Miniload Automated Warehouses for High-Speed, High-Density Storage

What a Miniload Automated Warehouse Is and When It Should Be Adopted

Miniload automated warehouses are fully automated storage systems specifically designed for totes, bins, trays and small/light unit loads.
Unlike pallet-based systems, Miniload installations use more compact stacker cranes, narrower aisles, greater height, and adjustable grippers or forks to handle containers at high speed.

These solutions integrate:

• high-density racking designed for fast cycles and automated access
• Miniload stacker cranes operating on longitudinal and vertical axes with high speed and precision
• goods-to-person picking, where items are brought directly to the operator for rapid, traceable picking
• WMS/WCS software that automatically identifies container positions, manages retrieval and delivers them to the picking area

This type of system is recommended when:

• large volumes of totes or bins must be handled in limited space
• many SKUs, highly diversified and fast-moving, must be managed
• storage density needs to be increased without expanding the warehouse footprint
• operations require speed, accuracy and automation to minimize errors and waiting times

Benefits of miniload automated warehouses

High speed and continuous flow
Miniload stacker cranes achieve high travel and lifting speeds, significantly reducing picking cycle time.

Maximum storage density
Narrower aisles, optimized racking and greater usable height allow for much better exploitation of available volume compared to traditional warehouses.

Accuracy and error reduction
Automated picking and handling eliminate most manual errors, ensure controlled unit-load movement via coded identification systems, and strengthen traceability.

Integration with picking and production areas
Ideal for environments where small components must be made quickly available for assembly, packaging or dispatch.

Modular scalability
The Miniload layout can be expanded by adding aisles, levels or stacker cranes, adapting easily to business growth.

Faster ROI
Less manual handling, higher density and fewer errors lead to lower operating costs and a faster return on investment.

Where Miniload automated warehouses are recommended

Miniload solutions are particularly suitable for:

• facilities with limited floor space but requiring high volumetric capacity
• high-assortment logistics with thousands of SKUs and fast-moving unit loads (spare parts, small components, technical items)
• e-commerce and environments with a high number of single-line orders and rapid dispatch demands
• mechanical, automotive, electronics and assembly sectors, where parts must be available in real time
• industries integrating production and storage, requiring automatic buffers or just-in-time picking