AutoStore installed at Trusco Nakayama's Planet Aichi logistics hub had 80,000 of its 100,000 bins in use after 3 months of operation. The report details its operation as Japan's largest warehouse facility of its kind.
AutoStore has been installed at Planet Aichi, a logistics hub opened by Trusco Nakayama in Kitanagoya. The facility opened in May, and Vice President Masayuki Yasutaka joined representatives from Okamura, which handled the delivery, for a commemorative visit to celebrate the start of operations.
Planet Aichi's AutoStore can store 100,000 bins. The grid measures approximately 82 meters by 66 meters and is 5.5 meters high. The system has 100 robots and 22 carousel ports, with outbound capacity estimated at 2,640 lines per hour.
The bins are stored at high density. Robots move across the grid, retrieve the required bins and transport them to the ports. Compared with conventional shelving, the system significantly reduces the space required and is being used to store a broad range of products, from core products to long-tail items.
Approximately 3 months after operations began, about 80,000 of the 100,000 bins were in use, and AutoStore was handling approximately 40% of shipments. The company has indicated plans to expand inventory capacity, and the report outlines the background to the installation, the system configuration and its effects in actual operation.