How do you know when it’s time for an Automated Storage & Retrieval System at your Warehouse?

Vipin Ohja 26 May 2023

The demand for global automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) is growing. The market size will be US$ 10,824.87 million by 2028, a CAGR of 6.8%. And there is a reason for this. With the exponential growth in e-commerce, manufacturing, storage, shipping and retail firms that require warehousing will need to harness ASRS – automated systems that efficiently store items as well as allow easy retrieval – to stay in the game.

ASRS involves several components like Vertical Carousel Modules that can help deliver stored items safely and quickly; Crane Based Mini Load AS/RS that works for dense storage aisles; Vertical Buffer Modules that consist of an enclosed shelving system with a movable mast in the center; and Robotic Cube Storage, which helps shuffle, sort and retrieve bins and deliver them to a workstation.

Here are 6 signs you need an ASRS system at your warehouse

1. Your Picking Error Rate is high

Studies show that the picking error rate when using manual labour is between 1% and 3%. Doesn’t sound like much but when you stack it against the fact that the average cost per error is anywhere from $50 to $300 or an 11-13% drain on profitability then it all adds up. ASRS can give you a 99.9% pick accuracy rate.

2. You’re running out of space

Are you using up too much space in your warehouse? ASRS systems are known to save up to 85% of floor space because they can maximise cubic volume within a building.

3. A long walk to inventory

Do you notice that your workers spend a lot of time walking around searching for something in the warehouse? It certainly affects productivity. In fact, it is supposed to take 60% of a worker’s time. ASRS can speed things up. Automated inventory management solutions for example allow tracking of expiring inventory.

4. A lack of control

Have you noticed bottlenecks in inventory control? Piled-up stocks of obsolete products perhaps? All this can affect business. But the use of ASRS with its horizontal and vertical carousels, vertical lift modules, mini-load ASRS, shuttles, cube-based storage, and so on can make storage and retrieval so precise that it can give you complete control over inventory.

5. The working environment is unsafe

Statistics show that 5% of warehouse workers will experience an injury on the job each year and the cost of these injuries to an employer can be substantial. ASRS systems can help because they are designed with operator safety in mind. For example, if an operator’s arm reaches the machine beyond a certain point, the sensor triggers a command that stops the machinery.

6. Operational niggles occur frequently

Inventory damage, misplaced inventory, and pilfered inventory are all niggling problems in the warehouse business. ASRS can prevent this as it automates and control warehouse management.

Blue Star E&E has expertise in designing tailor-made solutions for material storage, material handling, order fulfillment, material movement, truck loading, warehouse management, primary and secondary packing, palletization, and traceability. We have a diverse range of clients from sectors such as FMCG, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, food, dairy, chemicals, paper, and glass. If you are looking for a solution to automating your warehouse, give our experts a call.