#

3PLOperations

Third Party Logistics. Company that offers logistics services to third parties: storage, transport and inventory management. 3PL operators use ASRS for greater capacity with the same footprint.

A

AGVRobots & Equipment

Automated Guided Vehicle. Mobile robot that follows predefined routes marked on the floor (magnetic tape, QR, inductive cable). Works in fixed, repetitive flows, such as transport between production line and warehouse.

Almacén 4.0Operations

Warehouse or distribution center operating under the Industry 4.0 paradigm: interconnected automated equipment, management software (WMS/WCS) and real-time data. A practical synonym for smart warehouse and the basis of modern intralogistics.

Almacén autoportanteASRS Systems

Warehouse whose building structure is integrated with the ASRS racking: the rack beams support the roof, panels and dynamic loads of the stacker crane. Allows heights of 20 to 45 m.

Almacén de gran alturaASRS Systems

Warehouse with free height above 15 m, generally 20 to 40 m. The great height makes stacker cranes economically viable: the cost per position drops drastically as height increases.

Amortización aceleradaFinance & Legal

Tax mechanism that allows deducting the full value of a capital good in the first year. Available in Argentina under RIMI for productive capital goods.

AMRRobots & Equipment

Autonomous Mobile Robot. Robot that navigates the warehouse freely using SLAM with laser sensors and 3D cameras. Unlike the AGV, it requires no physical floor markings and can adapt to layout changes.

Análisis ABCOperations

Inventory classification by movement frequency: A (20% of SKUs = 80% of movements), B (30% = 15%), C (50% = 5%). Determines the location of each SKU in the warehouse.

Análisis XYZOperations

Inventory classification by demand variability: X (regular and predictable), Y (moderate variations), Z (irregular or sporadic). Combined with ABC analysis for optimal slotting.

AS/RSASRS Systems

Spelling variant of ASRS with separating slashes. Used interchangeably; the ISO standard prefers "ASRS" but "AS/RS" is more common in American technical documentation.

ASRSASRS Systems

Automated Storage and Retrieval System. Infrastructure that stores and retrieves pallets, boxes or containers without direct human intervention. It includes stacker cranes, shuttles, VLM and control software.

AutoportanteASRS Systems

Structure in which the ASRS racking itself acts as the building's structural support. Eliminates the need for a pre-existing building and reduces total project cost by 20–30% in high-bay installations.

B

BandejaOperations

Flat or perforated container used in VLM systems. Each tray occupies a position in the vertical module and can hold multiple SKUs divided by separators.

Batch PickingOperations

Picking method in which an operator or robot simultaneously collects products from multiple orders in a single trip. Reduces total travel but requires a later sorting stage per order.

BICEFinance & Legal

Investment and Foreign Trade Bank. Argentine state financial institution that offers credit lines for industrial modernization and capital goods, with preferential rates and terms of up to 10 years.

BufferOperations

Temporary storage zone or capacity that absorbs speed differences between two consecutive processes. Inbound and outbound buffers cushion stacker crane demand peaks.

C

Cámara fríaASRS Systems

Temperature-controlled storage facility: refrigerated (+2 °C to +8 °C), frozen (-18 °C to -25 °C) or deep frozen (-30 °C). ASRS systems for cold storage carry special sealing, lubrication and battery-heating equipment.

Cámara frigorífica automatizadaASRS Systems

Temperature-controlled storage facility equipped with ASRS. Special design: low-temperature lubricants, hermetic sealing of electrical cabinets and anti-condensation treatment.

CanalOperations

Inner space of the deep racking where the shuttle robot stores pallets in a row. A channel can have between 2 and 30 depth positions depending on the design.

CAPEXFinance & Legal

Capital Expenditure. Investment in fixed assets: ASRS systems, equipment, installations. Depreciated for accounting over years. With RIMI, it can be depreciated in two equal annual installments.

Carrusel VerticalASRS Systems

System that rotates trays vertically —like a wheel— to bring the desired position to the operator's access point. Similar to the VLM but with a chain architecture instead of an elevator.

Centro de Distribución (CD)Operations

Logistics facility whose main function is to receive products from suppliers and efficiently redistribute them to points of sale or end customers.

Centro de distribución automatizadoOperations

Distribution center (DC) operating with automated storage, transport and order preparation systems. It replaces manual handling with stacker cranes, shuttles, conveyors and software, achieving higher throughput, density and accuracy than a traditional DC.

