Industry Background: High-Precision Materials Driving Storage System Complexity
This project serves an optical film and polarizing film manufacturer whose products cover automotive displays, industrial control LCDs, 3D optical applications, and anti-fog materials, with an annual production capacity of 1 million m² of polarizing film.
Due to the characteristics of the materials, the warehouse system must meet significantly higher requirements:
1.Batch data is tightly linked with optical performance parameters, requiring full traceability
2.Mixed storage of rolls and sheets requires strict control of load-bearing and handling orientation
3.Production and order cycles are not synchronized, requiring buffering capacity
4.High-value materials demand minimal handling damage risk
Therefore, the core objective of this warehouse is not only "automation," but:To achieve batch safety, production rhythm matching, and system scalability under high-density storage conditions.
System Architecture: Multi-Layer Equipment Composition
This project adopts a composite AS/RS architecture combining stacker cranes, multi-type shuttle systems, conveying/AGV systems, and a WMS platform to achieve layered functional decoupling.
2.1 Vertical Storage Layer: Stacker Crane System
Configuration:
1.2 stacker cranes
2.19.5-meter high-bay racking system
3.8-level storage structure
4.Approximately 48-meter aisle length
Their design logic is:
To build the entire high-level storage system's main transport backbone using two stacker cranes, supporting stable, high-load, and low-variability operations.
2.2 Deep Storage + Flexibility Layer: Shuttle System
The system includes five shuttle robots, forming a dual-structure of depth efficiency and flexibility:
Two-way shuttles:
Handle deep-lane storage and retrieval.
Support high-frequency batch operations.
Work closely with stacker cranes in a fixed-path system.
Work closely with stacker cranes in a fixed-path system.
Four-way shuttles:
Move freely in both longitudinal and transverse directions.
Enable flexible pallet transfer between storage locations and transfer areas.
Work with WCS to optimize storage and retrieval operations.
This combination ensures both efficiency and flexibility:
3 two-way shuttles ensure operational efficiency.
2 four-way shuttles provide routing flexibility.
2.3 Material Flow Layer: Conveyor + AGV System
The front-end system includes:
Conveyor system
AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) system
This layer is not only for transportation but serves as a rhythm buffer:
Conveyors ensure continuous flow and eliminate idle time .
AGVs connect production lines with the warehouse and handle non-fixed cycle operations.
Its core function is to convert production-side variability into a stable and computable task flow for the warehouse system.
2.4 Digital Control Layer: WMS System
The WMS acts as the central orchestration system, enabling:
Real-time inventory synchronization (ERP / MES / OMS integration)
Batch-level refined inventory management .
Automatic task splitting and consolidation for inbound/outbound operations.
Load balancing across stackers, shuttles, and AGVs.
System Logic: Why This Combination Works
The system is not a simple aggregation of equipment, but a decoupling of three core capabilities:
(1) Capacity Layer (Stacker Layer)
Two stacker cranes form the backbone of the high-bay storage system
Support dense 8-level vertical storage
(2) Efficiency Layer (Shuttle Layer)
Three two-way shuttles ensure stable high-frequency flow
Improve intra-aisle operational density
(3) Flexibility Layer (Four-way + AGV Layer)
Four-way shuttles improve storage flexibility through multi-directional pallet handling.
AGVs enhance system flexibility by enabling connections with external logistics processes.
System Performance Outcomes
This integrated architecture achieves:
1.Over 80% improvement in space utilization
2.Maximized storage density through high-bay racking
3.24/7 continuous automated operation
4.Significantly improved batch accuracy with reduced manual intervention
5.Modular scalability for future expansion by adding equipment units
Core Value: From Warehouse to Production Buffer System
This project fundamentally transforms the role of the warehouse:
From a storage space → to a production buffer node
From equipment collection → to a coordinated control system
From manual inventory management → to a data-driven logistics network
It ultimately forms a system with three integrated roles:
High-density storage center
Production rhythm buffering hub
Intelligent logistics orchestration center
Conclusion
The project essential value does not lie in the performance improvement of a single piece of equipment, but in the layered coordination between stacker cranes and multi-type shuttle systems, which reconstructs the traditional "static warehousing structure" into a "computable dynamic logistics system."
Its core breakthrough can be summarized in one sentence:
Replacing standalone machine efficiency with system-level synergy, and replacing manual dispatch with structural design.
