What is a high-bay warehouse?
A high-bay warehouse is a warehouse with shelves, or more precisely, a storage system with high shelves. It can have a height of 12 to a maximum height of 50 meters. This results in high space utilization and storage capacity for a few hundred to tens of thousands of pallet spaces. High-bay warehouses—also known as HRLs for short—are usually steel structures, but in some cases they can also be made of wood.
designs
There are various types of high-bay warehouses: for example, fully automated high-bay warehouses in silo construction, but manually operated racking systems and shelving systems are also possible. There are also several other construction variants and forms in between. For example, silo construction refers to a racking system that is designed to support both the roof and the facade.
Single-depth storage is usually used as the storage technology, as unlike double racking, it allows direct access to the picking locations and thus to the goods. This is the most common principle of warehousing, as only one storage unit is ever stored in the depth of the racks. Single-depth storage is therefore very well suited for automation, for example for an automated small parts warehouse (AKL).
What is a high-bay warehouse used for?
A high-bay warehouse is used for storing goods and merchandise. A distinction is made between long goods and flat goods. When storing goods on pallets in the pallet warehouse, care should be taken to make optimal use of space in order to utilize the full capacity of all areas.
How does a high-bay warehouse work?
The function of storing and retrieving pallets in a high-bay warehouse is performed by a warehouse management system (WMS) or warehouse management software. This system communicates with a material flow computer and controls the material flow, including the conveyor technology, the storage and retrieval machines (SRMs), and any other technology used within the building (hall or rack warehouse).
In every aisle between two rows of shelves, there is both a storage and retrieval area. Here, in the so-called pre-zone of a high-bay warehouse, goods are delivered and picked up by the storage and retrieval machine for storage or placed for retrieval.
Storage and retrieval is carried out by moving the storage and retrieval machine in a longitudinal direction, e.g., on rails. Storage and retrieval machines can be controlled automatically or manually. SRMs are operated manually when "person-to-goods" picking takes place in the pre-zone. When "goods-to-person" picking takes place, the SRM is controlled automatically. In automatic operation, this part of the warehouse must be secured against access by persons by means of fences, light barriers, etc.
In an automatically operated high-bay warehouse, the individual loading units are moved to the forklift transfer points by conveyor technology. The conveyor technology also includes components such as chain conveyors, lift tables, vertical conveyors, and driverless transport vehicles. If the high-bay warehouse is operated manually, the frontmost spaces in the racks are designated as forklift transfer points.
benefits
- Low personnel requirements
- Optimal use of space and room
- Fast storage and retrieval of goods
- Direct access to individual pallets
- Easy adaptation to changes in product range
- Multiple applications and combinations with other systems are possible, especially for order processing at picking islands, such as with pick-by-light, Voice Picking, etc.
disadvantages
- Very high investment costs
- Extensive organization required even before commissioning
- possibility of total failure
- High-bay warehouses have limited expansion potential
Conclusion
Although this storage solution requires a high level of investment, high-bay warehouses have become indispensable in both logistics and intralogistics.
Thanks to the use and flexibility of various picking systems and solutions, combined with a good warehouse management and material flow system, a high-bay warehouse is ideal for storage and picking.
