Global robotics company ABB has announced the implementation of a fully automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) to support automated warehouse operations at its instrumentation factory in Ossuccio, Italy.
Automation was introduced to improve logistic efficiency at the site, with the company reporting a 90% increase in productivity across factory workflows. Other key benefits of the system include a 30% reduction in the time needed to assemble packages, with one item being handled every three minutes.
“We wanted to improve logistics at the Ossuccio site, while also enhancing the entire manufacturing process,” said Mariafrancesca Madrigrano, general manager of the ABB measurement and analytics factory in Ossuccio.
“We constantly strive for operational efficiency through innovation and are always looking for ways to better address customer needs and ensure customer satisfaction.”
ABB also commented on the difference the AS/RS has made to working conditions by reducing physical restrain on employees who would have previously handled heavy boxes manually. What’s more, some workers have been reallocated to areas of the factory in need of increased manpower, enhancing site flexibility.
The solution consists of two ABB OmniVance FlexBuffer systems connected by a conveyor, with each one being equipped with ABB robots for order handling. The FlexBuffer system was designed to help transition between buffering, storing and sequencing tasks.
The mixed item variant of the FlexBuffer “enables the user to store a wide variety of box sizes, all being handled with the same robot gripper”, an ABB spokesperson said in a statement. In addition to this, the AS/RS’s dynamic racking positions means all boxes are stored “with minimal loss of space”.
