ASRS · 2024 · Addverb Technologies · Ankenpally, Hyderabad

MRF — 5-Deep 9-Level ASRS Solution

Delivered a dense 5-deep, 9-level Automated Storage & Retrieval System for MRF's high-volume tyre manufacturing plant — Java-based microservices orchestrating cranes, shuttles and third-party hardware behind a unified WCS.

RoleSoftware Development Engineer

Timeline2024

Scale500+ daily transactions

ImpactUAT 6+ wks → 3 wks · ~₹15L saved

Problem

MRF's plant required a high-density ASRS: 5 pallets deep × 9 levels high, fed by heterogeneous third-party hardware (cranes, shuttles, conveyors) with strict put-away and retrieval SLAs. The integration surface area was large and client timelines were tight.

My Contribution

Architected the Java backend and microservice communication layer for the 5-deep 9-level ASRS; owned third-party hardware integration across cranes, shuttles and conveyors.
Partnered with QA and Process teams to compress internal UAT from 6+ weeks to 3 weeks (+200%).
Resolved 20+ client-reported defects during UAT; shipped a production ASRS supporting 500+ daily transactions.
Built SOPs and client interface docs for the hardware integration surface.

Tech Stack

Java
Spring Boot
Microservices
REST
RabbitMQ
MySQL
Grafana

High-Level Design

flowchart LR
  WMS["WMS / ERP"] --> WCS["WCS Orchestrator
(Spring Boot)"]
  WCS --> INV["Inventory
Service"]
  WCS --> LOC["Location
Strategy"]
  WCS --> CR["Crane Controller"]
  WCS --> SH["Shuttle Controller"]
  WCS --> CV["Conveyor Controller"]
  CR <--> HW1["Crane HW"]
  SH <--> HW2["Shuttle HW"]
  CV <--> HW3["Conveyor HW"]
  WCS --> Q[(RabbitMQ)]
  Q --> AUD[("Audit / Events
(MySQL)")]
  WCS --> DASH["Grafana"]

Low-Level Design — Put-Away for 5-Deep Lane

sequenceDiagram
  autonumber
  participant W as WMS
  participant O as WCS Orchestrator
  participant L as Location Strategy
  participant C as Crane Controller
  participant S as Shuttle Controller
  participant I as Inventory

  W->>O: putAway(pallet, SKU, qty)
  O->>L: pickLocation(SKU, depth=5, level=9)
  L-->>O: aisle/level/depth slot
  O->>C: moveTo(slot)
  C-->>O: cranePositioned
  O->>S: push(pallet, depth)
  S-->>O: storedAtDepth
  O->>I: commit(slot, pallet)
  I-->>O: ok
  O-->>W: putAway.completed

Why 5-deep is hard: retrieval of a rear pallet requires temporarily evacuating the front ones — location strategy must balance FIFO, SKU affinity and re-handling cost. We encoded this as a scored candidate set before committing a slot.

Impact

Production ASRS handling 500+ daily transactions.
UAT accelerated 200% (6+ wks → 3 wks), saving ~₹15L in operational cost.
100% client sign-off; 20+ UAT defects resolved.