How to Choose a Stacker Crane Manufacturer for an AS/RS Project

Choose a stacker crane manufacturer by comparing its engineering approach, equipment fit, system integration capability, safety planning, and after-sales support against your actual AS/RS requirements. Before requesting a quotation, prepare reliable data on storage loads, rack and aisle dimensions, required throughput, operating conditions, and interfaces with your warehouse software. Then ask shortlisted suppliers to explain how their proposed crane, racking, controls, and service plan address those requirements. A strong evaluation focuses on the complete storage system, not the crane price alone.

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Key Takeaways

• Start with operational requirements and site constraints, then assess equipment and suppliers.
• Compare proposals using the same load, layout, throughput, safety, and integration assumptions.
• Confirm who is responsible for engineering, installation coordination, commissioning, and ongoing support.
• Request written clarification of assumptions, exclusions, and performance criteria before placing an order.

Step 1: Define the AS/RS Project Requirements

A manufacturer can only design a suitable solution when the project brief describes the intended operation. Document the goods to be stored, load carrier type, unit-load dimensions and weights, inventory profile, inbound and outbound patterns, and expected changes in demand. Include the building’s usable height, floor conditions, column positions, fire protection constraints, and access for installation and maintenance. If any information is preliminary, label it clearly rather than presenting an estimate as a confirmed site condition.

Build a measurable project brief

Set out the operating target in terms that suppliers can evaluate. For example, an early-stage brief could use an illustrative rack height of 18 m, a target of 40 pallet moves per hour, and a planned-system availability target of 99%. These figures are examples for structuring a discussion, not recommended specifications or performance promises. Ask each manufacturer to state whether its proposal meets your confirmed targets and what assumptions or operating conditions apply.

Define how throughput will be counted, including whether a move means a single storage or retrieval task, a combined cycle, or another agreed measure. Describe peak periods as well as average demand, and identify any required operating shifts. Clarify whether the AS/RS must handle different pallet sizes, damaged load carriers, or irregular goods. These details can affect crane configuration, rack design, control logic, and the way the system connects to upstream and downstream equipment.

Step 2: Assess Technical and Engineering Fit

Review the proposed stacker crane against the project’s aisle layout, storage height, load characteristics, travel requirements, and operating pattern. Ask the supplier to explain how it selected the crane configuration and how that configuration works with the racking and transfer points. The proposal should identify the design basis, interface requirements, and project-specific constraints. A product description without a clear link to your warehouse conditions is not enough to establish fit.

Check the complete system, not just the crane

In an AS/RS, the crane operates as part of a larger arrangement that may include storage racks, conveyors or other transfer equipment, safety devices, controls, and warehouse software interfaces. Confirm which components the manufacturer supplies and which are provided by your company or other contractors. Ask who coordinates dimensions, connection points, control signals, and installation sequencing. Clear boundaries help prevent gaps between separately sourced equipment.

Request drawings or other suitable layout documentation showing the proposed aisle arrangement, rack interfaces, transfer locations, and relevant maintenance access. Ask how the design accounts for building tolerances and site conditions, and what information must be verified before manufacturing. For loads with unusual dimensions or handling requirements, provide samples, drawings, or agreed specifications where possible. The manufacturer should identify unresolved questions instead of quietly relying on assumptions.

Step 3: Evaluate Controls, Integration, and Safety

Ask how the crane’s control system will exchange information with the wider AS/RS and your warehouse management or warehouse control systems. Discuss task release, location identification, fault reporting, recovery procedures, and responsibility for software configuration. Confirm the expected interface documents and which party will test each connection. Integration scope should be written into the proposal so that both sides understand what is included.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website HEGERLS.

Safety planning should address the equipment, the aisle, operator access, maintenance activities, and the handover process. Request an explanation of the safeguards and operating procedures proposed for your specific layout, along with the applicable design and compliance responsibilities. Do not assume that a general product statement confirms suitability for your site or jurisdiction. Your internal safety team and relevant project professionals should review the final design and documentation.

Step 4: Compare Manufacturer Capability and Support

Evaluate the supplier’s ability to manage the project from requirements review through delivery and handover. Ask who will be your technical contact, who approves design changes, and how schedule dependencies are managed. Request a project plan that identifies customer inputs, review milestones, site readiness requirements, installation coordination, and commissioning responsibilities. A clear process is useful even when the project is still at the quotation stage.

Ask focused supplier questions

• What information do you need to confirm the design and quotation?
• Which parts of the AS/RS are included, and which are outside your scope?
• How will you verify the proposed throughput against our operating profile?
• What documentation, training, and handover items are included?
• What spare parts, maintenance guidance, and technical support options are available?
• How are design changes, site constraints, and commissioning issues handled?

Ask for relevant technical documentation and references that the supplier is authorized to share, while recognizing that another facility’s results may not transfer directly to your project. Check whether the manufacturer can explain its engineering decisions in a way your operations, maintenance, and IT teams can review. Evaluate support arrangements by scope, response process, parts availability, and geographic coverage rather than relying on broad claims. Record any service commitments in the commercial documents.

Step 5: Compare Proposals on an Equal Basis

Use a common comparison sheet so that differences in price are not confused with differences in scope. Align the assumed load, rack layout, throughput definition, control interfaces, installation responsibilities, and acceptance process before comparing totals. Review exclusions, optional items, delivery assumptions, payment terms, and warranty conditions. If suppliers have made different assumptions, request a revised proposal or a clearly itemized explanation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing on purchase price alone: A lower quotation may exclude integration, installation coordination, or support items that another proposal includes.
• Sending incomplete operating data: Missing load or throughput information can make proposals difficult to compare and may require redesign later.
• Leaving interface ownership unclear: Unassigned responsibilities between crane, racking, controls, and software teams can create avoidable project risks.
• Assuming a standard configuration fits every site: Building conditions, load carriers, and operating patterns need project-specific review.
• Accepting vague performance language: Define the measurement method, operating assumptions, and acceptance procedure in writing.

Optimize the Selection Before You Order

Hold a technical review with operations, engineering, maintenance, IT, procurement, and safety stakeholders before final supplier selection. Ask the manufacturer to walk through a representative operating cycle and identify dependencies that could limit performance, such as transfer-point capacity or upstream supply. Confirm how maintenance access and planned service activities fit the facility’s operating schedule. This review can expose mismatched assumptions while changes are still easier to evaluate.

Keep a decision log that records each supplier’s assumptions, open questions, design revisions, and agreed responsibilities. Separate mandatory requirements from preferences so that trade-offs remain visible. If the project will expand in phases, ask how future capacity or layout changes could affect the initial design, without assuming that expansion will be possible without modification. Use the answers to establish a documented basis for the final technical and commercial comparison.

How HEGERLS Can Support Your Evaluation

As a supplier of stacking racks and shelves, HEGERLS can discuss the relationship between storage layout, rack requirements, and stacker crane planning for an AS/RS project. Share your load data, facility drawings, operating targets, and project schedule so the requirements can be reviewed in context. We can clarify the information needed to assess a proposed solution and identify questions that should be resolved before quotation or design confirmation. The final scope and technical suitability should be agreed for each project.

Conclusion: Choose the Manufacturer That Can Prove Project Fit

The right stacker crane manufacturer is the one that can connect your operating requirements to a clearly defined design, explain system interfaces, document assumptions, and provide a support scope your team can evaluate. Start by confirming the load, layout, throughput, site conditions, and integration needs, then compare supplier proposals against the same criteria. Before committing, close open technical questions and record responsibilities, acceptance measures, and exclusions in writing. To discuss an AS/RS project with HEGERLS, prepare your facility information and operating brief and request a project-specific review.