I takt med att tillverkande företag ökar sin försäljning ökar också produktionen. En ökad produktion kommer så småningom att kräva mer yta för en större maskinpark när de ordinarie maskinerna inte längre räcker till. Om produktion sker mot lager kommer kraven på lageryta samtidigt att öka. Både maskiner och lager tar plats och är företaget trångbodda redan innan expansionen och möjligheterna till utbyggnad inte är stora krävs alternativa lösningar på hur lokalerna kan utnyttjas på ett effektivare sätt. En sådan lösning kan vara AutoStore, ett tredimensionellt automatlager. Ett sådant lager kan underlätta optimering av lagerytan och är anpassningsbart då det kan implementeras i de flesta lokaler. Denna studie syftar till att besvara ett antal frågor som berör materialhanteringen vid byte av ett manuellt lagersystem till AutoStore. Studien har genomförts på ett fallföretag som planerar att implementera detta automatiska lagersystem. Problemfrågorna berör vilka artiklar som är lämpliga att lagerföra i AutoStore, i vilka kvantiteter de bör förpackas samt hur flytten från det gamla till det nya lagret ska genomföras utan att riskera leveranssäkerheten. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av litteratur för att få ett teoretiskt perspektiv samt intervjuer och studiebesök på såväl fallföretaget och på andra företag som redan har utfört en implementering av AutoStore för att få ett praktiskt perspektiv. De arbetsprocesser som berör materialhanteringen har beskrivits genom hur de fungerar både innan och efter en implementering för att kunna jämföra skillnader. Studien resulterade i beräkningsmodeller och matriser som ska underlätta valet av vart en artikel passar bäst, i ställage eller i AutoStore samt i vilka förpackningskvantiteter som är lämpliga för att underlätta plock. Vidare presenteras riktlinjer för vad som bör tänkas på vid en flytt till AutoStore. / As manufacturing companies increase their sales they also increasing their production. An increased production will eventually require more space area for a larger machinery as the regular machines no longer suffice. If production for stock is used, the demand for warehouse space will at the same time increase. Both machinery and storage require space and if the company is short on space even before the expansion and the potential for remodelling is low, this might require alternative solutions on how the space can be utilized in a better way. Such a solution can be AutoStore, a three-dimensional automated warehouse. Such a warehouse can facilitate a better use of the bearing surface and is adaptable as it can be implemented in most environments. This study aims to answer a number of questions relating to materials handling when changing from Manuel warehouse-system to AutoStore. The study was conducted on a case company planning to implement this kind of warehouse. The problem questions concern what items are suitable to store in AutoStore, in what quantities they should be packaged and how the switch from the old to the new warehouse could be implemented without jeopardizing security of supply. The study was conducted with the help of literature to get a theoretical perspective as well as interviews and visits on both the cases company and other companies that have already undergone an implementation of AutoStore to get a practical perspective. The work processes involving material handling described how they work both before and after an implementation of AutoStore to compare the differences. The study resulted in models and matrixes that will facilitate the choice of where an article is best suited, at racking storage or AutoStore and in what packaging quantities that are appropriate to facilitate picking. Furthermore, guidelines are presented for what should be thought of before switching to AutoStore.

The role of warehouse in the value stream, plays a significant part in how well a company can satisfy the requirements of a customer. To be able to support the demand of the customers, production companies are forced to produce a bigger variety of models in the product range, which results in an increasing assortment. With an effective stock keeping, there is a potential to reduce waste and increase profitability. In the choice of warehouse-design, warehouse-operations have the opportunity of choosing between a number of different designs containing manual and automated put away.It has become common that companies are choosing a combination of automated and manual processes. With this combination of processes, the companies are faced with choices about stock locations. With the help of well developed criterias about stock locations, there is a potential to achieve a more effective put away. The purpose of the study has been formulated as ”Investigate when automation in warehouse management makes the put away process in a central warehouse more efficient”.   Through a case study on a warehouse, located in Nässjö, this report will answer the research questions regarding which of the manual and automated put away processes to use. The research questions are: Which criteria affect the decision of automated or manual put away? Based on the criteria that are raised in research question 1, when is it more efficient to store carton in AS/RS in comparison with manual picking with truck in pallet racking? The research questions wish to lift criteria as a basis for decision making and when it is more effective to use automated put away. The warehouse that this study is based on is using both automated and manual materials handling. The specific automation system that has been the basis for this study’s result is AutoStore. This report has a qualitative approach, the methods that has been used for collecting data are interviews, observations and document studies.   Dimension, process time and utilization were the three criteria that are presented in the result. Based on the pallets limit of space in the automated system, the dimension of the article is the first criteria. In addition to the article’s measurements, the articles shape and material of the package had an impact if the article would fit in the load carrier. The two put away processes include different operations that differ in how long they take to execute, which has an impact on the company's efficiency. One reason for the time consuming difference, turned out to be how the quantity affects the time for put away in AutoStore comparing with the constant time for manual put away. A time consuming operation in the process with AutoStore was the one with repacking for the systems pallet. The operation also turned out to affect the utilization rate, due to its measurement of a pallets fill rate.  The quantity of put away in combination with the dimensions of the article, affects the total utilization rate.   With the result, the aim of the study is to contribute to companies that contains a combination of warehouse-design with a basis for the decision making about stock locations.