Warehouse automation is a major decision. The technology matters, but so do the questions that come before it: What problem are you trying to solve? Which parts of the operation need to be considered? How will you know the investment is working once the system is in use? For Mega Fortris, those questions were central … Continued
Your reputation has been built one order at a time. Every delivery that leaves on time, complete and in perfect condition is a promise kept to a customer. When you invest in warehouse automation, you are trusting it with that promise. So for most operations leaders, the biggest worry isn’t the racking or the shuttles. … Continued
It’s 7:40 on a Tuesday morning and an IBC has just arrived. The warehouse management system says there are twenty empty positions. The shift lead knows better. One is next to a product that can’t sit beside this one. Two are held for quarantine. Several are at the back of a lane, behind IBCs that … Continued
Peak season does more than test warehouse capacity. It reveals the point at which storage, access and movement begin to work against the operation. For food and drink manufacturers, seasonal pressure rarely arrives as a simple increase in volume. Promotional stock lands early, Christmas and limited-edition ranges compete for accessible locations, production schedules intensify and … Continued
Cold store space is too expensive to waste. When pallet capacity is tight, forklift routes are busy, dispatch windows are under pressure and energy costs keep rising, the answer is not always a bigger cold store. Sometimes the bigger opportunity is to make the existing cold store work harder. At Thistle Systems, we help businesses … Continued
Warehouse automation ROI is usually presented as a payback period, and the figures quoted in sales proposals are often aggressive. We are a supplier of automated storage systems, so it is slightly against our interests to say this, but no payback claim should be accepted at face value, ours included. Any automation ROI figure is … Continued
Most conversations about warehouse automation begin with spreadsheets, payback periods, cost-per-pick calculations, headcount reduction targets. For years, that was the framework: build a business case, prove the ROI, get sign-off. But something has shifted in the last 12 months. Yes, companies are calling and asking these questions first. But when we start asking questions, the … Continued
Complete Control of Your AutoCube® Installation, From a Single Platform MAxIQ® is Thistle Systems’ proprietary warehouse control and management software, developed in-house by our UK team specifically for AutoCube® and AutoCube®-X automated pallet storage. It gives you real-time visibility of every pallet, every movement, and every transaction in your system. See MAxIQ® in Action – … Continued
The four key signs that a warehouse needs automation are space pressure, labour pressure, inaccuracy pressure and performance limitations. If your operation is experiencing two or more of these challenges, automated storage systems can often deliver significant improvements in capacity, productivity, accuracy and return on investment. Many businesses don’t make the decision to automate their … Continued
Most pallet storage systems were never designed for hazardous environments. They were adapted. And that’s the problem. Across ATEX and COMAH regulated warehouses, we regularly see pallet storage systems that: Limit storage density Rely heavily on forklifts Introduce unnecessary risk Struggle to meet modern audit requirements They work. But they don’t work well enough for … Continued
Most COMAH warehouses aren’t restricted by regulation They’re restricted by design. There’s a common belief across COMAH regulated sites: “We can’t increase capacity because of compliance.” In reality, the limitation is rarely regulation itself. It’s how the warehouse has been designed to interpret it. The result is predictable. Space is under-utilised, layouts become inefficient, reliance … Continued
Most hazardous warehouses aren’t full. They’re just poorly designed. Across the UK, we work with COMAH sites, chemical manufacturers and regulated facilities that all believe they’ve reached capacity. They haven’t. What they’ve reached is the limit of what their current layout allows, and that limit is quietly driving cost, risk, and unnecessary expansion. Too much … Continued
In hazardous warehouse environments, inefficiency is not just an operational issue. It is a safety risk. Across chemical, pharmaceutical and regulated industries, the way materials are stored, moved and accessed is coming under increasing pressure. Higher volumes, stricter compliance requirements and limited space are forcing operators to rethink traditional approaches. This is where ATEX warehouse … Continued
High-density automated storage solutions for secure, safety-critical and regulated defence environments. Defence organisations face increasing pressure to improve storage density, strengthen operational resilience, protect critical inventory and modernise infrastructure without compromising safety, compliance or security. Thistle Systems supports secure, safety-critical and regulated storage environments with intelligent automated storage solutions engineered for complex defence applications. Built … Continued
IBCs play a critical role in the storage and movement of liquids, powders and hazardous materials across the chemical, pharmaceutical, coatings, food and manufacturing sectors. However, while IBCs are highly effective as transport vessels, they often create significant challenges inside the warehouse. Many facilities still rely on traditional racking or floor stacking, which can lead … Continued
What Happens If Warehouse Automation Stops? It’s one of the first questions we are asked when discussing warehouse automation projects. “What happens if the system stops?” It’s a completely valid concern. For many operations directors and warehouse managers, the idea of an automated pallet storage system stopping unexpectedly can feel like introducing risk into an … Continued
