AutoStore tests everything to ensure safety

Halfway between Bergen and Stavanger lies the small community of Nedre Vats – home to a global company that claims to have developed the world's first automated cube warehouse. It's AutoStore, a company with customers in nearly 60 countries and offices in Europe, the US and Asia.

– Originally, this was part of a company that sold electronic components. The components were kept in stock, and sometimes there were errors when the products were shipped because the parts were very similar. A clever and innovative employee invented this system, says Joakim Franzon, Director of Product Compliance at AutoStore.

The employee's solution was to place the electronic components in plastic crates that are stacked on top of each other in a grid of aluminium profiles. Autonomous robots pick the correct trays and present them to the order picker. The picker removes the products and places them in boxes to be shipped to customers. Compared to a traditional warehouse with pallets and aisles, it takes a fifth of the space to store the same amount of goods.

If we go back to 2010, when AutoStore had just started working with RISE, the Norwegian company was alone with its solution. Today, there are players who have developed similar concepts, but there is still no internationally established standard for this type of storage system.

– If you manufacture a microwave oven, there are standards for how to test it, it's very simple and straightforward. There is no such standard for our products. A technical committee has been set up and has started to look at our category of storage systems, as there are more and more variations on the market. But it will take some time for this work to be completed, says Joakim Franzon.

Close collaboration since 2010

AutoStore initially had contact with a supplier who was unable to deliver what they needed. The company then decided to seek help from RISE. Together we identified the types of testing that would be appropriate to ensure product safety.

– When AutoStore first contacted us, it was for fire safety testing. This is where RISE could help with testing to demonstrate to the authorities that this type of solution is safe. AutoStore then found out that we could also test for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), help with electrical safety and test the environmental resistance of the products, explains Monika Fuller, Head of Vehicle and Automation at RISE:  

– Sometimes we didn't have ready answers to AutoStore's questions, but then we were able to work together to find out what was needed to get them. Today we are heavily involved in their product approval process. It is more of a close collaboration than a customer-supplier situation.

AutoStore's product approval process currently covers 19 different areas, and RISE is involved in testing for fire safety, EMC and machine safety, to name a few. Recently, AutoStore also asked RISE to test the cybersecurity of the warehouse system.

– For us, testing is a way of being able to do business in different countries. We simply cannot enter certain markets unless we can show that our products have been tested by an independent third party. We also have very high standards to ensure that what we deliver is safe. There are certainly many parts that we could have tested ourselves, but we choose to use a third party to get an independent review of what we are doing, says Joakim Franzon. 

”Need for in-depth expertise 

Joakim Franzon believes it's important to link arms with external experts, no matter how much expertise you have in-house.

– I have very talented people in my team who have an enormous amount of knowledge, but we need people who have the really deep expertise in each area. Experts who know what certificates are required in different countries and what needs to be done to meet the requirements. This is where organisations like RISE can help us, says Joakim Franzon.