The Powercube is an automated compact bin storage system for storing and picking small parts and unit loads. The containers are stacked up to 12 m high in vertical channels in the Powercube's modular shelving system. This system height should enable space-efficient container storage in a small area. The containers are stored and retrieved by specially developed Powercube shuttles, which move automatically underneath the shelving system. According to Jungheinrich, this principle gives the Powercube the advantage over other compact container warehouses that the warehouse can be flexibly built upwards and can also be adapted to individual roof shapes.

For Chief Sales Officer Christian Erlach, the Powercube is the right answer to a number of current challenges in intralogistics: "Companies are under ever-increasing time pressure or are reaching the limits of their warehouse capacity. The Powercube is the perfect solution for significantly increasing efficiency in the warehouse under these conditions and boosting your own competitiveness." The Powercube is also suitable for customers planning to enter the world of automation or for cross-sector use in e-commerce. "Whether as a stand-alone solution, a supplement for wide-aisle warehouses or as the centerpiece of a complex automated system - with the Powercube, our customers can fully exploit the potential of their warehouse," says Erlach.

Efficient use of space and high storage density

Thanks to the compact vertical arrangement of the containers, the Powercube achieves a storage density four times higher than a conventional shelving rack. The system height of up to 12 m also makes it the highest compact container storage system in its class. This creates space in the warehouse that can be used to expand the product range or for other purposes. According to Jungheinrich, the Powercube is also unique on the market in terms of flexibility. The automated compact container warehouse can be installed on normal industrial floors without the need for time-consuming reworking, such as milling and grinding, and can therefore be easily integrated into existing warehouses. As the shuttles move under the containers, the Powercube can be easily extended upwards and adapted to different building structures. If necessary, it can also be connected to an individually planned conveyor system.

The newly developed Powercube shuttles move at a maximum speed of 4 m/s and an acceleration of up to 2 m/s². They can transport two containers, each with a load of 50 kg, at the same time. The shuttles are able to move automatically at the level below the Powercube rack. Thanks to the scalable number of shuttles, the throughput can be flexibly adapted to increasing demand or an expansion of the product range.

The shuttles are equipped with high-performance lithium-ion batteries, which are temporarily charged at the workstations during operation. This means they are ready for use 24 hours a day without downtime. The lithium-ion batteries in the shuttles also generate very little heat and therefore have little effect on the ambient temperature inside the compact container storage system. Another plus point: as the shuttles can be removed from the Powercube at floor level for maintenance work, no maintenance platform is required.

Smart IT integration

With the Powercube, Jungheinrich combines efficient processes and hardware with the help of modern software technology. The advantages here include the simple connection to the customer's existing IT infrastructure and the design of the software for flexibility in terms of process and performance requirements.