Ciclo combinadoOperations

Operation in which a stacker crane performs a storage task and a retrieval task simultaneously on the same trip. Significantly increases throughput vs. single cycles.

Ciclo simpleOperations

Operation in which the stacker crane performs a single movement per trip: storage only or retrieval only. Less efficient than the combined cycle.

CobotsRobots & Equipment

Collaborative robots designed to work alongside human operators without protective cages. In warehouses they assist in picking, palletizing and packing, increasing productivity without fully replacing staff.

ConsolidaciónOperations

Process of gathering the different products of the same order, coming from different warehouse zones, into a single container, pallet or dispatch zone.

ConveyorRobots & Equipment

Conveyor (belt, chain, rollers). In intralogistics it connects the warehouse's different zones —receiving, ASRS, picking, dispatch— in a continuous flow integrated with the WCS for dynamic routing.

Cross dockingOperations

Logistics strategy in which goods entering the distribution center are re-dispatched almost immediately to their destination, without prolonged intermediate storage. Reduces inventory and times; internal flow automation makes it much more efficient.

Cross-dockingOperations

Operation in which products arrive at the warehouse and are prepared for dispatch without going through permanent storage. The product crosses the warehouse (dock to dock) directly.

CubicajeOperations

Measurement of the volume, weight and dimensions of the items to be stored. Accurate cubing of each SKU is necessary to size ASRS positions and select the right totes.

D

Dark WarehouseASRS Systems

100% automated warehouse that operates with no operators in the storage area. Human interaction occurs only at receiving and dispatch. Allows 24/7 operation and reduces lighting and climate costs.

Dark warehouseOperations

Dark warehouse: a fully automated facility that operates without lighting or floor staff, because all goods handling is performed by robots and stacker cranes. It represents the maximum degree of logistics automation and drastically reduces operating and energy costs.

Decreto 513/2025Finance & Legal

National Executive Branch decree that reduces import tariffs for ASRS equipment and logistics automation systems in Argentina based on the NCM classification of each component. In force since 2025.

Densidad de almacenamientoOperations

Amount of goods that can be stored per square or cubic meter of a warehouse. High-density automation —ASRS, pallet shuttle, vertical storage— multiplies density versus conventional racking and uses the height of the building.

Depósito inteligenteOperations

Warehouse that integrates automation, sensors and management software to operate with minimal human intervention. It combines automatic storage systems, robotics and real-time data to optimize goods flow, density and traceability. It is the evolution of the traditional warehouse toward Logistics 4.0.

DespaletizadoRobots & Equipment

Process of unstacking boxes from a pallet to feed the picking zone or the ASRS. Depalletizing robots with machine vision automatically identify boxes of different sizes.

Digital TwinSoftware & Control

Virtual, dynamic replica of the physical warehouse that reflects, in real time, the state of all equipment, inventory and flows. It lets you simulate layout changes and predict bottlenecks before implementing them in the real system.

E

ERPSoftware & Control

Enterprise Resource Planning. Comprehensive business management system (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics) that manages finance, purchasing, sales, production and inventory. The WMS integrates with the ERP to receive orders and confirm movements.

Estabilidad fiscalFinance & Legal

Legal guarantee that protects an investment from negative tax changes during a set period. RIGI (Ley 27.742) offers tax stability for 30 years for qualifying projects.

F

FailoverSoftware & Control

Automatic switch to the redundant system when the main component fails, with no human intervention. In high-availability WCS systems it occurs in under 30 seconds.

FATFinance & Legal

Factory Acceptance Test. Functional test of the ASRS system at the manufacturer's facilities, in the presence of the client, before shipment. Verifies the equipment meets the contractual specifications.

FEFOOperations

First Expired, First Out. The dispatch priority is the nearest expiry date, not the order of entry. Critical in pharma and perishable foods.

FIFOOperations

First In, First Out. The oldest products leave first. Essential in food, pharma and any product with an expiry date.

FootprintOperations

Physical footprint a storage system occupies on the warehouse floor. A high-density system (shuttle) has a smaller footprint than a conventional system for the same capacity.

FulfillmentOperations

Complete process of preparing and shipping an order from the warehouse to the customer. In e-commerce, fast and error-free fulfillment is decisive; automated warehouses with goods-to-person picking drastically reduce preparation times.

