Shuttle system for boxes and crates

Box shuttle systems optimize warehouse operations providing automated container handling and addressing key logistics challenges:

• faster order fulfillment & higher throughput – AS/RS automates box movement, significantly boosting processing speed.
• maximized storage capacity – multi-level storage optimizes warehouse space utilization.
• reduced labor requirements – automated goods handling minimizes manual operations, decreasing workload.
• enhanced workplace safety – AS/RS lowers the risk of employee injuries and product damage.
• precision in warehouse management – seamless AS/RS integration with WMS improves inventory accuracy and optimizes goods flow.

The automated shuttle storage solution for boxes is ideal for high-turnover warehouses, small-order processing, and space-constrained facilities.

Key components of a warehouse box shuttle system – shuttles, racking, conveyors, lifts, and intelligent software. All the box shuttle system elements work together to create a seamless and fully automated storage solution for your warehouse. Before investing in a shuttle system, it’s important to consider your warehouse layout, the types of goods you handle, and the order processing intensity.

Warehouse shuttle systems for boxes are widely used to automate warehouses in e-commerce, retail, pharmaceuticals, food, automotive, manufacturing, and distribution centers.

1. Automated loading. Totes enter the storage area automatically via the conveyor line from other warehouse zones.

2. Storage location assignment. The WMS identifies the optimal storage location for each tote, taking into account its characteristics, turnover rates (ABC/XYZ), available space, and the warehouse’s logistics strategy. Then WXS® orchestrates task execution across the equipment.

3. Shuttle transport. The shuttle receives the task, moves to the assigned location, enters the rack, and gently places the tote inside.

4. Vertical movement. To access multiple levels, the system uses vertical lifts. Totes are transferred automatically from one level to another.

5. Goods-to-Person picking. Upon a picking request, the WMS initiates the retrieval process. The shuttle transports the tote to a lift, which transfers it to a conveyor that delivers it directly to the operator’s workstation.

6. Return or dispatch. Once the operation is complete, the tote is either returned to its storage location or moved to the shipping area – all fully automated.

A leading automotive company continues to expand its extensive selection of car parts, now offering over 171,000 SKUs for nearly all vehicle brands. With strategically located wholesale warehouses, the distributor ensures ultra-fast delivery – fulfilling orders the same day they are placed.

The customer requested KAPELOU company to automate warehouse processes with AS/RS for improving their efficiency. Warehouse automation with the box shuttle system has significantly accelerated order processing and streamlined product storage. Integrating the shuttle system with the WMS ensures precise placement of totes on the racks according to their
parameters. The system receives the data and automatically directs each tote to the correct slot. Simple, accurate, and seamless.

Key advantages of the box shuttle system in the customer’s warehouse:

• high-speed goods handling – even during peak demand periods;
• faster, more efficient order fulfillment – with AS/RS;
• optimized storage and streamlined material flow for maximum productivity of the automated warehouse;
• Goods-to-Person technology offers the opportunity to create comfortable and accessible workstations for everyone – including people with disabilities.

At the heart of KAPELOU’s automated storage solution is WXS® – smart, high-performance software designed to ensure maximum system uptime and seamless coordination of all warehouse processes.

The complete solution includes:

• a multi-level racking system;
• shuttles on each storage level;
• system service infrastructure: vertical lifts, control cabinets, and access platforms for technicians;
• the intelligent WXS® software, orchestrating all equipment logic

WXS® is a software that seamlessly integrates equipment and processes into a unified logistics system. It delivers:

• real-time management;
• flexible adaptation to changing conditions – with its LOW-CODE platform, WXS® reprioritizes tasks to keep order fulfillment consistently efficient;
• SCADA visualization – an interactive, real-time model of your warehouse showing every level, node, and flow for deep monitoring and fast decision-making.

Thanks to WXS®, you can instantly detect and respond to any critical equipment issue, ensuring your warehouse operations remain reliable, efficient, and always ready to deliver.

The KAPELOU shuttle system features a modular architecture that easily adapts to both current operations and future expansion. You can gradually scale:

• storage capacity – by adding more racking rows and levels;
• order processing speed – by increasing the number of shuttles and lifts;
• picking performance – by integrating additional picking zones and dispatch points.

Everything depends on your business goals:

• Do you need to quickly process a high volume of small orders?
• Is maximizing storage density on minimal footprint your top priority?

Scaling doesn’t require a full system rebuild – our team tailors the setup to match your new workflows and volumes. You set the goals – we deliver the tech.

KAPELOU warehouse box shuttle systems are the ideal solution for companies looking to automate storage and material handling, enhance operational efficiency, and optimize resources – especially in the face of labor shortages. By implementing our box shuttle system, businesses achieve a high level of warehouse automation, ensuring compact goods storage, precise product picking and faster order processing – critical for the demands of modern e-commerce. AS/RS works in sync with conveyors and lifts to move boxes efficiently between storage and to pick orders precisely. An automated shuttle storage solution enhances warehouse visibility, streamlining logistics. Designed for high-performance storage and retrieval, AS/RS with shuttles provides reliability and scalability for growing warehouse needs.

Automated storage & gentle handling with AS/RS – shuttles automate damage-free transport of goods in boxes across warehouse levels. AS/RS solution is designed to function automatically ensuring uninterrupted workflow even during peak operational hours and reducing reliance on manual labor. In e-commerce warehouses, shuttle systems efficiently move products in boxes, accelerating order fulfillment, and streamline product storage.

Maximum storage density with vertical logistics – solutions with shuttles are indispensable for multi-level racking. The shuttle systems for boxes optimize space, allowing for compact and efficient product placement.

Goods-to-person technology – solutions based on integrating conveyors with the shuttle system help to automate order picking, delivering boxes from the storage area directly to workstations. AS/RS significantly boosts warehouse productivity, which is essential for high-speed logistics.

Flexible configuration and scalability – the modular design of box shuttle systems makes them ideal for small and mid-sized warehouses. The shuttle system for boxes continuously adapts to incoming and outgoing goods, enabling dynamic storage management for fluctuating demand. By adding vertical levels and operational aisles, businesses can expand storage capacity and adapt AS/RS to evolving requirements, ensuring long-term efficiency and growth of their automated warehouses.

AS/RS seamless storage adoption – designed for flawless integration into existing warehouse infrastructures, shuttle systems for boxes enhance storage efficiency and picking accuracy. KAPELOU’s AS/RS transforms traditional warehousing into a smart storage solution, automates the sorting and handling of goods, integrating seamlessly with WMS for real-time inventory tracking.

The price of shuttle systems is determined based on the number of storage levels and the required order processing speed.