How to Choose an AS/RS System Manufacturer for Your Warehouse Project

Choose an AS/RS system manufacturer by comparing its ability to understand your operation, design a system around verified requirements, integrate the necessary equipment and software, and support the project after installation. Do not shortlist suppliers on equipment price or storage capacity alone. Ask each manufacturer to explain its assumptions, identify what is included in its proposal, and show how the proposed design addresses your throughput, inventory, building, and service needs. At Yinglai Technology, we recommend starting with a clear project brief and evaluating suppliers against the same criteria.

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Key Takeaways

• Document inventory, order patterns, required throughput, building constraints, and plans for future growth before requesting proposals.
• Compare complete system scope, including equipment, controls, software interfaces, installation responsibilities, commissioning, training, and support.
• Request written assumptions and performance conditions so that proposals can be compared fairly.
• Assess the manufacturer’s project process and communication, not only its equipment descriptions or initial quotation.

Step 1: Define the Warehouse Problem and Project Goal

An automated storage and retrieval system should solve a defined operating problem. That problem may include limited floor space, a need to organize inventory more consistently, or a requirement to coordinate storage and retrieval with other warehouse processes. Before contacting manufacturers, describe what is not working today and what a successful project should improve. This gives suppliers a practical basis for recommending a system rather than proposing equipment without enough context.

Prepare an operational brief

Include the types of goods you store, their dimensions and weights, how inventory moves in and out, and how orders are picked or replenished. Share relevant data on peak periods as well as average activity, because an average alone may not describe the demands placed on the system. Identify any fragile, irregular, temperature-sensitive, or otherwise restricted items that could affect equipment selection. If information is incomplete, mark it as an estimate instead of presenting it as confirmed.

Record the building’s usable height, floor layout, column positions, access routes, and any known structural or environmental constraints. Also explain how the AS/RS may connect with existing warehouse management or enterprise systems. These details help manufacturers assess whether a proposed solution is feasible and identify information that still needs checking. They also reduce the risk of comparing designs based on different assumptions.

Step 2: Set Requirements That Can Be Compared

Ask manufacturers to respond to one shared set of requirements. This makes it easier to distinguish genuine design differences from differences in proposal format or scope. Separate must-have requirements from preferences, and explain how you will assess each one. Keep assumptions visible so they can be reviewed and updated as the project develops.

Specify capacity, throughput, and operating conditions

Describe the storage capacity you need and how you define it, such as pallet positions, totes, or another unit load. State the required inbound and outbound activity over a defined period, including any peak conditions that matter to your operation. As an illustrative planning input—not a performance benchmark—you might specify that the system is expected to support operation for 16 hours per day. The manufacturer should confirm what information is needed to determine whether that operating schedule is appropriate for the proposed design.

Provide load dimensions and weights, including the range of variation rather than only a typical item. For example, a project brief could identify an assumed maximum unit-load weight of 1,000 kg, clearly labeled as a buyer-provided planning figure that must be verified against actual goods and equipment design. Do not treat illustrative figures as universal limits or promised system performance. Ask suppliers to state the confirmed design limits and any operating conditions that apply.

Consider future requirements as well as the first phase. For instance, a buyer may use a planning scenario of 20% storage growth over five years to ask suppliers how expansion could affect the layout, interfaces, or operating process. This is an example of a forecast, not a standard growth rate or a guarantee that a system can be expanded without modification. Request a specific explanation of which parts of the design are prepared for change and which would need reassessment.

Step 3: Evaluate the Proposed System and Project Scope

AS/RS projects can involve different storage and retrieval approaches, equipment configurations, and degrees of automation. The right option depends on the unit load, available space, product movement, and required workflow. Rather than selecting a system type by name alone, ask the manufacturer to show how the proposed configuration handles your stated requirements. Request a layout and a written description of the operating process.

Check what the quotation includes

A proposal may describe storage equipment while leaving important project responsibilities unclear. Review whether the scope covers mechanical and electrical equipment, control functions, software or interfaces, installation, testing, commissioning, and operator training. Confirm which activities are performed by the manufacturer and which are assigned to your team or another contractor. Ask for exclusions and dependencies in writing so that you can understand the full project scope.