G

Goods to personOperations

"Goods to person" order preparation model: the system brings the product to the operator at a fixed station, instead of the operator walking to the product. It multiplies picking productivity and is typical of ASRS systems with shuttles and VLM.

Goods-to-Person (GTP)Operations

Operating model in which the automated system brings the product to the operator, instead of the operator walking the warehouse. Increases picking productivity up to 5 times versus conventional manual picking.

H

HMSSoftware & Control

Host Management System. High-level management system that coordinates multiple facilities or hierarchical levels of logistics management. Sometimes equivalent to the WMS in simple environments.

I

Integrador WMSSoftware & Control

Specialized company that implements, configures and integrates WMS systems with the client's ERP. STOKA integrates the WMS and WCS of the systems it implements across Latin America.

IntralogísticaOperations

Management and optimization of all internal flows of materials, information and people within a logistics or production facility. It spans from receiving to dispatch.

K

KPISoftware & Control

Key Performance Indicator. Metrics that measure logistics operation performance: throughput, inventory accuracy, cycle time, cost per movement, etc. The WMS reports KPIs in real time.

L

Last MileOperations

Last leg of distribution: from the distribution center to the end customer. It is the most expensive segment of logistics (40–60% of total distribution cost).

LayoutOperations

Physical arrangement of equipment, aisles, functional zones and flows within a warehouse. STOKA performs 3D simulations with flow analysis in every automation proposal.

Lead TimeOperations

Time from when an order is generated until the customer receives it. In automated warehouses, internal lead time is reduced by 60–80% versus manual operation thanks to goods-to-person.

LIFOOperations

Last In, First Out. The last product stored leaves first. Natural operating mode of deep shuttle channels; 4-way models allow more flexible access.

Logística 4.0Operations

Application of Industry 4.0 technologies —IoT, automation, artificial intelligence and data analytics— to the supply chain and warehouse operations. It lets warehouses, stacker cranes, robots and software communicate with each other for a connected, autonomous and self-optimizing operation.

Logística inteligenteOperations

Data- and automation-based supply chain management to make real-time decisions. It spans from robotized storage to predictive inventory planning, reducing costs, errors and times in distribution centers and automated warehouses.

LosaOperations

Concrete floor of the warehouse on which the rails and the racking structure are installed. STOKA publishes neither a flatness tolerance nor an allowable load: both are set by the datasheet of the equipment chosen, and the load-bearing capacity is signed off by a licensed engineer against the building’s drawings and structural calculations. What is always done is to measure both before designing anything.

M

Mástil (de transelevador)ASRS Systems

Vertical column of the stacker crane on which the load platform rises and lowers. Single-mast designs (up to ~30 m) and double-mast designs (up to 40 m for heavier loads).

MezzanineOperations

Elevated metal structure that creates an additional level within an industrial building. VLM and MiniLoad are frequently integrated with mezzanines for multi-level access.

MHERobots & Equipment

Material Handling Equipment. Generic term for all equipment that moves, stores and controls materials: stacker cranes, shuttles, AGVs, AMRs, conveyors, sorters, VLM and palletizers.

Micro-fulfillmentASRS Systems

Compact distribution center (400–2,000 m²) located within or near an urban store for deliveries in a few hours. Uses miniaturized high-density ASRS that maximize SKUs in minimal space.

MiniLoadASRS Systems

Smaller stacker crane for containers, trays, totes and boxes. It operates in aisles considerably narrower than a pallet system needs; the exact width is stated in the equipment datasheet. Ideal for picking in e-commerce, pharma and manufacturing.

MTBFSoftware & Control

Mean Time Between Failures. Reliability indicator: how many hours a machine operates on average between one failure and the next. The stacker cranes we integrate exceed 8,000 hours of MTBF.

MTTRSoftware & Control

Mean Time To Repair. Average time a machine takes to be restored after a failure. Together with MTBF, it determines the system's operational availability.

O

OEESoftware & Control

Overall Equipment Effectiveness. Metric combining availability, performance and quality to express a machine's real efficiency vs. its theoretical potential. In automated warehouses, stacker crane OEE usually exceeds 85%.

OmnicanalidadOperations

Model in which the customer buys and receives products through any channel in an integrated way. Omnichannel warehouses simultaneously manage store replenishment and individual online orders.

