Automated storage with adjustable pallets boost capacity and retrieval speed

The HYDAC Corp., a manufacturer of hydraulic and fluid power systems, had an ambitious growth plan. The company sought to double its business without physically expanding its facility. By installing an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), the company exceeded its initial goal.
Management knew that as the plant’s output grew it would need to stock a greater diversity of parts and would need to turn those parts over more quickly. But storage was already maxed out. The 60,000-square-foot facility had been using fixed racking with mezzanines on top for storage and expanding them would require more floor area than the plant could spare.

The company installed a unique automated storage and retrieval system (Stanley Vidmar, stanleyvidmar.com): a single-operator system with a built-in, lifting-and-handling device that uses adjustable pallets to maximize storage density. The 16-foot-high columns of the storage system let the plant squeeze more parts into less square footage, using vertical space to store to store the same inventory in 70% less space than used by HYDAC’s old rack-and-mezzanine system. Cycle times and turnover rates have been reduced to as little as two minutes.

Previously, a number of engineers would be required to retrieve parts, taking them away from their designated specializations. Now, a single operator performs retrievals for the team, boosting productivity and safety. Before, a heavy item could only be stored as high as an operator could lift it. Now a 4,000-pound load can be stored 18 feet high. Inventory control has also been improved, since parts are easily identifiable and retrievable, as opposed to lost and double-ordered.

The increased density has even left room for more automated storage systems. Eventually, the plant could triple its storage capacity in the same floor area used by the old system.

“The system is very versatile,” says operations manager Mike Rooney. “It’s a great way to get into high-density storage.”