Nepata ARSS: Automatic roller bearing makes its world debut

The world’s most advanced automated warehouse for roll media has commenced operations: the Nepata ARSS (Automated Roll Storage System). For converters, vinyl film distributors and digital printers, this means greater efficiency and a noticeable reduction in the workload involved in storing and retrieving roll media.

The launch took place in mid-November 2023 at 4 GM / Folienwelt.de in Trier. The vinyl film reseller is the first company to use the ARSS system developed by Nepata in its warehouse. Following several weeks of trial operation, the warehouse has been almost fully stocked since mid-January and is now operating as normal.

Guests from several European countries, invited by Nepata, took the opportunity to experience the ARSS in a real-world operating environment. The collaboration between robots and humans in the picking process was met with widespread enthusiasm. “Manual handling is a thing of the past,” sums up Nepata’s Managing Director, Fabian Franke.

The ARSS receives orders directly from the ERP system. A robot retrieves the required rolls from the high-bay warehouse and hands them over to the staff operating the converting machines.

Depending on the configuration, the system is designed for small to medium-sized roll storage areas with a total capacity of 400 to 5,000 rolls. The ARSS was developed by the German specialist machine manufacturer Nepata, a producer of film converting machinery. Assembly and programming were carried out by CH System from Denmark, a specialist in robot-assisted packaging and handling systems.

Christian Weinreich, Technical Manager at CH System, explained the robots, hardware and technical components. The automatic roller storage system is based on a steel racking structure with horizontal pins on which the rollers are suspended. A vertical 3-axis robot retrieves the rolls required for an order, lifts them using a tray gripper and places them in a transfer station directly next to the rewinding machine. In the pilot project at Folienwelt.de, nearly 2,000 rolls of plotter film and other roll media are stored on a shelving system covering a floor area of just 60 square metres.

At the opening ceremony, 4GM Managing Director Robin Schröring-Abke explained why the company had moved away from conventional shelving storage: “Every week was ‘Domino Day’,” he reported. The vast majority of the more than 4,000 rolls were simply stored on shelves – with the risk that a moment’s inattention could cause everything to topple over.

The figures from his presentation are impressive:

“What could be better than an enthusiastic customer who recommends the system themselves?” replied Fabian Franke. The guests from the film distribution and converting sectors were also impressed by just how sophisticated the process optimisation at 4GM is, going far beyond the new hardware. It also became clear that every business requires adaptations to suit its individual processes and circumstances – and these are possible. Every ARSS is individually planned and designed by Nepata and CH System.

The pilot project alone demonstrates that the ARSS resolves typical challenges in the roll storage area: inefficient collection and delivery processes, heavy manual labour, picking errors and space constraints. The use of robots fundamentally transforms the collection and delivery process and boosts efficiency.

In almost all converting processes, roll media must be stored and retrieved – in a single value chain, this can amount to thousands of rolls and hundreds of picks per day. Traditional storage methods and the journeys to and from the converting area result in significant costs and wasted time. Even when items are sorted by high-turnover products, inefficient collection and delivery times persist. Furthermore, shelving units take up valuable space and can damage the surfaces of the rolls.

At Folienwelt.de, this is now a thing of the past – a fact that was duly celebrated during the commissioning with manufacturers, suppliers and, above all, the staff. They have long since fully accepted their ‘robot colleagues’.

Would you like to find out what an automated roller storage system might look like in your business? You can find all the technical specifications on the Nepata ARSS product page. You can also read more on this topic in our article on the storage system with a vertical robot.