Warehouses and distribution centres are the backbones of our society. Everything we need has to come through them and their efficiency and speed are what makes our life easier. But how are that speed and efficiency achieved?
Exciting and innovations make this process a lot quicker and accurate which is the real value in this business. What is the innovation we are speaking about? Well, it’s the AS/RS or Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems are software controlled systems that automatically place and retrieve inventory items that you have inside your facility. All of this is done with high precision, accuracy and speed which are all the factors that influence your overall quality and minimizing waste.
These are awesome because they can be combined in a lot of different ways to create a solution to any problem or to fit in any type of application. Thanks to this we have Unit loads that store loads over 1000 pounds and can be stored single deep, double deep or even deeper and are typically on pallets with storage racks that reach over 100 feet in height. There are also Mini Loads that operate in the same way but they handle loads that are less than 1000 pounds and they utilize vertical lift modules that have a column of trays with an automatic insert or extractor. Shuttles are a third option that is used for automated handling of totes, tray, cartons or all three of those. There are many more of these but since we are talking about a specific system here we will not go into a lot of details. Contact The Slate River Systems to learn more about how you can improve your pallet system.
So, what is RAFT AS/RS system and why is it so important? Right Angle Fast Transfer AS/RS are awesome for any storage system because they have several advantages:
- Scalability is very important in these types of jobs. This means that these are easily adjusted for any height or width of operations plus they are very flexible which means that you have the ability to timely react to any inventory and order processing changes that might happen.
- They have maximized capacity by having a 3D lift and run the system. This means that pallets can be lifted to the desired height and then transferred both cross-lane and down-lane until they reach their position, or even the next available position.
As we already stated these systems are important because they ease the job of placing/storing your inventory and then through an innovative system with speed and quickness retrieve the same to the desired location.
It would be rather pointless to compare traditional storing mean to these of the new age. The sheer time consumption is enough to state that these new systems are what makes this part of the business world revolve at a pace that suits us as the buyers. Storage systems, especially those of the big scale cannot afford the traditional stacking of the inventory and items. Just imagine how much time would be necessary to store a 100-pound pallet somewhere in the warehouse and after 10 days remember where it is at, go and retrieve it and prepare it for shipping, given that it hadn’t been damaged in the process.
These are all the things that RAFT AS/RS Technology solves pretty easily. There are fewer workers required to complete these tasks, it is fully automated and easy to operate. Computers track shipments and their placement in the storage, and if there is a need to get a certain pallet the computer doesn’t have to spend half of the day searching for the pallet, it already knows where it had laid it and it will retrieve it in the shortest period possible.
These are all the innovations that keep us going and these shouldn’t be neglected. There were usually problems where you had a warehouse in which several forklifts drove around placing pallets upon pallets and trying to remember where every one of those was. Now you have smart conveyor belt systems that stretch throughout the entire warehouse, or even connect to the facility and they simultaneously place new things in their respectful place while retrieving others and sending them to their designated pickup place.
All of this can be operated by a few workers and the only thing they have to the lookout for is that the system operates at its given parameters. The system is easy to use and its maintenance is driven down to a bare minimum. All your workers have to remember is to input their credentials and they have to know which pallet, box or stack of them they need and press a button to execute the order. The system will do all the rest all they have to do is load them up. That easy indeed. It’s a world of buttons rather than muscles.
There is no doubt that systems like these have speed everything up and made some hectic and difficult jobs easy. Thanks to these systems that can operate as a high-density system meaning that they can simultaneously load and unload pallets, boxes or whatever is a point in your book. Instead of having all workers and cranes offloading a certain delivery and stacking them in the right place and only after that, they can start loading a contingent of other goods, these systems allow you to be twice effective with a lot less manpower than before. These RAFT AS/RS systems will do the stacking of the newly arrived goods simultaneous as it will call for pallets that have been previously storing and headed now to a new destination.
All in all, there is not a bad thing that can be said against RAFT AS/RS technology for the pallet storage system. Yes, it is a costly investment but it pays itself several folds and it will make your ways of doing business more serious and more acceptable. With these kinds of systems, you will be a leader in your area and will be seen as the true professional you deserve to be. Speed up your deliveries, make yourself more productive, have a quicker and more accurate process and much, much more with the RAFT AS/RS technology.
