Shanghai Shipping Warehouse Case: 600 kg Loads, 650 m Round Trips and 50 Daily Transport Cycles
At a shipping company specializing in chemical transportation in Shanghai, China, a REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift is automating the movement of ship spare parts and marine supplies between warehouse floors.
The project connects automatic pallet pickup, stretch wrapping, elevator-assisted transportation and outdoor warehouse delivery into one coordinated material-handling workflow.
Each pallet weighs approximately 600 kg. The complete round-trip route covers around 650 meters, takes approximately 12 minutes and is performed about 50 times per day.
The deployment also demonstrates how REEMAN engineers worked with existing warehouse equipment and third-party suppliers to solve practical integration challenges.
Project at a Glance
Shanghai, China | Chemical Shipping & Marine Logistics | 600 kg Pallet Loads | 650 m Round Trips | 12-Minute Cycles | Approximately 50 Daily Trips | Automatic Stretch Wrapping & Elevator Integration
1. Customer Background: Marine Spare Parts Transportation in Shanghai
The customer is a Shanghai-based shipping enterprise specializing in chemical transportation. Its warehouse manages different types of marine spare parts and supplies used for vessel maintenance and operations.
Typical materials include:
- Marine propulsion and power system spare parts
- Deck machinery components and replacement parts
- Electrical equipment and accessories
- Navigation instruments
- Marine communication equipment
These goods must be transferred from an upper-floor indoor warehouse to an outdoor storage area on the ground level. Before delivery, palletized materials pass through an automatic stretch-wrapping machine to help stabilize the load.
The customer needed to coordinate pallet transportation, packaging and cross-floor delivery. The goal was to connect these operations and reduce repetitive manual forklift driving.
REEMAN deployed its Ironhide 3.0 Autonomous Forklift to automate the transportation workflow.
2. Project Requirements and Operating Data
This project required more than point-to-point pallet transportation. The forklift needed to coordinate with an automatic stretch wrapper, use an elevator to travel between floors and complete delivery along an indoor-to-outdoor route.
| Project Parameter | Application Data |
|---|---|
| Location | Shanghai, China |
| Customer Industry | Chemical Shipping & Marine Logistics |
| Forklift Model | REEMAN Ironhide 3.0 |
| Rated Load Capacity | 1,500 kg |
| Actual Load per Trip | Approximately 600 kg |
| Lifting Height | Up to 2.5 m |
| Round-Trip Distance | Approximately 650 m |
| Cycle Time | Approximately 12 minutes |
| Daily Transport Cycles | Approximately 50 |
| Estimated Daily Travel | 32.5 km |
| Equipment Integration | Stretch Wrapper & Elevator Control |
| Automatic Charging | Supported |
| Forklift Reference Price | Approximately USD 9,900 |
Based on the reported operating frequency, approximately 50 completed round trips correspond to 32.5 km of daily travel. If every trip carries around 600 kg, cumulative daily handling throughput reaches approximately 30 metric tons.
These are calculated estimates based on the reported route distance and daily trip count.
3. How the Automated Transportation Process Works
Automatic Pallet Pickup
The operation begins in the upper-floor indoor warehouse. Ironhide approaches the designated pickup position, aligns its forks with the pallet and lifts the load.
Using Laser SLAM navigation and autonomous pallet-handling capabilities, the forklift transports the goods toward the automatic stretch-wrapping station.
Automatic Stretch Wrapping and Pallet Retrieval
Upon arrival, Ironhide places the pallet at the designated wrapping-machine transfer position.
The stretch wrapper applies film around the palletized goods to help secure the load and reduce movement during subsequent transportation.
Ironhide waits while the machine completes its programmed wrapping cycle. Once wrapping is complete and the station is ready for unloading, the forklift retrieves the pallet.
The coordinated equipment-control process must distinguish between pallet delivery, wrapping in progress, wrapping completion and permission to retrieve the load.
Depending on the customer's machinery, this coordination can be implemented through compatible industrial control interfaces. The precise communication method is specific to the installed equipment.
Elevator-Assisted Floor Transportation
After collecting the wrapped pallet, Ironhide continues toward the elevator.
Through integration with the building's elevator control system, the forklift coordinates elevator access, waits for the required entry conditions and drives into the elevator.
The elevator controller manages movement between floors while the forklift remains stationary inside the elevator.
When the elevator arrives at the ground floor and the required exit conditions are satisfied, Ironhide exits and resumes autonomous navigation.
