Automated storage and retrieval
checked 1 Sep 2026
Warehouse
Task maturity · five steps · every value is an analyst assessment| Task | Maturity | Dominant approach | Vendors | Deployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automated storage and retrieval | Mature | AS/RS pallet handling | 1 | 1 |
| Each-picking assistance | Scaling | 1 | 1 | |
| Pallet movement | Scaling | Autonomous forklift | 5 | |
| Case picking | Early commercial | |||
| Truck unloading | Pilot | Autonomous forklift | 1 |
Automated storage and retrieval
MatureFixed automated systems that store, retrieve and sequence pallets, cases or totes with no human inside the storage volume.
Fixed AS/RS has decades of installed base, established integrators and standard financing, and Symbotic-style case-handling systems are now scaling across grocery distribution under multi-year programmes. Nothing about the technology is in question; the buying decision is capital allocation.
What happens today
The incumbent process
Conventional racking served by manual forklifts and order pickers.
Racking plus forklifts remains the default for most sites by count.
How do robots attack it
Robotics approaches
AS/RS pallet handlingMature
Fixed automated storage and retrieval systems that move pallets or cases within a structure instead of with vehicles.
example vendorsSymbotic
Who is doing it
Vendors and deployments
vendorsSymbotic
Who buys it
Target customers
Retailers
Large retailers fund the biggest programmes.