ASRS Integration with Ignition

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (or ASRS) have been a frequent topic of discussion this year.

Along with automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems, ASRS systems are becoming very common in manufacturing and distribution facilities. At its core, an ASRS is a condensed warehousing space where items can be stored, with information on much of what is stored where, and a mechanism to load/unload the locations with goods and deliver them either to a conveyance system, direct to personnel, or into an AGV workflow.

Benefits of ASRS Systems

Compact Footprint

An ASRS provides a highly dense storage infrastructure. Without the need for regular human access to the system, an ASRS doesn’t need aisles of empty floor space. Since the goods storage and retrieval is automated, an ASRS can easily work with stacked bins or pallets more than one level deep. It’s also not necessary to store similar items next to each another.

Compared to a much less dense storage option like traditional warehouse shelving, an ASRS saves real-estate costs, and improves the ROI for the space it uses.

Photo by Arno Senoner

Labor Efficiency

ASRS Systems can greatly reduce labor costs. Entirely automated order picking gives operators the materials they need—when and where they need them. While operators are in transit taking materials to the next location, the ASRS can be picking the next order. An ASRS can even stack up orders throughout the shift so that operators don’t need to wait for materials to be picked before they can be used in the process.

Time Efficiency

Depending on your process, it can be easy to integrate ASRS Systems into the production line, significantly reducing travel time for materials throughout the process. An example from the Tesla Gigafactory was how completed motor units were stored in an ASRS system awaiting Dyno testing. As the units came out of the automated assembly line, they were picked up by a shuttle robot inside an ASRS as big as a football field, then stored in an open location. When a Dyno machine was freed up from testing, it triggered the ASRS system to pick a new motor. The ASRS picked the motor, then put it on the conveyor for the correct Dyno machine.

This setup reduced the travel time for completed motors to move off the line into storage and retrieval for testing. It provided a huge buffering advantage in the process for keeping the Dyno machines full at all times. The ASRS maximized overall throughput and reduced cycle times as much as possible.

Inventory Management

Using Ignition to integrate ASRS Systems with databases make Inventory Management an easy prospect. As goods are stored in the ASRS, the ERP system is updated for each location where new goods are stored. Users can look up the information at any time and see what items are where in the ASRS. When materials are removed from the ASRS, they can be deducted from inventory, creating a fully traceable tracking system for anything that touches the ASRS System.

With the automated aspects of an ASRS, human error is almost entirely removed from the equation.

In addition, you can also integrate QA/QC tracking on lot numbers or expiration dates to ensure that the items closest to expiration are picked first—or that lot numbers with a QA/QC hold are not picked before they are cleared for use.

Pick Accuracy Improvements

For distribution centers where orders are picked and packaged for shipping, an ASRS System simplifies this process immensely. Instead of operators having to walk around the warehouse, find the correct locations, grab the correct quantity, and repeat for as many orders as they can manage at once—all while hoping that the inventory tracking system is correct, an ASRS can do it all instead. Even if you’re already using a pick-to-light system to help with this process, you are still exposed to human error when people do the picking.

With an ASRS, operators only need to select their orders. The ASRS System will pick the order then send it to the operator, all while managing inventory updates in real-time.

Photo by Alberto Rodríguez

Integrating Ignition with ASRS Systems

The technology and mechanics of how an ASRS works will vary based on use case, size and weight of goods, available floor and airspace. But, from a data perspective all ASRS systems are very similar.

If you think of an ASRS system as a physical database of goods that tracks what is stored where and when it was put into the system, then a software database makes complete sense. This makes choosing a SCADA platform like Ignition to manage the flow of information to and from databases an almost obvious conclusion.

Ignition can act as the operating system for your ASRS. Ignition integrates with your plant floor equipment, so triggering the ASRS to store materials is a trivial task. The database will record what was stored in ASRS system, what is already in it, and when items come out.

Ignition can then integrate with your ERP system, making it easy to pull customer orders and send them to the ASRS, getting what you need picked right when you need it.

Pallet based ASRS demonstration

Fresh Perspectives On Your Process

Another benefit to using Ignition as a bridge between your ERP System, your ASRS, and all of your plant floor operations is that we can build an interface in Ignition Perspective for a global view of your operation. You can then interact with it on your phone anywhere in the plant—or if you choose—anywhere in the world.

An Ignition integration multiplies the power of your systems for even more value. At a glance, your customer service teams can track orders, see when they are picked, the lot numbers in each order—along with any potential issues they need to address before they can impact delivery time.

In today’s ever more connected world, you can even open this concept up to customers so they can track when their order was picked, They could even get alerts as their order moves from the plant floor into shipping/receiving, then through the carrier services for delivery.

Wrapping Up

An ASRS system is a powerful tool for any process where items need to be stored. Whether storage happens during the process along with further operations, or for finished goods waiting to be shipped out, an ASRS will streamline the process.

Using Ignition to integrate ASRS Systems with ERP Systems and other business tools will give you an even deeper understanding of your operation as a whole.

These integrations can even give you additional customer service functionality at no added cost to the system implementation. This potentially creates a market advantage over the competition who is not investing in modern technology.

Please reach out and let us know if you have any questions about ASRS systems, the work we have done implementing them for companies like Tesla, Whirlpool, and leading pharmaceutical manufacturers or how you might be able to utilize them for your process!