Balluff Achieves 177% Throughput Increase with AutoStore

Balluff is a global leader in industrial sensor technology, operating across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. They were experiencing storage constraints and increasingly demanding fulfillment requirements at their facility in Florence, Kentucky, so the company needed a solution that would improve put-away and picking throughput.

Building on the success of a previous AutoStore installation at their facility in Hungary, they again chose AutoStore, empowered by Kardex. The system, which went live in just six months, was installed without major facility upgrades and with minimal disruption to Balluff’s day-to-day activities.

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The Challenge: Growing Demand and Storage Constraints

Balluff needed to upgrade its warehouse operations to improve efficiency and keep pace with growing demand. The primary challenge was to increase storage density and throughput without disrupting ongoing operations or requiring major upgrades to the company’s existing Kentucky facility.

The solution needed to easily integrate into their operations and be scalable for expected long-term growth in North and South America.

The Solution: High-Density Automated Storage

After experiencing the success of an AutoStore system at their facility in Hungary, Balluff again decided on the modular, high-density AutoStore design for their Florence, Kentucky facility.

The system included 7 Red Line Robots, 4 Workstations (Ports), and 20,100 storage Bins designed to maximize space within the existing facility, without new construction. The system was integrated with Balluff's SAP warehouse management system, ensuring smooth coordination and continued operations throughout a planned two-phase installation process. Thanks to AutoStore, Balluff achieved a 177% increase in throughput with an installation completed in six months. 

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Key Benefits: Dense Storage, Higher Throughput, and Ergonomic Improvements

The AutoStore system has dramatically transformed Balluff’s storage and fulfillment abilities:

• 177% increase in throughput measured in lines per hour.
• Intuitive, user-friendly interface that simplifies training and daily operations.
• Maximized storage density within the existing facility footprint due to the compact AutoStore design.
• Scalability with the option to add more Robots and Ports as needed to meet rising demand.
• Zero operational disruption during the six-month deployment, achieved through careful phasing.
• Improved employee satisfaction due to the ergonomic design and reduced strenuous labor requirements.

The system’s installation immediately enhanced warehouse operations, enabling Balluff to meet growing demand and prepare for future expansion.

What is Next for Balluff?

The success of this AutoStore implementation has set a new benchmark for rapid and scalable warehouse automation. The project demonstrates that, with the right technology, organizations can achieve significant improvements in speed, throughput, and reliability without business disruption.

Balluff is now positioned to scale its operations to meet future demand and plans to continue collaboration with AutoStore and Kardex.

Project specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield
• Robots: 7 Red Line Robots
• Workstations (Ports): 3 CarouselPorts; 1 ConveyorPort
• Bins: 20,100 Bins
• Integrated technology: SAP WMS, Conveyor system

Integration partner: Kardex