OPEXFinance & Legal

Operating Expenditure. Recurring operating expenses: maintenance, energy, labor and software licenses. Automation transforms variable OPEX (labor) into CAPEX + fixed OPEX (maintenance).

P

Paleta / PalletOperations

Wood, plastic or metal platform on which palletized loads are stacked. Their dimensions are published standards: the euro-pallet is 1,200 × 800 mm and the American pallet 1,200 × 1,000 mm. Size and maximum weight determine the stacker crane type.

PaletizadoRobots & Equipment

Process of stacking and organizing boxes on a pallet. In automated warehouses it is performed by palletizing robots at speeds of up to 2,000 boxes/hour, with no human intervention.

Pallet ShuttleASRS Systems

Autonomous robot that operates inside the racking channel, moving pallets to deep storage positions. Allows much higher densities than the stacker crane. 2-way and 4-way versions.

PasilloOperations

Corridor between two racking blocks where the stacker crane operates. In an automated system the aisle is far narrower than one a forklift needs, because nobody walks through it: it is for the equipment alone. The exact width comes from the datasheet of the equipment chosen and from the layout design, not from a general figure.

Person to goodsOperations

"Person to goods" order preparation model: the operator moves through the warehouse to each location to pick the product. It is the traditional, slower, higher-travel method that goods-to-person automation aims to replace.

Person-to-GoodsOperations

Traditional model in which the operator walks the warehouse looking for products. The operator spends 60–70% of the time walking. The goods-to-person model eliminates that travel.

Pick-to-LightOperations

Light indicators above storage locations that guide the operator on which position to pick and how many units to take. Faster and more accurate than paper or handheld scanner.

PickingOperations

Process of selecting and collecting product units from their locations to complete an order. It is the highest-cost operation in most warehouses (60–70% of total operating cost).

PLCSoftware & Control

Programmable Logic Controller. Industrial computer that controls the warehouse's physical equipment —motors, sensors, actuators— at the machine level. The WCS sends commands to the PLC, which executes them on the hardware.

PosiciónOperations

Individual cell within the racking where exactly one pallet, tote or container is stored. Identified by aisle, level and depth.

Put-awayOperations

Process of storing received products in their designated locations. The WMS directs each unit to the optimal location based on the SKU rotation profile.

Put-to-LightOperations

Light indicators above bins or positions that guide the operator on where to deposit each unit during per-order sorting. Second stage of batch picking.

R

RedundanciaSoftware & Control

Duplication of critical components (servers, PLCs, networks) to guarantee operational continuity in case of failure. The systems we integrate include a redundant WCS server with automatic failover in under 30 seconds.

RFIDSoftware & Control

Radio Frequency Identification. Technology that reads tags without a direct line of sight, up to several meters away. In ASRS warehouses, RFID enables automatic traceability of each pallet without manual scanning.

RIMIFinance & Legal

Medium-Sized Investment Incentive Regime (Title XXIII, Ley 27.802). Allows depreciating new capital goods in two equal annual installments and recovering the VAT of the investment in three fiscal periods instead of six. Requires a MiPyME certificate and a minimum investment per category.

ROIFinance & Legal

Return on Investment. Time in months it takes an investment to pay back with the savings it generates. In warehouse automation, typical ROI is between 18 and 48 months.

S

SATFinance & Legal

Site Acceptance Test. Complete functional test of the system installed at the client's warehouse, upon commissioning completion. It is the milestone that starts the equipment warranty.

SecuenciaciónOperations

Retrieval and delivery of items in a specific order to optimize the subsequent process. Advanced WCS perform automatic sequencing by coordinating multiple stacker cranes.

SKUOperations

Stock Keeping Unit. Unique code that identifies each distinct product variant. The number of active SKUs is decisive in choosing between stacker crane and shuttle.

SLASoftware & Control

Service Level Agreement. Contractual commitment on system availability and repair times. STOKA offers SLAs with response in hours for its client portfolio.

SLAMRobots & Equipment

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping. Technology that lets a robot build a map of the environment while locating itself within it, in real time. It is the basis of AMR autonomous navigation.

SlottingOperations

Process of assigning each SKU to its optimal location based on picking frequency and product characteristics. Well-designed slotting can reduce picking time by 20–30%.