This allows the transportation task to continue across multiple floors without requiring an operator to manually drive the forklift through the elevator.
Indoor-to-Outdoor Transportation
After leaving the elevator, the forklift travels toward the outdoor warehouse along its configured route.
The route includes a sloped transition between operating areas. Stable movement on this section depends on traction, surface conditions and the forklift's operating configuration.
Automatic Unloading and Return
At the outdoor warehouse, Ironhide unloads the pallet at its designated delivery position.
After completing the delivery, the forklift returns toward the indoor warehouse to prepare for the next transport task.
The complete round trip covers approximately 650 meters and takes around 12 minutes.
4. Watch the Real Shanghai Autonomous Forklift Case
The following project video documents the main stages of the automated workflow, including pallet pickup, stretch wrapping, elevator transport, indoor-to-outdoor travel and automatic unloading.
REEMAN Ironhide – Shanghai Shipping Warehouse Customer Application
Video Chapters
00:00 – Automatic Pallet Pickup and Transport to Stretch Wrapper
00:20 – Pallet Delivery and Automatic Stretch-Wrapping Process
00:38 – Wrapped Pallet Pickup and Autonomous Transportation
01:10 – Elevator Integration and Automated Floor Transfer
01:29 – Ground-Floor Arrival and Autonomous Navigation
01:43 – Indoor-to-Outdoor Transportation and Ramp Navigation
02:02 – Automated Pallet Unloading at Outdoor Warehouse
The video presents selected stages of the operation. The complete round-trip task, including return travel, takes approximately 12 minutes.
5. Engineering Challenges Solved During Deployment
Two practical engineering challenges emerged while adapting the autonomous forklift to the customer's warehouse environment.
Challenge 1: Wheel Slippage on the Sloped Route
During initial commissioning, Ironhide experienced wheel slippage while traveling along a sloped section of the transportation route.
REEMAN engineers adjusted the drive-wheel downforce to improve traction under the actual site conditions.
The adjustment resolved the wheel-slippage issue encountered during testing and allowed the forklift to complete the required route.
This was a site-specific engineering solution, rather than a universal slope-climbing specification.
Challenge 2: Integration with the Existing Stretch Wrapper
The second challenge involved automatic pallet handover between the forklift and wrapping equipment.
During early integration testing, the two machines could not complete the required transfer sequence as intended.
REEMAN's R&D team worked with the wrapping-machine manufacturer's engineers to adjust the equipment interface and coordinate the operating sequence.
Following these adjustments, Ironhide was able to deliver a pallet, wait for wrapping completion and retrieve the finished load.
This engineering collaboration helped connect independently developed equipment into a coordinated material-handling workflow.
6. Project Results and Customer Value
Following integration and commissioning, the reported workflow completes approximately 50 round-trip transportation cycles per day.
Reduced Repetitive Manual Transportation
The forklift automates repeated pallet pickup, delivery and unloading along the configured route, reducing the need for manual forklift driving during routine warehouse transfers.
Connected Packaging and Material Handling
Ironhide works with the stretch-wrapping station to complete pallet delivery and retrieval, helping connect packaging and transportation operations.
Cross-Floor Warehouse Transportation
Elevator integration allows the forklift to continue a transportation task between building floors without manual driving.
Automatic Charging and Operational Readiness
Ironhide supports automatic return to a charging station when charging is required, helping maintain availability for future tasks.
This capability supports extended operating schedules and 24-hour standby arrangements under appropriate conditions, but does not imply continuous driving without charging interruptions.
7. Estimated Labor Cost Savings and Payback
The REEMAN Ironhide forklift has a reference price of approximately USD 9,900.
For an illustrative international comparison, assume a fully loaded U.S. labor cost of USD 30 per hour, 50 daily cycles, 12 minutes per cycle and 25 working days per month.
Daily transport-cycle time: 50 × 12 minutes = 10 hours
Theoretical daily labor value: 10 × USD 30 = USD 300
Theoretical monthly labor value: USD 300 × 25 = USD 7,500
Theoretical forklift-only purchase payback: Approximately 1.32 months
This simplified calculation assumes that all transport-cycle time replaces paid manual labor. Actual labor savings may be lower because waiting during wrapping or elevator operation does not necessarily require continuous human attention.
If only 50% of the transport-cycle time represents avoidable labor, estimated monthly savings fall to USD 3,750, resulting in a theoretical forklift-only purchase payback of approximately 2.64 months.
