Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA, Charlotte, N.C.) released the results of two independent research studies on the reliability of automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS).
The studies were commissioned by MHIA and conducted by Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management, and the results are detailed in a white paper entitled Reliability of Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (AS/RS).
Systems engineered and installed by members of MHIA’s AS/RS product section were examined as part of the research.
According to the studies, experienced AS/RS users have high expectations for their systems. Respondents, on average, expected 97.98% uptime, and AS/RS do, in fact, deliver on these expectations, with an average uptime of 97.34%, according to the studies. Based on these findings, the research report concluded that AS/RS have potential to improve productivity, especially in lean and JIT applications.