case stusy
Case Study
The Dag-Brücken ASRS Case Study
This case formed part of JEWELS, T. 2003. The Dag-Brücken ASRS Case Study. Journal of Information
Systems Education: Special Issue on IS Teaching Cases, 14, 247-257.
INTRODUCTION
Logistics Overview
Australian warehouse storage and retrieval of product is still predominantly a manual or semiautomatic process employing a variety of materials handling equipment such as conveyors, elevators and fork lift trucks. The relatively low cost of land in Australia, compared to high density population centres in Asia, generally limits that country’s use of high rise storage facilities to special situations that might include hazardous storage conditions or where desired throughout cannot be maintained with a manual system.
Dag-Brücken ASRS Pty Ltd (DB) believed that a market could be developed in Asia providing high rise automated warehouse solutions at more competitive prices than that demanded by the major suppliers, using a variation to the normally used ASRS configuration that involved automated
(robotic) ASRS cranes that were able to drive around corners.
Globally, most high rise warehouses use ASRS cranes that are only capable of travelling in a straight line (referred to as straight-aisle cranes). The limitation of a straight aisle crane is that one crane is required to service each storage aisle in a warehouse. As cranes are a major part of the cost of this type of warehouse solution, by reducing the numbers of cranes there are significant savings. As such, it was theoretically possible for a single aisle-changing crane to service a complete multi-aisled warehouse, rather than relying on separate cranes to service separate aisles.
DB ASRS Background
DB had a history of providing electrical control systems using programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for a number of process control applications. The entrepreneurial DB managing director (MD) was an electrical engineer who had developed knowledge
The Dag-Brücken ASRS Case Study
This case formed part of JEWELS, T. 2003. The Dag-Brücken ASRS Case Study. Journal of Information
Systems Education: Special Issue on IS Teaching Cases, 14, 247-257.
INTRODUCTION
Logistics Overview
Australian warehouse storage and retrieval of product is still predominantly a manual or semiautomatic process employing a variety of materials handling equipment such as conveyors, elevators and fork lift trucks. The relatively low cost of land in Australia, compared to high density population centres in Asia, generally limits that country’s use of high rise storage facilities to special situations that might include hazardous storage conditions or where desired throughout cannot be maintained with a manual system.
Dag-Brücken ASRS Pty Ltd (DB) believed that a market could be developed in Asia providing high rise automated warehouse solutions at more competitive prices than that demanded by the major suppliers, using a variation to the normally used ASRS configuration that involved automated
(robotic) ASRS cranes that were able to drive around corners.
Globally, most high rise warehouses use ASRS cranes that are only capable of travelling in a straight line (referred to as straight-aisle cranes). The limitation of a straight aisle crane is that one crane is required to service each storage aisle in a warehouse. As cranes are a major part of the cost of this type of warehouse solution, by reducing the numbers of cranes there are significant savings. As such, it was theoretically possible for a single aisle-changing crane to service a complete multi-aisled warehouse, rather than relying on separate cranes to service separate aisles.
DB ASRS Background
DB had a history of providing electrical control systems using programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for a number of process control applications. The entrepreneurial DB managing director (MD) was an electrical engineer who had developed knowledge
References: OSKARSSON, O. & GLASS, R. L. 1996. An ISO 9000 Approach to Building Quality Software, New Jersey, Prentice Hall. PAULK, M., CURTIS, B., CHRISSIS, M. & WEBER, C. 1993. The Capability Maturity Model for Software version 1.1. Pittsburgh: Software Engineering Institute. YIN, R. K. 1994. Case Study Research: Design and Methods 2nd edition, USA, Sage Publications.