Starting, stopping, picking up a load, starting, stopping, dropping off a load: Because stacker cranes perform a demanding job day in day out, they consume a large amount of energy. However, some of this is unnecessarily released into the environment as heat whenever the cranes brake.
That it can be done differently is demonstrated by our subsidiary System Logistics: in its automated warehouse at the Fiorano site, all four stacker cranes as well as the FRS shuttles (Fast Rotation Storage) have been equipped with an energy recovery system. Each time a stacker crane brakes or a shuttle decelerates, the kinetic energy that is released is converted into electrical energy that can then be used again. During the extensive test phase last year, it was possible to reduce the energy consumption of the stacker cranes alone by 22 percent. This is an advantage that System Logistics does not keep to itself but also offers in customer projects: The FRS shuttles are already equipped with the Regenerative Power Unit as standard, while it is available as an option for stacker cranes. In air-conditioned warehouses, for example for food that needs to be kept cool, its use brings an additional benefit: Because the heat from the braking resistors is eliminated, temperature management in the warehouse is also made easier.