Chemical and pharmaceutical warehousing in the UK operates under rigorous regulatory and safety expectations. ATEX zoning, COMAH obligations, segregation requirements, validation protocols, audit trails, and, alongside that, the commercial pressure to increase capacity, improve throughput, and reduce operating costs. Thistle Systems is one of the UK’s leading warehouse automation integrators, delivering advanced warehouse automation for … Continued
When companies approach us, it is rarely because they simply want ‘new racking’ or ‘warehouse automation’. They usually come to us because their warehouse is under pressure. Space is tighter. Volumes are growing. Service levels are rising. Labour is harder to secure. Costs are making them uncompetitive. In practice, those challenges tend to fall into … Continued
In hazardous warehouse environments, inefficiency is never just operational. It is a safety, compliance and risk issue. Nowhere is this more apparent than in drum storage. Used widely across industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other regulated sectors, drums are a practical and durable storage format. But as operations scale, they become increasingly difficult to … Continued
Why Understanding Warehouse Data Matters for Modern Operations In today’s fast moving warehousing environment, relying on assumptions or operating under ”how we’ve always done it” is no longer enough. Those who are seeing the biggest gains in efficiency, capacity and profitability are those investing in understanding warehouse data – what it means and how to … Continued
When every pallet position counts, unplanned downtime or breakdowns in your automated storage system aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re a costly disruption. From production delays and missed dispatches to increased labour costs, even a few hours of downtime can have a ripple effect across your entire operation. For warehouse managers, engineers, and executives, maintaining consistent … Continued
Thistle Systems, one of the UK’s leading integrators of automated storage solutions, has commenced its latest warehouse automation project to deliver a fully automated pallet warehouse for Mega Fortris at its new £9.5 million UK headquarters in Birmingham. The project will create a state-of-the-art automated warehouse capable of storing more than 2,000 pallets, designed to … Continued
Introduction to Automated Racking Automated Racking Solutions can deliver a number of significant benefits; however, the one thing that gets people turned on to the concept is how much additional capacity it can deliver. Once the potential to increase capacity, often exponentially, is established, the supplementary benefits such as improved throughput, improved safety, reduced operating … Continued
In warehouse automation design, capacity can often be the primary focus when it comes to decision-making. How many pallets can we fit into the warehouse? Are we using every cubic millimetre of space? But there’s a point where maximising capacity alone starts to work against you and cause major problems. Designing a superstructure that’s a … Continued
For many CFOs, warehousing is seen as an operational cost centre – a necessary expense to keep goods moving. But the rise of automated pallet storage is transforming warehouses into powerful levers of financial performance. When approached strategically, automation can protect margins, unlock capital, and deliver resilience in ways traditional warehousing simply cannot. 1. Beyond … Continued
Costs of Automated Warehouse Storage: What Affects the Price and What You Get Back Most conversations about automated warehouse storage eventually arrive at the same question: what does it actually cost? It’s a fair question, and one that deserves a straight answer. Not a reassurance that “it’s more affordable than you think.” The honest truth … Continued
Automated pallet storage solutions are transforming the way modern warehouses operate, promising faster throughput, greater accuracy, and a more scalable approach to managing complex inventories. But not all automation delivers the same results. Without the right design strategy behind it, even the most advanced system can underperform, leading to bottlenecks, inefficiencies and missed ROI targets. … Continued
Thistle Systems has unveiled the latest development of its AutoCube® Automated Pallet Storage Solution, marking a major milestone in warehouse automation thanks to its partnership with Dutch automation pioneers Logiqs, who were the first in the world to introduce 3D pallet shuttle technology. This next-generation system combines decades of proven innovation from Logiqs with Thistle’s … Continued
Discover how AutoCube®’s 6th Generation 4-Way Carriers deliver industry-leading energy efficiency — up to 16 hours of runtime on just 2 hours of charge — transforming uptime, cost savings, and warehouse productivity. While Others Are Plugged In, AutoCube Is Picking In the high-stakes world of warehouse automation, energy efficiency is no longer a “nice to … Continued
Bakeries across the UK face mounting pressure to reduce costs, increase throughput, and adapt to rising customer expectations, warehouse automation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. From small batch operations to large-scale commercial bakeries, automation is unlocking new levels of efficiency, flexibility, and reliability that traditional systems simply can’t match. At Thistle Systems, we … Continued
Warehouse automation was once seen as an ambitious, almost utopian concept. However, with advancements in technology, innovative solutions like Thistle Systems’ AUTOCUBE® are making automation more accessible than ever. Businesses now have the opportunity to implement future-proofed systems that can transition from manual to semi-automated or fully automated operations, unlocking new efficiencies and competitive advantages. … Continued
