Triple Storage Capacity | ZIKOO Robotics Upgrades Pharmaceutical Warehousing in Italy with Six-way Shuttle System
As pharmaceutical logistics across Europe continues to embrace digitalization and intelligent automation, companies are demanding greater warehouse capacity, higher operational efficiency, and complete product traceability.
A leading pharmaceutical warehouse in Italy sought to modernize its existing facility without constructing a new building. The objective was to maximize storage capacity within the existing structure while supporting dual-temperature storage, automated order fulfillment, and end-to-end digital warehouse management.
To address these challenges, ZIKOO Robotics deployed a Six-way Shuttle Intelligent Warehouse Solution, integrating advanced shuttle technology, AMR robots, and intelligent warehouse software into one highly efficient automation system.
Achievements
- Established a benchmark Smart Shared Warehouse for China’s air compressor manufacturing industry, enabling collaborative warehousing across multiple manufacturers.
- Completed project delivery and commissioning within just 70 days, accelerating the customer’s digital transformation.
- Successfully implemented a shared AS/RS operating model, improving warehouse utilization while reducing overall logistics costs.
- Built an intelligent warehousing system optimized for high-frequency, on-demand material distribution, supporting nearly 98% of deliveries within the industrial park’s 8 km supply radius.
- Created a scalable smart warehouse model for future industrial park developments, providing a reference for manufacturing supply chain modernization.
Project Challenges
The customer faced several key challenges:
- Existing warehouse with approximately 9-meter ceiling height and complex beam structure
- Limited available space due to existing building constraints
- Warehouse modernization required without rebuilding the facility
- Need to maximize storage density while maintaining high throughput
- Requirement for both ambient and cool-temperature pharmaceutical storage
- Full traceability across inbound, storage, picking, and outbound operations
- Flexible system architecture to support future business expansion
Project Highlights
1. Triple Storage Capacity
Compared with the original conventional warehouse, storage capacity increased by approximately three times.
Leveraging the flexibility of the Six-way Shuttle System, ZIKOO added an additional storage level between structural beams.
Compared with a traditional Four-way Shuttle layout, the warehouse increased from four storage levels to five, delivering an additional 20% storage capacity within the same building footprint.
2. Maximum Space Utilization
The mezzanine area was transformed into a two-level dense storage system and seamlessly connected with the main AS/RS.
Every available space inside the building was utilized efficiently, significantly improving warehouse capacity without structural reconstruction.
3. Dual-temperature Storage
The solution supports both:
- Ambient warehouse
- Cool-temperature warehouse
allowing pharmaceutical products with different storage requirements to be managed efficiently within a unified automation platform.
4. Fully Automated Operations
Multiple automation technologies work together, including:
- Six-way Shuttle System
- Vertical Two-way Shuttles
- External Lifts
- AMR Robots
The integrated workflow enables:
- Automated receiving
- Automated storage
- Goods-to-Person picking
- Automated outbound operations
reducing manual handling while improving picking accuracy and operational efficiency.
ZIKOO ROBOTICS Smart Warehouse Solution
ZIKOO implemented a Six-way Shuttle Dense Storage System integrated with intelligent warehouse software.
Core Equipment
- 11 Vertical Two-way Shuttles
- 6 Four-way Shuttles
- 2 External Lifts
- AMR Robots
- Conveyor System
Dense Storage Design
The Six-way Shuttle architecture maximizes both vertical and horizontal warehouse space, significantly increasing storage density.
Automated Material Handling
Intelligent coordination among shuttles, lifts, conveyors, and AMRs enables continuous automated material flow with high throughput.
Smart Software Integration
The project integrates ZIKOO's intelligent software platform, including:
- WMS (Warehouse Management System)
- WCS (Warehouse Control System)
- WES (Warehouse Execution System)
The software enables intelligent scheduling, inventory visualization, task management, equipment coordination, and complete warehouse digitalization.
Project Value
1. Significant Storage Improvement
- Approximately three times more storage capacity than conventional warehousing
- 20% higher capacity than a traditional Four-way Shuttle solution
- Maximized value from the existing facility
2. Higher Operational Efficiency
- Reduced manual handling
- Faster order processing
- Improved picking accuracy
- Increased warehouse throughput
3. Digital Warehouse Management
- Real-time inventory visibility
- End-to-end product traceability
- Intelligent equipment scheduling
- Centralized warehouse management
4. Future-ready Infrastructure
- Modular architecture
- Flexible system expansion
- Scalable automation platform
- Long-term support for business growth
Conclusion
This project demonstrates how advanced warehouse automation can unlock the full potential of existing warehouse facilities.
By integrating Six-way Shuttle technology, automated material handling equipment, AMR robots, and intelligent warehouse software, ZIKOO Robotics enabled the customer to triple storage capacity, increase storage density by an additional 20%, and establish a highly automated, fully digital pharmaceutical warehouse.
ZIKOO will continue delivering intelligent warehouse solutions for pharmaceutical, manufacturing, food & beverage, cold chain, and third-party logistics industries, helping customers worldwide improve warehouse performance and strengthen supply chain competitiveness.
Related Products
R-Bot
Four-Way Pallet Shuttle
H-Bot
Vertical Two-Way Shuttle
Contact Us
Zikoo Robotics
Contact ZIKOO Robotics automation experts and learn how we can increase your operating efficiency and increase storage density.
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4F, Building 4, No. 170-1 Software Avenue, Yuhuatai District, Nanjing, China
Phone
(+86)-19941778955