4 Way Pallet Shuttle Solution Breaks Through Efficiency Bottlenecks in Industrial Robotics Line-Side Warehousing
Zikoo Robotics has teamed up with a leading domestic industrial robotics company to create a benchmark-setting smart warehousing project. Designed to tackle the demanding requirements of an industrial robotics manufacturing line, this smart warehouse solution leverages 4-way pallet shuttles to break through conventional warehousing limitations. With over 2,000 SKU variations and a limited footprint of only 200 square meters, this intelligent warehousing project supports rapid part retrieval and seamless supply to production lines. This line-side warehouse requires only three operators to manage daily picking tasks, achieving a remarkable order cycle time of just 3 minutes.
Achievements
- Significant Workforce Optimization: The optimized warehouse layout reduces operator requirements from 8 to just 3, and work hours decreased by 12.5%.
- Rapid Picking and Accuracy: The 4-way pallet shuttle enables a streamlined 3-minute picking cycle with an accuracy rate of 99.99%.
- Scalability: Built with future growth in mind, the system allows for adding more shuttles as demand grows.
- Seamless Production Integration: The new automation solution tripled the previous warehouse storage capacity while interfacing effortlessly with the existing production line.
Project Background
This industrial robotics manufacturer produces 65 different robotic models, requiring a highly diversified stock of over 2,000 SKUs, many with irregular dimensions that demand pallet-based storage. Previously, the company’s line-side warehouse faced significant bottlenecks due to labor-intensive, inefficient picking processes, low storage density, and high operational costs. Zikoo Robotics’ solution addressed these limitations head-on, providing a tailored smart warehouse solution with 4-way pallet shuttles designed to fit within the confined 200-square-meter, 6-meter-high space.
Challenges
- Inefficient Picking & Storage: Traditional high-beam racking and manual picking lacked the efficiency and precision to meet the client's rapidly growing needs.
- Labor Costs & Risks: Operations relied on licensed forklift operators, with high training costs and safety risks from high-bay storage.
- High SKU Diversity: The vast SKU range and irregular shapes made standard storage containers unsuitable, intensifying the need for custom solutions.
- Spatial Constraints: Limited floor area and ceiling height required a high-density storage strategy to maximize space utilization.
Solution by Zikoo Robotics
Within the 200-square-meter area, Zikoo Robotics designed a warehouse layout incorporating 630 pallet positions, 2 picking stations, 5 4-way pallet shuttles, 2 high-speed lifts, and conveyor systems. This setup supports a "goods-to-person" picking model, facilitated by Zikoo Robotics' proprietary PTP smart warehousing software for real-time, precise item retrieval. Each pallet is encoded to ensure picking accuracy, and a manual picking zone handles smaller components to boost overall efficiency.
Key Solution Highlights
- High-Density Storage and Rapid Picking: The 4-way pallet shuttle system efficiently navigates the racks in three dimensions, dramatically reducing picking times to 3 minutes per cycle.
- Labor Reduction and Risk Mitigation: The "goods-to-person" approach minimizes labor demands, cutting staff requirements from 7-8 operators to just 3.
- Intelligent Warehouse Management: Integrated with the client's ERP system, PTP software supports seamless warehouse automation with 99.99% picking accuracy.
Project Results
From planning to operational launch, the entire project was completed in a swift 90 days, exceeding client expectations. The client praised Zikoo Robotics for its product reliability and adaptability to custom needs, highlighting the 4-way shuttle’s stability and the dedicated system interface designed for seamless production integration.
Zikoo Robotics’ intelligent warehousing approach demonstrated significant process improvement, providing the client with a scalable and highly efficient warehouse automation solution.
Related Products
R-Bot
Four-Way Pallet Shuttle
H-Bot
High Speed Elevator
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