Welcome to the third part of our series on the myths associated with Automated Racking and Automated Storage Solutions. We have already discussed the myths surrounding the costs of automated storage solutions and automated storage being seen to be only suitable for large warehouses and large cold stores. One of the biggest concerns we get … Continued
The growing interest in automated storage has accelerated rapidly over the last 12 months. However, too many companies have either quickly dismissed or not even considered the concept, believing the myth that Automated Racking is Too Expensive. At Thistle Systems, we have been developing a range of semi-automated and automated storage solutions for the last … Continued
Do You Have A Capacity Issue or a Utilisation Issue in Your Warehouse? Storage capacity is often seen as the primary focus for many companies as they look at ways to improve their operations. However, it can be quite misleading when it comes to operational effectiveness and efficiency. The total storage capacity of a warehouse … Continued
AUTOMATED RACKING MYTH BUSTING NUMBER 1: Most people accept and understand the general concept of automated racking systems and the significant operational benefits it can deliver.However, there is a general misconception that automated racking and storage are only suitable for larger warehouses and cold stores. The truth is the viable size of automated storage isn’t … Continued
A quick analysis will show that many companies find approximately 80% of their sales are generated by approximately 20% of their SKUs. Now, whilst this may be beneficial for the sales teams, it can cause a number of challenges in the warehouse to achieve the perfect balance of space and picking speed. Some warehouse managers … Continued
Automated Cold Storage is one of the hot topics in the food and drink sector as companies look to improve efficiency and reduce costs in their cold store warehouses. The increase in energy and running costs is presenting operators and food companies with complex challenges which may be restricting growth, profitability, and service. To remain … Continued
The demands being placed on finished goods and dry goods warehouses in today’s market have changed dramatically from those they faced 10 or 20 years ago. Warehouse Managers are facing the challenge of a seemingly never-ending increase in SKUs, growing capacity requirements and an increasingly demanding marketplace who want your warehouse to be more responsive … Continued
The massive changes in the economy and the significant developments in automation, robots and technology is challenging businesses to think differently and effectively to achieve a step change in their operations. Whilst senior managers and boards of directors are looking at incremental changes to improve capacity through improved design and dynamic systems such as push … Continued
The construction and operating costs of a cold storage warehouse (or cold room) are such that the need to Max the Cube® by maximise storage capacity in the minimum floor area with a cold store racking system, is absolutely essential. With technology moving on at a pace, the ability to consider dynamic and semi-automated storage … Continued
The spiralling energy costs are forcing businesses to take decisive action on their warehouse operations which could have a massive impact on the industry. With energy typically accounting for 15% of overall warehouse costs and reports of up to 400% increases in the coming months, many businesses are now looking at every opportunity to consolidate … Continued
The demands being placed on distribution centres are at an all-time high as customers demand even shorter lead times, with many companies being forced to offer next day or even same day delivery service just to compete. Much of this is being driven by the continued growth in internet sales which reached an all-time high … Continued
The exponential growth of SKUs is a challenge facing many warehouse managers and none more so than those operating within the wholesale market. The challenge is further compounded by customers looking for greater flexibility in ordering, resulting in more mixed pallets being created and, as a result, more broken/split/half pallets needing to be stored. The … Continued
The challenge in warehouse automation is the ability of the software system to get the right pallet to the right place at the right time to enable the despatch area to meet their KPIs. Get this right and the potential Return on Investment can be enormous, however doing so requires a synchronised co-ordination of the … Continued
Block stacking in your warehouse is generally perceived as the cheapest approach to storing your products, and you would be forgiven for agreeing. Yes, it requires zero investment in racking systems, and the only piece of equipment needed is a forklift truck. However, many smart companies focused on safety are recognising what is perceived … Continued
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the anticipated future growth and demands on fulfilment centres which have been driven by the dramatic growth of internet sales. This has resulted in a growing interest in automated storage solutions and goods to person systems which can deliver major improvements in efficiency and costs savings … Continued
The traditional approach to managing your own finished goods warehouse is fairly common. The warehouse stores a combination of full and broken pallets. These may be block stacked with the broken pallet at the front or in different types of racking depending on the number of SKUs. The process of preparing loads ready for despatch … Continued
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© 2026 Thistle Systems
