As the largest pharmaceutical supplier in Canada, the Apotex Group produces more than 220 generic pharmaceuticals to fill over 55 million prescriptions a year. And these numbers have only been growing since TorPharm, a division of Apotex, stepped into the U.S. generic drug market. To compete in the United States, TorPharm set a goal to increase annual production at its plant by 400% in five years, from one billion dosages to five billion.

Expanding the facility for more storage space wasn't an option. First, manufacturing space within the facility is at a premium given growth of the company's production. Maximizing available space for research and development is a top priority too, which left TorPharm with only 50,000 square feet for storage. That meant the only way for TorPharm to go was upward in the form of an automated high-bay storage system.

While providing much needed capacity, an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) solved a number of dilemmas for the Etobicoke, Ontario plant.

The high-density AS/RS is 65 feet high and 300 feet long with 10,500 pallet locations. Two semi-automatic aisle-changing storage/retrieval (S/R) machines operate in the system's seven aisles that are 13 levels high. The automated system integrates with TorPharm's manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) system to optimize production and storage processes. Also, the storage area maintains a controlled temperature and humidity level to retain product integrity.

The aisle-changing S/R machines offer many advantages. Because the machines have twin-load units for holding two pallets at a time, they pick and store products more efficiently. For increased flexibility, operators can switch the AS/RS from semi-automatic mode to manual as well as upgrade the system to be fully automatic. And with only two machines rather than seven dedicated to individual aisles, there is a savings in capital investment.

TorPharm's AS/RS also meets the company's "safety first" principle. A safety descent system prevents the S/R machine from falling and lowers it in an emergency. Twin masts spread the weight load for stability. An onboard mechanism also automatically slows and stops the S/R machine at the end of an aisle to prevent accidents.

Movement of pallets through the conveyor system is controlled by photo-eye sensors that read the pallet labels and interface with the conveyor. Integrated with the conveyor's programmable logic controllers, the MRP II system directs the S/R machines on the most efficient routes and delivers picking orders.

"The AS/RS gives TorPharm the flexibility to grow," says Grafe. "While the warehouse is designed to hold five billion dosages, we can probably do eight billion."