Automated storage and Retrieval system (ASRS or AS/RS) advantages and disadvantages
The automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS or AS/RS) consists of the variety of computer-controlled systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined storage locations, They are inventory management systems which are used in manufacturing facilities, They are used in distribution centers & the warehouses all over the world .
Automated storage & Retrieval system
AS/RS is the array of computerized routines for automatically receiving and shipping the materials from defined storage locations without manual labor, It can be used with the standard loads as well as nonstandard loads, meaning that each standard load can fit in the uniformly-sized volume.
AS/RS systems includes the machines moving up and down, It contains one or multiple parallel storage aisles, It can receive and ship the products & the materials for distribution to internal and external locations, It is used in the applications where there are many high volume loads that are being moved into and out of storage.
The storage density is important because of the space constraints, There is not any values that are added in this process (there is no processing, only storage and transport), The accuracy is critical because of the potential expensive damages to the load.
The AS/RS systems
Automated storage and retrieval system advantages
It offers increased tracking and inventory control, It presents greater flexibility for changing the business conditions, It comes with the specialized construction and the installation systems, It provides the seismic and rack supported buildings.
It offers feed-in and feed-out systems, It presents very high tolerance racking, It has automatic fire protection, strictly controlled weight checking and load sizing, The systems comprising modular subsystems easily substituted reducing downtime and expanding the life of the whole system.
It produces key reserves in the inventory storage costs, It improves the vertically and horizontally warehouse space utilization to create larger storage density, It reduces the labor costs, lowering the essential labor force necessities, improving the workplace safety and eliminating staff from complex operational conditions.
The effective automated storage and retrieval system helps the companies cut the expenses by reducing the amount of unnecessary parts and products in the storage and improving the organization of the contents of the warehouse, Due to the automated processes, It allows for more storage space due to high-density storage, narrower aisles.
The automation reduces the labor costs while lowering the workforce requirements and increasing safety, It enables the seamless link to order processing and logistics management to pick, pack and ship the product out of the facility.
It helps in modeling and managing the physical storage facilities (e.g. racking, etc.), If the products are sold together or they are more common than the others, those products can be grouped together or placed near the delivery area to increase the speed of the process of picking, packing and shipping to the customers.
It offers tracking where the products are stocked, which the suppliers they come from and the length of time they are stored, By analyzing such data, The companies can control the inventory levels and maximize the use of warehouse space.
The efficient AS/RS system offers higher stock keeping capacity within limited space, It presents the protection of storage goods from theft and damage, It has the automation of dangerous and hard work of storage and retrieval process.
The efficient AS/RS system prevents many dangerous safety accidents, It offers the real-time & easy inventory control with the computer system, It causes the simple expansion of warehouse, It offers faster and more reliable operation of warehouse.
It offers comfort and convenient work environment, It presents easy and faster maintenance through modular and standard design, It offers economy in the investment and operation and it can produce major savings in the inventory storage costs.
The AS/RS system improves order picking accuracy, Narrow aisles provide the easy pathway for AS/RS system cranes to navigate as they retrieve the product with speed and accuracy, AS/RS cranes have low-noise, They improve the employee safety & decrease the operator fatigue and they are perfect for the hazardous materials storage.
The AS/RS systems store, handle and retrieve with speed and accuracy, They reduce the spoilage of food or damage product, They have offers safer operations, It offers the smallest building footprint with maximum product storage.
The AS/RS system presents easy expansion as your AS/RS system grows, It has very fast accurate load transfers with high speed automated storage & simple retrieval operations, It presents highly-accurate order picking guided with the computerized lasers to pick in narrow aisles and it helps you pick more accurately.
AS/RS system reduces the labor for transporting items into and out of inventory, It reduces the inventory levels, more accurate tracking of inventory and space savings, The items are stored more densely than in the systems where the items are stored and retrieved manually.
AS/RS systems provide the users with increased inventory control and tracking, They offer greater flexibility to accommodate changing business conditions, They are comprised of modular subsystems that can be easily replaced to reduce the downtime and extend the service life of the overall system.
AS/RS systems decrease the necessary workforce requirements, They increase the workplace safety and they remove the personnel from difficult working conditions (like cold food storage environments).
AS/RS systems disadvantages
AS/RS systems requires knowledge, skills and experience, It requires significant investments of the company’s capital, Particularly for the maintenance and updating of different subsystems, The capital expenses can tempt some business owners to cut the financial corners to buy the bargain systems that are ill-equipped for extensive, long-term use can end up costing far more in the long run.
Health risks of laser & Safety precautions to avoid biological hazards of laser radiation
