Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS)
Definition
An Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) uses cranes, shuttles, or robots operating in dense racking to store and retrieve pallets, cases, or totes automatically, without forklifts or manual reach.
In Practice
AS/RS designs range from unit-load cranes handling pallets in 100-foot-high racking to tote shuttles and cube-storage grids (like AutoStore) that deliver bins to pick stations. Because aisles shrink or disappear and height is fully used, AS/RS can store the same inventory in 40-60 percent less floor space than conventional racking.
For operations, the gains are density, accuracy, and predictable throughput: the system knows exactly where everything is, works around the clock, and thrives in environments people hate, like minus-25-degree freezers. The trade-offs are high capital cost, long design lead times, and dependence on the system — a crane fault can block a whole aisle, so redundancy planning matters.
Example: a frozen-food producer replaces a manual freezer warehouse with a pallet AS/RS, doubling storage on the same footprint while removing workers from the harshest environment on site.
Related Terms
Warehouse automation is the use of mechanized and robotic systems — conveyors, sorters, AS/RS, mobile robots, automated packing — to move, store, pick, and sort goods with less manual labor.
Warehouse Management System (WMS)A Warehouse Management System (WMS) is software that directs and records all activity inside a warehouse — receiving, putaway, picking, packing, and shipping — down to the individual location and unit.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR)Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are self-navigating warehouse robots that use sensors and onboard intelligence to move goods around a facility, dynamically routing around people and obstacles without fixed guide paths.