Slotting (optimización)Operations

Optimal assignment of locations to products within the warehouse based on rotation, weight, size and demand. Good slotting reduces travel and picking times; intelligent systems recalculate it dynamically with operation data.

Smart warehouseOperations

A highly automated and digitalized warehouse where robots, stacker cranes and software coordinate storage and order preparation with minimal manual intervention. Equivalent to smart facility or Warehouse 4.0.

SorterRobots & Equipment

High-speed automatic sorting system that diverts boxes, parcels or totes to predefined destinations (chutes). Cross-belt sorters sort up to 10,000 items/hour.

Staging AreaOperations

Preparation zone where the products of an order are consolidated before dispatch. The WCS coordinates container delivery from the ASRS to staging to minimize truck waiting times.

Supply chainOperations

Supply chain: network of suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses and transport that takes a product from origin to the end customer. Warehouse automation improves a critical link in the supply chain: fulfillment speed and accuracy.

T

TCOFinance & Legal

Total Cost of Ownership. Sum of all costs over the system's useful life: initial investment, installation, maintenance, energy, software updates and replacements. The right indicator for comparing automation alternatives.

TelemetríaSoftware & Control

Remote transmission and analysis of operational data: stacker crane position, motor temperature, bearing vibration, power consumption. Enables predictive maintenance and remote diagnosis without an on-site visit.

ThroughputOperations

Number of movements (inbound + outbound) a system can process per hour. It is the most critical indicator for sizing an ASRS and determining the required equipment fleet.

ToteOperations

Standardized plastic container (grid bottom) used in MiniLoad and conveyor systems to store and transport small-format items. It is the handling unit in e-commerce and pharma.

Tote ShuttleASRS Systems

Shuttle robot for small containers (totes) instead of pallets. Widely used in e-commerce and pharma for high-density storage with goods-to-person picking.

TranselevadorASRS Systems

Automated crane that travels within a racking aisle, on rails installed on the floor and ceiling, to store and retrieve pallets. It works at heights of 7 to 40 metres. The maximum load per movement is not a single figure: it is stated in the datasheet of the equipment chosen and is sized against your operation’s real load unit.

Read the full guide: what is a stacker crane →

TrazabilidadSoftware & Control

Ability to record and query a product's full history: who received it, what position it was in, when it moved and where it was dispatched. The WMS maintains full traceability by batch and serial number.

U

Unit-LoadASRS Systems

Stacker crane designed to handle full load units (pallets). It is the heaviest ASRS category. The weight range it takes per movement is stated in each unit’s datasheet and is checked against the real weight of your pallets during the site survey.

UptimeSoftware & Control

Percentage of time a system is operational and available. An industrial-class ASRS has uptime over 99%. It is calculated as MTBF / (MTBF + MTTR).

V

VLM (Vertical Lift Module)ASRS Systems

Automated cabinet that stores trays in two vertical columns and delivers them to the operator at a ground-level access window. Ideal for spare parts, tools and small parts.

Voice PickingOperations

Voice-directed picking: the WMS sends audio instructions to the operator's headset and receives verbal confirmations. Frees both hands for product handling.

W

Wave de pickingOperations

Grouping of picking orders processed in the same work cycle to optimize ASRS travel. The WMS generates waves based on the committed dispatch time and equipment capacity.

WCSSoftware & Control

Warehouse Control System. Software that controls the warehouse's physical equipment —stacker cranes, shuttles, conveyors, robots— in real time, with latencies under 50 ms. It turns WMS missions into commands for the PLCs.

WESSoftware & Control

Warehouse Execution System. Software layer between the WMS and the WCS that coordinates, in real time, task assignment to operators, AGVs and stations. It manages dynamic priorities and balances load across resources.

WIPOperations

Work In Progress. In-process inventory within the production chain. ASRS in manufacturing frequently manage WIP between production stages.

WMSSoftware & Control

Warehouse Management System. Software that manages inventory in real time, controls the location of each product and generates receiving, storage, picking and dispatch tasks. It integrates with the ERP.

Z

Zona de expediciónOperations

Warehouse area for consolidating orders ready to dispatch, label, verify and load onto distribution trucks.

Zona de recepciónOperations

Area where products arriving from suppliers are unloaded, inspected and identified. Includes quality control, cubing, weighing and scanning for entry into the WMS.