AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system)
An automated system that stores and retrieves goods from racks, often in tall dense storage.
An AS/RS uses cranes, shuttles or robots that climb rack structures to put away and bring back totes or pallets. Because it uses the full height of the building, it can store much more in the same floor area.
It is a large investment and suits stable, high-volume operations. The questions to ask: storage density, throughput per hour, what happens during a failure of one unit, and how the system can be expanded when volumes grow.