Fully automated plate storage system

Beyond Storage, Beyond Manual Labor: The Herochu Fully Automated Plate Storage System

Imagine a central hub in your factory, a towering, silent sentinel that knows the exact location, weight, and grade of every single sheet of metal in your inventory. At a command, it retrieves a specific 3-ton steel plate with robotic precision and presents it to an operator, all without a single forklift trip, crane maneuver, or manual logbook entry. This is not a vision of a distant future; this is the operational reality delivered by the Herochu Fully Automated Plate Storage System.

In the competitive landscape of metal fabrication, your ability to win bids and turn a profit hinges on the ruthless elimination of waste and friction. The most significant, yet often overlooked, source of this friction lies in the very first step of your value chain: raw material storage and retrieval. Traditional methods—relying on sprawling floor space, error-prone manual labor, and guesswork inventory—are actively holding your business back.

The Herochu Automated System is the definitive answer. It is a seamlessly integrated, software-driven warehouse designed not just to store metal, but to orchestrate your material flow, transforming it from a cost center into a powerful engine of efficiency, safety, and data-driven intelligence. Starting at $4,399 for a customizable entry-point configuration, this system is the strategic upgrade that pays for itself by unlocking the latent potential within your workshop.

The High Cost of “The Old Way”: Why Manual Storage is Your Biggest Bottleneck

To appreciate the revolution of automation, we must first quantify the drag of manual processes. Every time a sheet is needed for a laser cutter or shear, a chain of inefficient events is triggered:

1. The Search: An operator, often working from a potentially outdated list or memory, must locate the correct sheet. This involves navigating crowded aisles, potentially moving other sheets, and risking misidentification. This “hunting” process can consume 15-30 minutes per job.

2. The Retrieval: Once found, the heavy, cumbersome sheet must be manually handled by a crane or forklift. This is a high-risk operation, posing significant dangers of material damage (bent edges, scratches) and, more critically, serious worker injury.

3. The Transport & Staging: The material is then shuttled across the facility to the processing machine, consuming more time and floor space while adding to traffic congestion.

4. The Inventory Black Hole: The removed sheet is manually logged out of the system—if it’s logged at all. This leads to inaccurate stock levels, causing production delays for missing materials or unnecessary capital tied up in “safety stock” to compensate for unreliable data.

This “goods-to-person” model is fundamentally broken. It burns labor hours, jeopardizes safety, damages material, and creates an information vacuum that cripples planning. The Herochu system flips this model on its head.

The Herochu “Goods-to-Person” Revolution: How the System Works

Our system is built on a simple, powerful principle: the material comes to the operator, on demand, with perfect accuracy. This “goods-to-person” workflow is the cornerstone of modern lean manufacturing.

1. The Architectural Core: Vertical Density and Robotic Precision

The system is a modular structure of immense strength, engineered to exploit the most underutilized asset in any facility: vertical space. Unlike static racks, this is a dynamic matrix of storage locations.

• Vertical Lifting Mechanism: A robust, chain-driven lift assembly operates at a steady, powerful speed of 9m/min, traversing the height of the system with the sheet securely engaged.

• Precision Horizontal Movement: The retrieval unit moves horizontally along a foundation of linear guide rails and chain drives, achieving an inlet/outlet speed of 12m/min. This combination of movements allows the system to access any storage bin within the matrix in seconds.

• Heavy-Duty Load Handling: With a standard load capacity of 3T or 5T per layer and support for all common plate sizes (3015, 4015, 4020, 6020mm, etc.), the system is built for industrial-scale demands.

2. The Intelligent Brain: PLC Control and Visual Management

The physical machinery is directed by an intelligent control system centered on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The operator interface is an intuitive touchscreen terminal.

• Classified Visual Management: The software provides a real-time, visual representation of your entire inventory. You don’t just see a list; you see a digital twin of the storage system. Each plate can be categorized by material type, gauge, thickness, and job status, all displayed in an easy-to-understand graphical format.

• Automated Weight Detection: As plates are entered into the system, they are automatically weighed. This data is logged, providing an additional layer of verification and eliminating discrepancies.

• One-Touch Retrieval: An operator no longer needs to be a trained crane operator. They simply select the required material from the on-screen inventory and press “Retrieve.” The system handles the rest with unerring accuracy.

3. The Seamless Integration: Becoming the Heart of Your Production Line

The true power of the Herochu system is realized when it ceases to be an island and becomes the central nervous system of your material flow. It is designed for seamless integration with your key production machinery.

• Feed Your Lasers and Shears: The system can be positioned to directly feed laser cutting tables, punching machines, or shearing lines. It acts as a high-capacity, automated buffer, ensuring your most expensive machines are never waiting for material.

• End-to-End Automation: This creates a continuous, automated workflow from storage to processing. The system delivers the right sheet, at the right time, directly to the machine, minimizing human intervention and maximizing equipment utilization.

The Tangible Returns: More Than Just a Machine, It’s a Business Strategy

The investment in a Herochu Automated Storage System delivers a comprehensive return across every facet of your operation.

• Radical Space Saving: By building up, not out, you can achieve storage density increases of 400% or more, effectively freeing up valuable floor space for additional production cells or assembly areas.

• Unprecedented Efficiency Gains: Eliminate the 15-30 minute search-and-retrieve cycle. Material presentation time is reduced to mere minutes. This shorter response time is critical for Just-In-Time (JIT) production, allowing you to react faster to changing orders.

• Flawless Inventory Control: Say goodbye to stock-outs and over-ordering. With real-time, automated tracking, you have 100% accuracy on your raw material status. This data empowers better purchasing decisions and tighter financial control.

• A Quantum Leap in Safety: By removing the need for manual handling of heavy, sharp-edged materials, you virtually eliminate a major source of workplace injury. This protects your workforce, reduces downtime, and lowers insurance liabilities.

• Data-Driven Optimization: The system continuously collects data on warehouse activities. This information is invaluable for analyzing material usage patterns, predicting future demand, and further streamlining your operational workflows.

• Effective Personnel Utilization: Free your skilled workers from the mundane, physically demanding task of moving metal. Redeploy them to higher-value roles like machine operation, quality control, and process improvement, helping to alleviate labor shortages and increase job satisfaction.

Is the Herochu Automated System the Right Fit for Your Operation?

This system is engineered for fabricators and manufacturers who are serious about scaling their operations with precision and intelligence. It is the logical next step if you are experiencing:

• Chronic bottlenecks at the material staging area.

• Frequent material damage from handling.

• Inaccurate inventory leading to production delays.

• Safety concerns related to crane and forklift traffic.

• A desire to integrate a “lights-out” or highly automated production line.

As a CE, UKCA, and ISO 9001 certified manufacturer, Herochu guarantees that every system is built to the highest international standards of safety, quality, and performance.

Stop managing your plate storage and start orchestrating it. The Herochu Fully Automated Plate Storage System is more than equipment; it is the foundation for the modern, efficient, and safe metal fabrication facility of tomorrow.

Contact us today for a personalized consultation and system design. Let’s discuss your production volume, plate specifications, and integration goals to build a customized automated solution that will propel your productivity into a new dimension.