Warehouse challenges for Chemicals and Petrochemicals

Industry challenges
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Safe Storage - Storing solvents, catalysts, and powders safely in dedicated containers is critical. Factors like aging, improper environment control and dust contamination can also cause degradation and poor production quality.
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Segregation - Improper segregation of acids, bases and oxidizers in chemical warehouses can trigger dangerous reactions leading to fire explosions, toxic gas leaks, regulatory penalties and overall inventory loss with adverse impact on operational expenses.
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Transit issues - Transit issues: Handling varieties of storage containers such as jerry cans, jumbo bags, barrels, tins and IBCs poses risks of spillage and accidents during transit. ESD generated during material movement can spark fire.
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Manual tracking - In 2024, 41% warehouses held hazardous chemicals, and 37% warehouses held flammable chemicals & are growing at 9.10% CAGR through 2030, manual inventory tracking in such cases can cause poor real-time batch traceability, resulting in storage inefficiencies and safety risks.
Industry challenges
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Waste & Recycling Challenges - