Automated pallet warehouse: proven for medium to heavy loads

An efficient solution for heavy and bulky goods that need to be stored quickly, safely and with optimum use of space. Automated pallet warehousing can be used more universally than any other storage technology.

Automated pallet warehouse: the storage technology all-rounder

Whether in deep-freeze environments down to -30 °C or at normal temperatures up to plus 45 °C, whether as a flat, high-flat or high-bay warehouse from around six up to a maximum of 45 meters in height, whether a built-in or silo warehouse, with single- or multiple-deep storage locations: the automated pallet warehouse is the all-rounder among automated storage technologies.

Automated pallet warehouse: what is it?

An automated pallet warehouse is a storage facility for goods on pallets up to a total weight of 3,500 kilograms each. It offers a large storage area with a comparatively small footprint.

Automated pallet warehousing includes the following components:

A racking system for single- to multiple-deep storage (single- or multiple-storage) of various pallet types: Industrial, EURO, CHEP, block, stringer, AS.
One or more rack aisles, each with an automatic stacker crane (ASRS) or with pallet shuttles.
Infeed and outfeed conveyors on the perimeter.
Various workstations for incoming goods, outgoing goods and order picking.
Software for controlling all material flows in the automated pallet warehouse (warehouse management system, WMS).

An automated pallet warehouse is a robust, secure, flexible, and dynamic storage solution with some particular advantages:

can be used universally and across industry sectors including retail, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, automotive, etc.
suitable for standard, refrigerated and deep-freeze warehouses
optimal space utilization
fast access times
high throughput rates
continuous and safe workflow
modular and scalable
reliable and low maintenance
fully automatic handling with minimum error rate
resource-efficient thanks to material flow optimization control as well as energy-saving design and function

An automated pallet warehouse is a software-controlled system that replaces manual storage and retrieval processes with automated ones. Picking takes place according to the goods-to-person principle. The automated pallet warehouse transports the required items to workstations.

The core components of an automated pallet warehouse and the driver of its high performance are automatic storage devices. These are either storage and retrieval machines (SRM) or shuttles. A stacker crane travels horizontally on a rail through an aisle, stops at the required position and, with the help of a vertically operating lift truck, removes or stores load carriers from different rack levels. Shuttles are autonomous storage vehicles that move independently on the cross beams of a storage rack. Shuttles can operate alone, with several vehicles on one storage level each or on several storage levels. As a result, shuttle systems are even more scalable than ASRS technology and can achieve even higher throughputs.

Construction: free-standing steel structure inside a warehouse or silo construction as a load-bearing structure for the roof and walls
Rack/aisle height: up to 45 m
Storage density: single- and multiple-deep
Temperature range: from -30 °C to +45 °C
Payload of stacker crane: from 200 kg to 3,500 kg
Throughput of stacker crane: from 20 to 45 double cycles/hour
Shuttle payload (load weight per transport unit): up to 1,500 kg for standard applications
Shuttle system throughput: up to 200 pallets/h per module

Advantages for your automated pallet warehouse

Swisslog offers you the right technologies & designs for your business. our automated pallet warehousese offer space for goods up to a total weight of 3,500 kilograms per load carrier and impresses with a high degree of space utilization thanks to its compressed design. Operated with automatic storage and retrieval machines (SRM) or with shuttles, automated pallet warehousing delivers fast, safe, and resource-efficient material flows.

Customized

Benefit from a bespoke automated pallet warehouse solution that is precisely tailored to your needs.
Expertise

We have more than 40 years’ experience in the design and implementation of automated pallet warehouses.
Smart software integration

Our high-performance software offers an All-in-one solution for your warehouse management. Optimize personnel deployment at pick stations and plan maintenance in advance.
Cost & space savings

We help you to fully exploit the automation potential of a pallet warehouse while saving costs and resources.

Automated pallet warehouse for your enterprise: flexible and efficient to your requirements

Swisslog designs and implements customized automated pallet warehouse tailored to your requirements.

Whether as a classic high-bay warehouse with Vectura stacker cranes or as a dynamic PowerStore shuttle system, we select the best technologies from our portfolio to provide you with a flexible and cost-effective solution.

Vectura automated storage and retrieval system excels in any operating environment in the automated pallet warehouse.

Operating heights of up to 50 meters are possible in high bay automated pallet warehouses

PowerStore for the automated pallet warehouse works with all common pallet types and pallet loads up to 1,500 kg

The modular PowerStore pallet shuttle system increases the capacity of an automated pallet warehouse by up to 60% compared to manual systems

Ideal for automated pallet warehouses: ProMove, efficient, fully automated conveyor technology for pallets

We take a number of important factors into account when choosing the right automation solution for your pallet logistics:

Shape, size and height of your pallet warehouse
Number of products in your warehouse
Type of products in your warehouse
Number of pallets to be stored and retrieved per week, day or hour

Webinar spotlight: Automated pallet warehouse in the F&B industry

Automated pallet warehouses have proven their worth in almost every sector, including the food and beverage industry. Security of supply is particularly important in meeting the latest legal requirements and consumer trends. Trends towards organic goods and convenience products are just as much a part of this as demand for the traceability of products from fark to fork.

SynQ Pallet Director for smooth operation of high-bay pallet warehouses

Modular and expandable software intelligently synchronizes your warehouse processes

SynQ Pallet Director is our pre-configured and pre-tested cloud-enabled software package that quickly pays for itself in your warehouse. It maximizes the performance of modern material handling systems and guarantees seamless integration into your existing process environment. You benefit from a proven solution - your automated pallet warehouse is networked in a smart, fast and cost-effective way so you can align your processes.

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