As global manufacturers accelerate digital transformation under the trends of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, factory logistics automation has become a critical factor in improving productivity, inventory accuracy, and operational efficiency.
To support rapid production growth and intelligent factory transformation, a leading global industrial control valve manufacturer partnered with China JSSL Company to build a highly automated smart factory logistics center.
The project successfully transformed traditional warehouse operations into a fully integrated intelligent intralogistics system, significantly improving production efficiency, inventory visibility, and flexible manufacturing capability.
Project Background
The company is a globally recognized manufacturer specializing in:
Pneumatic control valves
Electric control valves
Intelligent positioners
Industrial automation components
Process control solutions
Its products are widely applied across:
Chemical processing
Oil & gas
Power generation
Metallurgy
Food processing
Pharmaceutical manufacturing
With increasing market demand and growing product customization requirements, the company faced major operational challenges during expansion of its third-phase manufacturing facility.
The factory manages:
More than 100,000 product configurations
Over 5 million components
Highly customized assembly processes
Complex material handling workflows
Traditional warehouse operations relying on manual forklift transportation could no longer support future growth objectives.
(Industrial warehouse automation)
Core Logistics Challenges
Before automation upgrading, the factory encountered several critical bottlenecks:
Low Picking Efficiency
Each industrial valve requires between 100–200 components, with large differences in size, weight, and shape.
Manual material searching and picking resulted in:
Long order fulfillment cycles
Incomplete component kits
Delayed assembly operations
Inventory Management Difficulties
The warehouse lacked real-time inventory synchronization, causing:
Inventory inaccuracies
Repeated picking tasks
Inefficient replenishment management
High Labor Dependency
Traditional warehouse operations required extensive manpower for:
Forklift transportation
Material handling
Picking and sorting
Inventory movement
Labor intensity and operational costs continued rising.
(Digital factory transformation)
Limited Production Capacity
Inefficient logistics operations became the primary bottleneck restricting production scalability.
The manufacturer required a solution capable of doubling daily production output.
Smart Logistics Center Solution
To address these challenges, China JSSL Company designed a complete factory warehouse automation solution covering:
Raw material receiving
Automated storage
Intelligent picking
Order consolidation
Production line feeding
Finished goods outbound handling
The project officially launched in 2020 and entered operation in 2021.
Total investment exceeded RMB 60 million.
Intelligent Warehouse Infrastructure
The automated logistics center includes:
Automated Pallet ASRS
The high-bay warehouse reaches:
30 meters height
80 meters length
Tens of thousands of storage locations
Pallet specifications:
1200 × 800 mm
Maximum load: 1000kg
(ASRS warehouse system)
Mini-load Tote ASRS
The tote-based automated storage system supports small-part inventory management.
Tote specifications:
600 × 400 × 200 mm
Maximum load: 50kg
This structure enables high-density storage for industrial components.
(Smart factory automation)
Automation Equipment Configuration
The solution integrates multiple advanced systems supplied by China JSSL Company, including:
Pallet stacker cranes
Mini-load stacker cranes
RGV rail-guided vehicles
Conveyor systems
Goods-to-person picking stations
Vertical lifts
Intelligent warehouse software
Warehouse management system (WMS)
Warehouse control system (WCS)
Together, these systems form a fully integrated industrial warehouse automation platform.
Smart Goods-to-Person Picking System
One of the project's core innovations is the implementation of goods-to-person (GTP) picking technology.
Both tote and pallet picking operations are processed simultaneously.
The system automatically consolidates all required materials into a single order pallet before production release.
This ensures:
Complete order fulfillment
Faster assembly preparation
Reduced material shortages
Higher production continuity
(Goods-to-person picking)
Intelligent Picking Workstation Design
The picking stations utilize ergonomic workstation configurations:
Tote Picking Stations
Configured as:
2 source totes → 2 order totes
Operators can switch continuously between tasks without waiting.
Pallet Picking Stations
Configured as:
2 source pallets → 1 order pallet
This design maximizes operator productivity while reducing physical workload.
Digital Warehouse Management
The software platform enables full digital control of warehouse operations.
Real-Time Inventory Monitoring
The WMS continuously monitors:
Inventory levels
Material movements
Replenishment requirements
Order allocation
The system can automatically trigger purchasing or replenishment recommendations.
(Warehouse control system)
Seamless ERP Integration
The warehouse software integrates directly with upper-level manufacturing systems.
This enables:
Order synchronization
Inventory locking
Production coordination
Material planning optimization
Flexible Manufacturing Support
The logistics center connects seamlessly with assembly and machining lines.
The system also reserves AGV interfaces for future factory expansion.
This supports long-term smart factory scalability.
Project Benefits
After implementation, the intelligent logistics center delivered major operational improvements.
6× Logistics Efficiency Improvement
Warehouse operational efficiency increased sixfold compared with previous manual operations.
Labor Reduction
Warehouse staffing requirements were reduced to one-third of previous levels.
Doubled Production Capacity
The factory successfully achieved its target of doubling production output.
Improved Inventory Accuracy
The company gained precise digital management over more than 5 million components.
Enhanced Assembly Efficiency
All materials for the same order are delivered simultaneously to production lines, significantly improving assembly continuity.
(Smart manufacturing solutions)
Smart Manufacturing Transformation
The logistics center became the foundation of the company's broader smart manufacturing strategy.
Following project success, the manufacturer further expanded automation investments by introducing:
Intelligent tool storage systems
Automated bar material warehouses
Smart factory management systems
The company continues accelerating digital transformation toward:
Intelligent manufacturing
Flexible production
Lean factory management
Green industrial development
Conclusion
Through collaboration with China JSSL Company, the manufacturer successfully established a highly automated smart factory logistics center capable of supporting large-scale customized production.
The project demonstrates how advanced ASRS systems, goods-to-person picking, intelligent warehouse software, and factory logistics automation can significantly improve manufacturing efficiency, inventory control, and operational scalability.
This project serves as an excellent reference case for industrial manufacturers pursuing Industry 4.0 transformation and smart factory upgrading.