IN Brief:
- The 4,000 sq m distribution hub consolidates inventory previously held across multiple warehouses.
- Körber's four-way pallet shuttle ASRS provides 18,000 effective pallet positions within a 23-metre-high rack structure.
- The system is designed to handle up to 32 pallets per hour in both inbound and outbound operations.
Körber has completed a high-density automated warehouse for an information management and record storage provider in Southeast Asia, consolidating inventory previously spread across several facilities into a single distribution hub.
The approximately 4,000 sq m warehouse is built around a four-way pallet shuttle automated storage and retrieval system integrated with Körber’s Warehouse Control System and automated pallet lifts. The installation provides 18,000 effective pallet storage locations within a rack structure reaching 23 metres in height, with full operation scheduled to begin during September.
Körber says the system will handle up to 32 pallets per hour for inbound movements and the same rate for outbound activity. Autonomous shuttles move loads horizontally within the storage structure, while automated lifts transfer pallets between levels and the warehouse control layer coordinates equipment movements across the installation.
The customer has not been publicly identified, but the application is centred on information management and record storage. Such operations can involve substantial quantities of palletised material retained for long periods, placing a premium on storage density, location accuracy, dependable retrieval, and inventory control rather than the extreme item-picking rates associated with ecommerce fulfilment.
Consolidating stock from several warehouses into one automated site also changes the operating model. Multiple facilities create separate receiving points, stock records, labour requirements, transport movements, and local inventory buffers. A centralised operation can bring those processes into one inventory pool, although it also increases dependence on the availability of the main facility.
The 23-metre rack structure makes vertical space a central part of the design. Conventional pallet warehouses require substantial aisle space for manual handling equipment, whereas shuttle systems can reduce the width and number of access aisles by moving loads within the racking itself.
That density is particularly relevant where industrial land is expensive or difficult to expand. Increasing pallet capacity inside the same building footprint can postpone the need for additional property, although the saving has to be weighed against the capital cost of racking, shuttles, lifts, controls, fire protection, and specialist maintenance.
The Warehouse Control System provides the link between those mechanical components. Pallet movements have to be allocated to shuttles, coordinated with lifts, and sequenced with inbound and outbound interfaces without blocking storage lanes or sending loads towards unavailable positions.
Inventory data also has to remain synchronised with the physical system. A pallet recorded in the wrong position inside a dense automated rack can be more difficult to identify and recover than stock in a conventional location that can be visually inspected by an operator. Accurate receiving, labelling, and exception handling therefore remain essential even when the storage movements themselves are automated.
The modular architecture gives the operator scope to expand capacity as requirements change. Additional shuttle or storage capacity can potentially be incorporated into an established control environment, allowing investment to follow demand rather than requiring the entire warehouse to be rebuilt around a different operating concept.
The stated throughput of 32 pallets per hour also gives the installation a clearly defined operating profile. High-density pallet automation is not necessarily intended to maximise movement speed above every other measure. In record storage and other inventory-heavy applications, space utilisation, retrieval reliability, and consistent access to the correct pallet can be more important than peak throughput.
Maintenance will become a larger consideration once the site leaves commissioning. Shuttle systems distribute mechanical and electrical equipment throughout the storage structure, while lifts form critical transfer points between levels. Preventive maintenance, spare-parts availability, fault diagnostics, and procedures for recovering stranded pallets all affect the availability of the wider installation.
Redundancy within a multi-shuttle system can limit some disruption because individual vehicles may be removed from service while others remain operational, but bottlenecks can still emerge around lifts or interfaces shared by several storage lanes. The control system therefore has to manage degraded operating conditions as well as normal throughput.
Körber completed the project on schedule and expects full operations to begin during September 2026. That transition will move the installation from controlled testing into daily use as stock previously divided between multiple warehouses is managed through one automated hub.
The first operational months will provide a more useful measure than the opening ceremony. Storage density is already defined by the physical installation; the harder tests are whether the system maintains inventory accuracy, achieves the required availability, and handles inbound and outbound workloads consistently as utilisation rises.
The project adds another four-way shuttle installation to a Southeast Asian warehousing market facing rising land costs and increasing interest in automated storage. The engineering proposition is straightforward — place more pallets into a limited footprint and remove repetitive manual movements — but its commercial value will ultimately depend on reliable operation over years rather than the density achieved on day one.
