Lagersysteme
Also: Lagersystem, Lagerungssystem, Lagerungssysteme, Lager-System, Lager-Systeme, Warehouse-System
AI-generated
Warehouse systems refer to the entirety of racking technology, conveyor technology, processes, and IT systems that together enable the storage, management, and movement of goods. They range from manual shelving systems to fully automated high-bay warehouses with higher-level control software.
Key facts
- Warehouse systems encompass racking technology, conveyor technology, processes, and IT, and therefore go beyond the concept of warehouse technology alone.
- The degree of automation – from manual through semi-automated to fully automated – is the most important structuring dimension when selecting a system.
- Access methodologies such as FIFO, LIFO, and FEFO largely determine which physical storage structure is appropriate.
- Integration into WMS and ERP systems, as well as dependency on system vendors, are key risk factors in the investment decision.
What are warehouse systems?
Warehouse systems are the organizational and technical framework that enables the orderly storage of goods. This includes physical components such as racks, conveyor technology, and warehouse vehicles, as well as software-based elements such as warehouse management systems (WMS) and material flow computers. Processes – such as putaway strategies or picking methods – are also part of the system. Warehouse technology is a subset of this: it describes the hardware infrastructure, while warehouse systems additionally encompass IT and operational workflows.
How do warehouse systems work in practice?
In practice, warehouse systems can be distinguished by their degree of automation. Manual systems rely on conventional pallet racking or shelving, where employees work with industrial trucks. Semi-automated systems – such as flow racks, carousel storage units, or automated guided vehicles (AGVs) – reduce manual travel without fully automating the facility. Fully automated systems such as automated small-parts warehouses (AS/RS), AutoStore, or high-bay warehouses with stacker cranes handle putaway and retrieval largely without human intervention.
Three parameters are particularly decisive when selecting the right solution:
- Item structure (number and variance of SKUs): Many small items require different systems than a few large, bulky units.
- Access methodology: Depending on the industry, FIFO, LIFO, or FEFO requirements apply – for example, in food or pharmaceuticals with best-before dates.
- Throughput: The number of putaways and retrievals per hour determines which technology is economically viable.
What matters when making a selection?
A central question is whether a manual, semi-automated, or fully automated solution makes sense. The answer depends on the investment budget (CapEx), ongoing operating costs, maintenance requirements, and the available labor market. Fully automated systems generally offer higher throughput performance and lower error rates, but require significant upfront investment and often tie the company to a specific system vendor – an aspect that procurement and IT decision-makers should evaluate as part of risk management.
In addition, scalability is a critical criterion: can the system be expanded modularly as the product range or throughput grows? And how complex is the integration into existing ERP or WMS landscapes? These questions are vendor-dependent and should be examined as part of a structured tender process.
Related terms
- AGV
AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) refers to driverless transport vehicles that automatically move goods in warehouses and production environments. They follow predefined or sensor-controlled routes without a human driver.
- AKL
An Automated Small Parts Warehouse (AKL) is a fully mechanized storage system for bins, trays, or cartons that automates the goods-to-person process using aisle-captive storage and retrieval machines or shuttles.
- AMR
AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) is a driverless, self-navigating transport robot that moves goods within a warehouse without any fixed installed infrastructure. It orientates itself independently using sensors and digital maps, and dynamically avoids obstacles.
- AutoStore
AutoStore is a cube-based automated storage system in which driverless robots traverse an aluminum grid to stack plastic bins and retrieve them on demand for delivery to picking ports. The system is considered one of the most space-efficient automated small-parts warehouses available for standardized bin-compatible goods.
- AutoStore-Lagersystem
The AutoStore storage system is a fully automated cube storage system in which robots stack, retrieve, and transport plastic bins across a three-dimensional grid structure to stationary picking stations.
- Automatiklager
An automated warehouse is a fully or partially automated storage system in which the receipt, retrieval, transport and management of storage units are carried out without manual intervention, using conveyor technology, storage and retrieval machines, and a higher-level control software.
- Automatisches Kleinteilelager (AKL)
The Automated Small Parts Warehouse (AKL) is a fully automated storage system for totes, trays and small parts, in which storage and retrieval operations are performed without manual intervention by stacker cranes or shuttle systems.
- Automatisierung
Automation refers to the use of technologies and systems to execute processes fully or partially without human intervention. In intralogistics, the spectrum ranges from simple conveyor systems to fully automated high-bay warehouses with autonomous vehicles.
- Blocklager
A block storage system is a storage method in which load units — typically pallets — are stacked directly on the floor in rows and blocks without any racking structure.
- Bodenlagerung
Floor storage refers to the storage of goods directly on the floor, without the use of racking systems. Pallets, stacks, or marked floor positions serve as the basic structure for area organization.
- Business Case Automatisierung
The Business Case Automation evaluates, from an economic and operational perspective, whether an investment in warehouse or intralogistics automation is justified. It summarizes costs, benefits, risks, and assumptions in a structured way, forming the basis for management approval decisions.
- Chaotische Lagerhaltung
Chaotic storage is a warehousing principle in which items are not stored in fixed, pre-assigned locations, but are instead dynamically placed in any available, suitable slot in the warehouse. A warehouse management system handles the control and tracking of all storage locations.