The Satellite Review Magazine The Satellite Review Magazine Vol 1

FEATURE STORY Why Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems are Transforming warehouse Operations Across the Americas By Dan Labell, President, Westfalia Technologies, Inc. A high-tech Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) offers companies the ultimate combination: a 20-25+ year lifespan with ROI achieved in five years or less. Warehouse automation via AS/RS thus offers firms many years of cost savings and profit potential arising from: • Optimized space utilization. An AS/RS can store 40 percent more pallets in the same space as a conventional rack warehouse. • Reduced labor and equipment costs. Although every warehouse situation is unique, a single crane operated by three staff members across three shifts can do the same work as nine forklifts and nine employees. • Less waste. An AS/RS results in less product damage, and theft is eliminated by “locked” inventory. Further, stretch wrapping costs decrease because less wrap is needed to secure goods on a pallet. tighter cube, with smaller ingress/egress openings. Thus, there is less space to cool. These are just some of the reasons why companies worldwide are investing in high-tech AS/RS. Better still, the efficiency gains realized through optimized warehouse operations and the cost savings accrued via maximized space utilization are only expected to rise as new innovations advance the technology. UNDERSTANDING AS/RS An AS/RS comprises five essential components: 1. A rack system to store product 2. A crane/S/RM (Storage/Retrieval Machine) that runs on a floor rail • Lower maintenance costs. Forklift leasing and maintenance costs (battery charging station, battery replacement and general cleaning costs) generally exceed normal AS/RS maintenance requirements. 3. A load-handling device/shuttle to move product from the crane to the rack location • Lower energy costs. Especially in refrigerated and frozen warehouses, businesses experience lower energy costs, often on the order of 30 percent or more. An AS/RS allows businesses to operate using less square footage and in a 5. Warehouse management and material flow control software (WMS, WCS) to control, track and optimize all product movements 4. A conveyor system to move goods to and from the AS/RS and dock areas www. WestfaliaUSA.com The Satellite Review 21

The Satellite Review Magazine The Satellite Review Magazine Vol 1 | Page 21