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For each performance figure, ask what conditions it assumes. A throughput estimate, for example, may depend on the product mix, order pattern, system configuration, and operating schedule. Request an explanation of how the supplier arrived at its estimate and what data it needs to confirm it. Treat unqualified figures as preliminary until the assumptions and measurement method are clear.

Step 4: Assess the Manufacturer, Not Just the Machinery

A suitable manufacturer should be able to explain how it moves from requirements to design, delivery, and ongoing support. Ask who will manage technical questions, how design changes are reviewed, and how project decisions are documented. The answers should be specific to your project rather than limited to general sales statements. A clear process helps both sides identify risks early and coordinate responsibilities.

Review engineering, integration, and communication

Discuss how the manufacturer will confirm site conditions and coordinate with your building, IT, and operations teams. Clarify what information is needed to define software interfaces and who is responsible for testing them. Ask how proposed changes to loads, layouts, or throughput assumptions are assessed before they affect cost or schedule. These conversations help reveal whether the supplier understands the project as an operating system, not just a collection of machines.

Request relevant, verifiable evidence of capability, such as product documentation, design deliverables, a project schedule format, or references that the supplier is permitted to share. Do not assume that a manufacturer has experience with a particular application unless it can substantiate that claim. If a reference is not available, ask the supplier to explain its approach to the technical challenge and what validation would be required. Evaluate answers consistently across shortlisted companies.

Step 5: Compare Support, Schedule, and Commercial Terms

Support requirements should be discussed before purchase, not after installation. Ask what documentation, training, spare-parts information, troubleshooting assistance, and maintenance guidance are available, and clarify the terms that apply. Confirm how warranty coverage is defined and which conditions or components are included. Avoid assuming that support is identical across manufacturers or included automatically in the equipment price.

Compare project schedules only after confirming that suppliers are using similar assumptions about design approval, site readiness, production, shipping, installation, and commissioning. Ask what actions or information are required from your team at each stage. Review payment terms, change-order procedures, freight responsibilities, and any site work excluded from the quote. A lower initial price may not represent a lower total project cost if important scope items are omitted.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using incomplete or average-only data: Share relevant peaks, product variation, and operating conditions so suppliers can assess the real design demand.
• Comparing unlike proposals: Standardize the project brief and check inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, and responsibilities line by line.
• Focusing only on capacity: Confirm how storage, retrieval, order flow, and interfaces work together in your warehouse process.
• Leaving support undefined: Agree on training, documentation, maintenance expectations, and service terms before placing an order.
• Overlooking future changes: Discuss expansion scenarios and ask which design elements can adapt and what would require new engineering.

Improve the Shortlisting and Selection Process

Use a weighted evaluation matrix to score each manufacturer against the same categories, such as system fit, technical clarity, integration scope, implementation plan, support, and commercial transparency. Set the weights before reviewing final proposals to reduce the influence of a single attractive feature or price. Record unanswered questions and assign an owner and due date for each one. This creates a traceable basis for decisions and helps keep stakeholder reviews focused.

Before final selection, hold a technical review with operations, engineering, IT, procurement, and other relevant stakeholders. Walk through representative storage and retrieval workflows using your own product and order information. Confirm that the supplier’s assumptions match your operating plan, and document any changes required before contracting. Where key data is uncertain, agree on the validation step rather than treating an estimate as a confirmed requirement.

How Yinglai Technology Can Support Your Evaluation

At Yinglai Technology, we approach AS/RS discussions by first clarifying the warehouse application, project constraints, and required system scope. We can review the information you provide and discuss the questions that need to be resolved before a proposal is finalized. A useful initial brief includes goods and load data, storage objectives, operating patterns, facility information, and any required system interfaces. The more complete the brief, the more meaningfully a manufacturer can respond.

Choosing an AS/RS system manufacturer comes down to verifiable fit: a design grounded in your requirements, a transparent project scope, realistic performance assumptions, and clearly defined support. Your next step is to prepare a shared requirements document and use it to request comparable proposals from shortlisted suppliers. If you are planning a warehouse automation project, contact Yinglai Technology with your application details to discuss the information needed for an initial technical review.

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