The Possibilities of a Very Large AutoStore™ System

Maintaining our core proposition

While AutoStore in its humble beginnings served smaller customers with comparatively low throughput and capacity, today’s landscape is far more diverse and the average business is substantially larger. The development is driven by increasing interest and opportunities with customers in the e-commerce and third-party (3PL) world that carry a broad selection of inventory and handle orders at an ever-increasing pace. From delivering our first systems with only a handful of Robots, we now deliver those with several hundred. From housing a few thousand Bins, today’s AutoStore systems hold hundreds of thousands of Bins.

But throughout this journey and all the growth, AutoStore has maintained its commitment to our core value proposition:

24/7 operations

• Worldwide uptime of 99.7%. No single point of failure. AutoStore can be expanded over time, while running, without shutting down operations.
  ‍

Fastest and densest

• We provide the fastest and densest order fulfillment system in the world - supporting high throughput applications, with a proven track record.
  ‍

Space efficiency

• AutoStore is the very definition of space efficiency, offering four times the capacity in the same space compared to conventional systems.
  ‍

Customized to fit anywhere‍

• The modular AutoStore system can be built in any shape, form, or height to fit it into any space.

This is the foundational technology pillar of the AutoStore customer promise, regardless of size or vertical. As we take on customers at a scale and venture into new segments, it’s critical that these values remain intact. We strive to find new ways to deliver value to a broader set of customers, but never at the cost of the core qualities that AutoStore has come to represent.

Scale with ease and maintain high uptime

As the market continues to demand automation solutions for even larger facilities, we recognize that AutoStore is uniquely situated to solve the challenges presented by size and magnitude.  

All industry trends point to continued growth in e-commerce for years to come. Even with a large AutoStore system in place, customers can expect the need to expand in the future. With AutoStore, they can scale with confidence when the need arises.

A large, consolidated warehouse brings benefits but also introduces risks, as system stops carry a hefty cost. This is where AutoStore excels.  

The AutoStore software module, XHandler, runs self-diagnostic troubleshooting and attempts to resolve error situations that occur with the Robot without stopping the system. If the issue cannot be resolved through automation, the control software can temporarily isolate the affected area while keeping the system running and only halt the system as a last resort.

New improvements for very large systems

Today, AutoStore is in a unique position to be the go-to technology of choice for anyone needing a large-scale facility that's reliable and delivers high throughput. While true to our roots, we are complementing our fundamental design with smart improvements and additions that target particular challenges faced in these very large systems:

Flexible Grid Cell™

• To ensure that we can build large-scale Grids that account for thermal effects on aluminum, we are releasing Flexible Grid Cell™. This ensures that thermal expansion of the Grid is absorbed and evenness is maintained, resulting in optimal working conditions for Robots.
  ‍

Grid Bracer™

• To enable simple and space-efficient operational support for all Grids, we have developed Grid Bracer™. For large facilities, or any sized AutoStore system, Grid Bracer allows you to design a fully self-upholding Grid where customers could otherwise find themselves faced with regulatory and practical challenges mounting the structure to walls or a tower.
  ‍

Bin ResQ™ Robot

• To further improve reliability, we are releasing the new Bin ResQ™ Robot. This Robot is capable of gripping Bins with overflowing goods, which may be caused by user error. This allows for swift resolution of Bin-related issues with zero downtime.
  ‍
  ‍

Grid Level™

• To allow for efficient and precise Grid construction, we are releasing Grid Level™. Grid Level is a simple analysis tool that enables installers to quickly validate and adjust grid evenness. An even and flat grid ensures optimal working conditions for Robots and Ports contributing to high system reliability.
  ‍

In addition to new hardware, AutoStore also has several continuous software initiatives running aimed at improving usability and functionality for larger Grids than before. This spans all the way from our design tools (Grid Designer™ and AutoStore Simulator™), to our intelligent Router™ software and console interface, and all the way to monitoring software such as Unify Analytics™.

All of these new technologies will enable AutoStore customers with very large systems, such as those with more than 1,000 Robots and/or 1 million Bins, to operate smoothly. While this is an important milestone, it’s important to point out that this does not represent an end-state. In the same way that AutoStore has evolved from humble beginnings to our current state, we’ll continue to develop capabilities that allow us to address new customer segments.