Since young, I have been afraid of heights. Thus, the Very Narrow Aisles (VNA) racking system left the deepest impression on me. As I viewed the demonstration of how the VNA system works, I thought to myself that if I were to be the one operating the truck, I would have fainted even before I reach the top. I would have to say, VNA system is scary yet interesting. Interesting because it has wires embedded on the floor in every aisle to ensure that the truck does not go out of track. It is also what they call a wire-guided system.
Another storage system that I really like was the Vertical Carousel System. It is a fool-proof system with 74 layers suitable for storage of small items. It also allows you to control the temperature. If someone were to just place his/her hand near the racks in the process of picking, the system would automatically stop. In ALB, it was used to store medical supplies as these supplies are sensitive to temperature changes. Personally, I like it simply because it is so convenient compared to other storage systems.
At the marshalling area, the laser guided vehicle caught my attention. It is automated and facilitates the movement of goods.
If the whole warehouse were to be fully automated just like how robots are invented to do household chores in Japan, would we still have work to do?
dcm @ 12/14/2008 08:18:00 PM 
