for storage, but also provide a high degree of inventory
accuracy while reducing damage compared with manual
handling. The solution also had to be a system that could be
installed without disrupting the production or distribution
flow of the existing operations. The company did not have
the luxury of shutting down operations while the installation took place.
The solution Krones came up with for Argozumos
included a high-bay warehouse with an automated storage
and retrieval system (AS/RS).
To house the new system, a rack-supported building (76
meters long by 37 meters wide by 29 meters high, or 250 by
121 by 95 feet) was added on to the facility. The racking
provides very dense storage compared with the former
block warehouse. In the block warehouse, products were
stored on the floor or in small stacks, which resulted in the
waste of vertical space. The amount of available storage
space was further reduced by the need to allow room for lift
trucks to maneuver within the building.
