

 

• What are the advantages of the ASRS system?

• ASRS system installation precautions

• Automatic storage and retrieval system technology

• When do you need an ASRS system?

 

What are the advantages of the ASRS system?

The advantages of these systems are numerous. They provide users with enhanced inventory control and tracking capabilities, including greater flexibility to adapt to changing business conditions. These AS / RS systems consist of a modular subsystem that can be easily replaced to minimize downtime and extend the life of the entire system. They also reduce labor costs, reduce necessary labor requirements, increase workplace safety, and free people from difficult working conditions (such as refrigerated food storage environments). But, perhaps most importantly, the AS / RS system can greatly save inventory storage costs, as the utilization of storage space (both vertical and horizontal) can be greatly increased, which can increase storage density.

 

ASRS system installation precautions

Automated storage and retrieval systems do require significant upfront investment to install and require ongoing financial investment for maintenance. "Maintaining highly integrated systems requires training and experience and is not without accidental frustration," said Michael Wigington of Plant Engineering. "Even the most experienced AS / RS users are struggling to meet changing requirements to maintain aging technology and tired mechanization." The cost of purchasing and implementing an effective automatic storage / retrieval system is considerable, including from Supply chain pre-purchase analysis and inventory management needs to the actual purchase price of AS / RS equipment and software. In addition, experts who use and maintain AS / RS systems point out that companies often bear the ongoing costs of maintaining and updating various subsystems.

 

These capital expenditures may entice some business owners to reduce their financial capacity and purchase “cheap” systems that are inadequately equipped for long-term widespread use. In many cases, such a decision may ultimately cost more in the long run. Wigington wrote: "(For AS / RS systems) Long-term, reliable service life begins with procurement, not maintenance." "Lightweight storage systems are particularly vulnerable because of the inability to deliver well-designed equipment and software. These systems require high Maintenance and tangles with mechanical, electrical and software issues. "When such outages occur, the impact on small and medium businesses can be disastrous. Loss of interrupted AS / RS services from measurable (loss of production and transportation revenue, intangible assets (increased labor costs for maintenance) (reduced employee confidence in company operations, lowered customer confidence). Therefore, companies are urged Examine the long-term impact of their choices when integrating automated storage and retrieval systems into their operations.

 

Automatic storage and retrieval system technology

1.Vertical carousel. A series of conveyor belts move bi-directionally in a vertical loop around the track. The vertical conveyor belts safely and quickly carry stored items to an ergonomic work counter based on the operator's order.

2. Horizontal turntable. High-density storage boxes are mounted on an oval track that can be rotated horizontally to deliver the storage location of the product to the operator for quick order fulfillment.

3. Vertical lift module (VLM). These closed Automatic storage and retrieval systems consist of two rows of trays with an inserter / extractor in the middle to provide operators with stored trays as needed.

4. Crane-based miniature load AS / RS. With a crane-mounted load-handling device specifically mounted on each extremely dense storage aisle, micro-loads can handle loads in boxes, totes, or pallets.

5. Vertical buffer module (VBM). A cost-effective tote bag handling system consisting of a closed shelf system and a central movable door frame. It stores and retrieves tote boxes, transports them to an ergonomic picking station, or moves them automatically via an outbound conveyor.

6. Robot shuttle. Handling boxes, totes or pallets, this type of automatic object-to-object storage system can provide increasing throughput based on the number of independently moving robotic shuttles introduced into the system.

7. Floor robot. The solution stores inventory on a portable storage rack and is retrieved from storage by a group of automated mobile robots and transported to the operator access area.

 

When do you need an ASRS system?

1.Replenishment overload – If workers spend as much replenishment time as when picking, it is a waste of time – Consider automation!

2. Long travel times – If workers waste miles of travel time while transferring inventory – please Consider automation!

3. The search takes too long – If the worker has to take the time to visually find the correct item and match the part number after reaching the picking destination – please Consider automation!

4. Increasing picking errors-If picking errors continue to increase, wasting money and risking the company's reputation-please Consider automation!

5. Throughput Poor-If you are keeping up with order deadlines, or if you want to hire seasonal workers to keep up with demand-please Consider automation!

6. Damaged items – If valuable inventory is often found damaged and unusable – please Consider automation!

7. Misplaced Inventory – If inventory is often misplaced or temporarily lost, Consider automation!

8. Pirated products – If there is often an unexplained lack of inventory, Consider automation!

9. Facilities and maximum capacity – If your building is in a seam state and there is no room for growth – please Consider automation!

10. Risk of injury to the operator – if workers are at risk of injury – consider automation

 

From equipment to flooring, ASRS requires a lot of attention to detail, but the benefits it ultimately brings are worth it. If you are looking for a company that will take the time to understand your personal business needs, products, future growth plans and space requirements, Jiangsu NOVA Intelligent Logistics Equipment Co., Ltd. will be a wise choice.