Cost assumptions: These examples are hypothetical U.S. labor-cost comparisons, not verified financial results for the Shanghai customer. They exclude customized wrapping equipment, elevator integration, installation, electricity, maintenance, downtime and other operating expenses.
8. Why REEMAN Ironhide Fits This Application
The REEMAN Ironhide 3.0 Autonomous Forklift combines industrial pallet-handling capacity with autonomous navigation and integration capabilities.
- 1,500 kg rated capacity: Supports the approximately 600 kg pallet loads in this project.
- 2.5 m lifting height: Supports pallet handling within the forklift's rated operating range.
- Laser SLAM navigation: Enables autonomous navigation without relying on magnetic tape or QR-code routes.
- Automatic pallet handling: Supports pickup, alignment, transportation and unloading.
- Equipment integration: Can be configured to coordinate with compatible stretch wrappers and elevator control systems.
- Automatic charging: Supports automatic return to a charging station.
For the Shanghai project, the forklift's main value lies in its ability to operate within the existing warehouse environment while connecting several transportation processes.
The forklift reference price is approximately USD 9,900. Stretch-wrapping machinery, integration work and other site-specific requirements are quoted separately.
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What industry is the Shanghai customer in?
A: The customer is a Shanghai-based shipping enterprise specializing in chemical transportation and handling marine spare parts and ship supplies.
Q: What materials does the autonomous forklift transport?
A: The forklift transports ship propulsion components, deck machinery spare parts, electrical equipment, navigation instruments and communication-related materials.
Q: How much weight does REEMAN Ironhide carry in this project?
A: Each transported load weighs approximately 600 kg, while the Ironhide autonomous forklift has a rated load capacity of 1,500 kg.
Q: How does an autonomous forklift integrate with a stretch wrapper?
A: REEMAN Ironhide automatically delivers a pallet to the wrapping station, waits for the wrapping cycle to finish and retrieves the wrapped pallet through a coordinated equipment-control process.
Q: Can REEMAN Ironhide automatically use an elevator?
A: Yes. With a compatible elevator control system and the required safety conditions, Ironhide can coordinate elevator access, travel between floors and resume autonomous navigation without manual driving.
Q: How long is the transportation route in the Shanghai project?
A: The complete round-trip route covers approximately 650 meters, with each transportation cycle taking around 12 minutes.
Q: How many transport cycles does the forklift complete daily?
A: The reported operating frequency is approximately 50 round-trip transportation cycles per day.
Q: What deployment challenges did REEMAN engineers solve?
A: REEMAN engineers adjusted drive-wheel downforce to resolve wheel slippage on a sloped route and collaborated with the wrapping-machine supplier to resolve the initial equipment integration issue.
Q: Does REEMAN Ironhide support automatic charging?
A: Yes. Ironhide supports automatic return to a charging station when charging is required, helping maintain extended operational readiness.
Q: How much does the REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift cost?
A: The forklift's reference price is approximately USD 9,900. Customized stretch-wrapping equipment, elevator integration and other project-specific expenses are quoted separately.
10. Conclusion: Real Warehouse Automation for Marine Logistics
The Shanghai shipping warehouse case demonstrates how an autonomous forklift can connect separate material-handling operations into one coordinated workflow.
Using REEMAN Ironhide, the customer automates pallet pickup, stretch wrapping, elevator-assisted floor transfer and outdoor warehouse delivery.
With approximately 600 kg per trip, a 650-meter round-trip route and around 50 daily cycles, the deployment provides a practical example of automated marine spare-parts transportation.
The project also highlights the importance of practical engineering support. Adjustments to ramp traction and cooperation with the wrapping-machine manufacturer helped the forklift operate under the customer's actual site conditions.
For warehouse and logistics operators considering similar automation projects, the value of an autonomous forklift extends beyond replacing manual driving. It lies in connecting existing equipment and transportation processes into a consistent, repeatable workflow.
Explore the REEMAN Ironhide 3.0 Autonomous Forklift for more information about its industrial pallet-handling capabilities.
11. Related REEMAN Customer Cases and Technical Articles
How Does REEMAN Ironhide Automate Pallet Wrapping and Warehouse Transport?
Explore another factory application in Jingmen, Hubei, where REEMAN Ironhide coordinates pallet transportation, automatic doors and stretch wrapping while handling approximately 1,300 kg per pallet.
How REEMAN Ironhide Connects with a Stretch Wrapper via Wireless Communication
Learn how REEMAN combines an autonomous forklift with a turntable stretch wrapper through equipment communication and coordinated pallet-transfer operations.