Vollert launches compact automated storage and retrieval system for aluminum coils

en.Wedoany.com Reported - German industrial logistics equipment company Vollert presented its new compact storage system for aluminum coils during the ALUMINIUM 2026 trade fair, targeting aluminum producers seeking to expand storage capacity within existing factory buildings. The system uses a compact cantilever rack structure that can store aluminum coils vertically in two or three tiers, and uses specially developed automated stacking equipment to complete inbound and outbound operations.

The system is particularly suitable for existing aluminum processing plants with limited ceiling height and floor space. Vollert also presented automated high-bay warehouses, process cranes, automated transport equipment, AMRs, and a higher-level material flow control system, which can cover in-plant logistics for aluminum coils from rolling, temporary storage, to subsequent processing and shipping.

As an application case, Vollert presented the automated aluminum coil logistics system it built for Logan Aluminum in Kentucky, USA. The core of the project is a 42-meter-high, 130-meter-long single-aisle high-bay warehouse that can store aluminum coils weighing up to 30 tons each, increasing storage capacity by nearly 50% compared with the previous system. The warehouse has 10 tiers of storage locations and is equipped with active single-slot cooling, capable of handling aluminum coils with an initial temperature of up to approximately 360°C.

The system has 4 entry and exit points connecting the hot rolling and cold rolling areas, of which the hot rolling mill at a distance of approximately 350 meters is connected by an unmanned transport system; the cold rolling area is equipped with 3 aluminum coil transport lift vehicles, and automatic loading and unloading with the existing rolling mill pallet circulation system is completed via transfer platforms. The stacking system can achieve up to 36 movements per hour, equivalent to 18 complete storage and retrieval cycles.