hat do you understand by Automated Storage and Retrieval? For what kinds of goods and in which companies in India do you think such systems would be appropriate?

What do you understand by Automated Storage and Retrieval? For what kinds of goods and in which companies in India do you think such systems would be appropriate?

Answer. Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) are systems for receiving orders for materials from wherever in operations, collecting the materials from locations within a warehouse, and delivering the materials to workstations in operations. There are three major elements of ASRS:
1. Computers and communication systems: These systems are used for placing orders for materials, locating the materials in storage, giving commands for delivery of the materials to locations in operations, and adjusting inventory records showing the amount and location of materials.
2. Automated materials handling and delivery systems: These systems are automatically loaded with containers of materials from operations, which they deliver to the warehouse Similarly, they are automatically loaded with orders of materials at the warehouse, which they deliver to workstations in operations. Powered and computercontrolled conveyers of several types are sometimes used, but automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) are now being used in greater numbers for this purpose. AGVS are usually driverless trains, pallet trucks, and unit loaded carriers. AGVS usually follow either embedded guide wires or paint stripes through operations until their destinations are reached.
3. Storage and retrieval systems in warehouses: Warehouses store materials in standardsize containers. These containers are arranged according to a location address scheme that allows the location of each material to be precisely determined by a computer. A storage and retrieval (S/R) machine receives commands from a computer, gets containers of materials from a pickup point in the warehouse, delivers materials to their assigned location in the warehouse, and places them in their location. Similarly, S/R machines locate containers of materials in storage, remove containers from storage, and deliver containers to a deposit point in the warehouse.

Main purposes of installing ASRS are as follows:
1. Increase storage capacity: ASRS ordinarily increase the storage density in warehouse; that is, the total maximum number of items that can be stored.
2. Increase system throughput: ASRS increase the number of loads per hour that storage system can receive and place into storage and retrieve and deliver to workstations.
3. Reduce labor costs: By automating the systems of retrieval, storage, and delivering materials, labour and related costs are often reduced.
4. Improve product quality: Because of human error in identifying materials, the wrong parts are often delivered and assembled into products. These errors often because of similarity in the appearance of different materials. Automated systems that must identify parts based on bar codes or other identification methods are not as subject to these kinds of identification errors.

AS/RS benefits include:
• Bringing material to the operator cutting cycle time by eliminating wait, walk, and search time.
• Reduces work-in-progress inventory. Better inventory accuracy and better responsiveness to need result in reduction or elimination of “safety stock” in the overall inventory model. This has the net effect of inventory reduction.
• Dramatically increases operator productivity. The “Part to Picker” model of order fulfillment is 3 to 5 times more productive that having the picker travel to the part to complete the fulfillment.
• Provides real-time inventory control with instant reports. With near 100% accuracy and real time information about the inventory on hand, achievable commitments can be made to your customer – as opposed to “best efforts promises”.
• Improves product quality and productivity. Real time information, faster response to a need, physical protection, and traceability of material access all contribute to a better process where time can be spent on improving the quality of the process instead of on expediting material to a point of use.

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) are typically used in applications where there is a very high volume of loads being moved into and out of storage where storage density is important because of space constraints, and where no value adding content is present in this process. They are used widely in both Manufacturing and Distribution operations to hold and buffer the flow of material moving through the process to the ultimate end user. Most systems operate in a fully automated mode with little or now human involvement in the handling of material except at the controlled input and output stations to the system. This results in extremely high inventory accuracy.