Above: Fehr’s automated crane system helps service centers optimize floor space and manage a broad mix of inventory. The automated area is enclosed so people are removed from the process of picking and handling chains or slings.
March, 2026- Service center warehouses are evolving into an intelligent core of industrial operations. “It’s a shift that’s redefining efficiency, reliability and profitability across the metal distribution industry,” reports David Veldung, president of Fehr Warehouse Solutions. Fehr is driving one aspect of industrial intelligence: the automation of overhead cranes in the warehouse.
Several market factors are necessitating a more intense focus on automation, including a tight labor market and attention to employee safety. “Volatile raw material prices, rising operating costs and shrinking delivery windows are further driving a fundamental transformation in warehouse logistics,” explains Veldung. He also points to additional pressures on leadership to accelerate material flow, optimize increasingly valuable floor space and manage a broad and complex product mix.
“Warehouse systems are no longer passive storage areas. They function as operational hubs, directly supporting order fulfillment and production processes. Higher efficiency is achieved when the overhead crane is automated within the warehouse, creating a seamless storage environment,” adds Veldung.
SWISS MIX
Switzerland-based Fehr developed a proprietary automation technology for cranes about a decade ago. More than 400 systems, including cranes, across Europe are now equipped with Fehr automation technology. Three years ago, Fehr’s automated crane was introduced in the United States, through a North American team based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The company has a 75-year legacy of logistics solutions for long and flat goods. In 2012, It launched a custom warehouse management system, FehrWMS.
“Implementing an automated crane system - or any aspect of an integrated intra-logistics system - is a complex undertaking. Success requires not only advanced technology, but deep industry knowledge and proven execution experience. This is where Fehr’s Swiss engineering heritage and global project portfolio play a decisive role,” explains Veldung.
FLEXIBLE DESIGN
Fehr’s automated crane system is compatible with most CNC-controlled overhead cranes. Fehr provides the sensors, grippers and controls to an existing or new crane that’s made in the United States. “It doesn’t make sense to ship a 90-foot crane from Europe,” notes Veldung. In Europe, Fehr manufactures components for their systems worldwide. Everything is produced in house with the exception of the bridge for the crane.
There are no dimensional limitations to the automation capabilities of the crane. “If the crane can lift it, we can automate it,” asserts Veldung. He cites an automated crane system in Europe that lifts 200-ton dies for the automotive industry and a crane that regularly transports 80-ton steel coils.
The automated crane can be integrated with Fehr’s keystone honeycomb warehousing system and processing equipment like lasers. “A tube can be picked from inventory, transported to the laser cutter, processed, then automatically loaded back into the honeycomb racking system. All of this can be fully automated, without any human interfacing with the material,” explains Veldung.
Fehr’s integrated systems of this type are already operating successfully in productionintegrated facilities in the Detroit area and at numerous sites across Europe. Fehr added automation to a crane for a service center in Pittsburgh last fall. “These installations set the benchmark for modern intralogistics in the metal industry," Veldung says.
This new crane at an Alro facility is equipped with Fehr automation and is part of a building expansion.
OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES
An integrated, automated warehouse is far more than a space-saving solution, claims Veldung. “It is a strategic investment that directly impacts key performance indicators: shorter order fulfillment times, reduced error rates, optimized operating costs and a measurable increase in competitiveness.”
An automated crane can help service centers increase accuracy in its warehouse and reduce the time spent picking beams or other materials from inventory. “Typically, warehouse personnel can waste a lot of time looking for a specific piece of inventory. Now, an automated crane, with FehrWMS, can locate a product within minutes. When the crane has a built-in scale, determining the length and weight is automatically calculated with 100 percent accuracy,” adds Veldung.
Service centers typically establish a fully enclosed automated area when using an automated crane. “The enclosed, fenced area means no person is involved in picking or handling chains or slings, removing some safety risks from the warehouse floor,” notes Veldung.
‘BEST NIGHT EVER’
Such is the case at the Alro Steel facility in Pittsburgh, where an Expert Crane was installed in September 2025. The crane, equipped with Fehr automation, is part of a building expansion. “We were looking to increase our structural inventory capacity and improve how efficiently we could store and access that material,” says C. Levi VanSumeren, head of automation for Alro Steel.
The crane was integral to Alro’s need to expand inventory. “Traditional storage options either consume a large amount of oor space or make product access more time consuming, which ultimately limits throughput and responsiveness,” says VanSumeren.
The new crane is in a bay dedicated to long products. “With the Fehr system, the automated crane stacks and picks product, without any human involvement,” he adds.
The results are making an impression on operations and employees. “The system has been running very well. It’s given us the ability to consistently store all incoming mill material each day, which was often a challenge in the past. From an order fulfillment standpoint, the on-site team has described it as ‘having your best night ever of pulling orders’—then repeating that same experience every shift, regardless of who is running the system.”
From a performance standpoint, this consistency allows Alro’s Pittsburgh team to comfortably absorb their current workload, while creating capacity to take on more business. “In addition, they’re able to complete daily work earlier and more predictably, without relying on overtime to meet customer demand, which has been a meaningful improvement for both operations and the workforce,” explains VanSumeren.
The Fehr system has been so well received that Alro has tapped the technology for a greenfield facility now under construction in the South. “One of the biggest benefits has been the consistency it brings to daily operations. It supports our workforce by simplifying material handling, improving organization and reducing unnecessary manual interaction with heavy product—all while allowing the team to work more predictably and increasing what the operation can handle overall,” adds VanSumeren.
DOMESTIC SUPPORT
To support customers like Alro, Fehr has a parts warehouse and sales team—along with commissioning engineers and support engineers—in Charlotte. “We have a commitment to be at a customer site within 24 hours, if necessary,” states Veldung. He adds that most issues can be resolved remotely. Each Fehr system is equipped with a VPN to facilitate remote troubleshooting.
Veldung and the North America team look forward to supporting a growing demand for their automated storage and retrieval system technology, recognizing the role such innovations will play in the service centers of the future. As Veldung puts it, “In a demanding and fast-moving market, integrated warehouse logistics is no longer optional. It is a decisive factor for long-term success.”
Fehr Warehouse Solutions, 704/666-8448, fehr-usa.com.
