Heavy-duty
storage systems
storage systems
Automated heavy-duty storage systems
Vollert develops customized storage systems for heavy-duty applications from 5 to 50 tons – wherever components or workpieces are massive, large, and particularly heavy.
Economical heavy-duty storage concepts
Whether aluminum and steel coils, slabs, slit strips, containers, pipes, battery trays, or stacks of wood: we store and retrieve items that involve high point loads, enormous dimensions, and extreme weights.
From classic high-bay warehouses with heavy-duty stacker cranes to innovative, crane-operated flat storage systems, we implement economical and safe storage concepts that are precisely tailored to your processes. In doing so, we master challenges such as dynamic loads and inertia, demanding structural and foundation requirements, sensitive surfaces, and the highest demands on occupational safety and process stability. Our systems integrate seamlessly into production, further processing, and shipping, optimize material flows, and increase handling performance—even with extreme weights.
Automated high-bay warehouses with heavy-duty stacker cranes Automated high-bay warehouses with heavy-duty stacker cranes
Heavy-duty high-bay warehouses are particularly useful when high storage capacities are needed on a limited floor area and, at the same time, fast and repeatable access is required. Heavy-duty automated storage and retrieval systems handle storage and retrieval fully automatically and can be designed for loads of up to 50 metric tons.
Heavy-duty flat storage systems with automated cranes offer maximum flexibility in handling large, heavy, or geometrically complex goods. The crane not only handles storage but can also perform buffering, sorting, and transfer functions simultaneously—without the need for additional conveyor systems.
This variant is particularly well-suited for applications involving irregularly shaped goods, where random access is of secondary importance, or where the goods to be stored are less delicate. Typical applications include warehouses for stacked goods such as sheet materials, etc., or slab storage facilities.
Long goods, strips, tubes, and profiles place special demands on storage geometry. Cantilever racks enable structured, space-saving storage of these goods and can be combined with automated handling systems that store and retrieve items without damaging the goods or interrupting processes.
Specialty storage for industry-specific requirements Specialty storage for industry-specific requirements
In addition to standard system configurations, Vollert designs custom storage solutions for applications with particularly high or unusual requirements: battery trays for electric vehicle manufacturing, anode storage systems for the aluminum industry, or sheet metal storage systems featuring gentle handling to protect surfaces. In each of these cases, the solution is tailored to the specific application—not selected from a standard catalog.
System Selection - Key Questions:
What loads, dimensions, and materials need to be stored?
What are the required storage density and capacity?
How frequently and in what order is the material accessed?
How tight is the synchronization between storage and production?
What are the requirements for surface protection and handling precision?
What interfaces with WMS, MES, or adjacent processes are required?
Do process steps such as cooling/curing or heating the stored goods need to be integrated?
Heavy-duty warehousing has its own rules
Traditional bearing systems are designed for loads of up to a few metric tons. As soon as weights, component dimensions, and point loads increase significantly, nearly all relevant design parameters change: structural and foundation requirements rise considerably, dynamic loads and mass inertia must be taken into account in the system design, and the requirements for workplace safety and process stability grow in proportion to the load.
Added to this are material-specific requirements that rarely play a role in conventional storage planning. Sensitive surfaces on coils or sheet metal, geometrically complex goods such as long products or pipes, or thermally challenging materials such as freshly cast slabs—heating up to several hundred degrees —each of these scenarios requires its own system logic that goes far beyond simply choosing a racking system.
Heavy-duty storage is therefore always a question of architecture: Which combination of storage technology, handling systems, control logic, and process integration creates the best solution for the specific application?
Integration into production, further processing, and shipping
A heavy-duty warehouse system is rarely a standalone unit. In most projects, the warehouse is a central element in the material flow—linking goods receipt, production, further processing, and shipping. That is precisely why the quality of system integration determines whether a warehouse system can make its full contribution to productivity.
Vollert designs storage systems from the outset as part of the overall material flow. This means that transfer points to conveyor systems and process cranes are systematically defined, control logic and warehouse management are tailored to process requirements, and interfaces to higher-level IT systems are incorporated into the architecture at an early stage.
This systematic approach is particularly crucial in brownfield situations—that is, when integrating into existing production environments. Existing structural frameworks, warehouse geometries, ongoing processes, and existing IT interfaces must be incorporated into the design from the very beginning so that the new warehouse system not only functions technically but also operates reliably and cost-effectively in real-world conditions.
Your advantage with our storage systems
100 years of expertise
We look back with pride on a 100-year success story as a leader in technology and innovation. We are constantly evolving in response to market requirements and are always working on innovative solutions to accelerate our customers' success.
Integrated supply chain
In order to optimize the supply chain, it is necessary to integrate all factors into a comprehensive concept, both logistically and in terms of production technology. We understand how to integrate our technology into higher-level software architecture. This is the decisive step towards a digital factory.
Upwards
State-of-the-art storage systems from Vollert offer the optimal solution for all heavy-duty applications—from high-bay warehouses, flat storage, cantilever storage, to long goods storage. For such loads, the storage components, storage and retrieval machines, or lifting devices must be specially dimensioned. Our specialists know what matters.
White Paper: Heavy-Duty Storage Systems – Which Solution Is (Not) Right for You?
Selecting a suitable heavy-duty storage system depends on far more factors than just the weight and dimensions of the workpieces. High-bay warehouses offer enormous advantages in terms of space efficiency and standardized processes. Flat storage systems excel in flexibility and adaptable handling for lower throughput rates. Cantilever racks enable the safe storage of long and bulky workpieces. Which solution is right for your needs?
White Paper: Heavy-Duty Intralogistics Follows Different Rules
Heavy-duty intralogistics differs fundamentally from traditional material flow solutions. When handling loads of 5 metric tons or more, not only do load capacities and safety requirements increase, but so do the demands for precision, availability, maintainability, and process integration. That is why heavy-duty intralogistics requires a systematic approach that considers material, process logic, building layout, interfaces, and operational goals as a unified whole.
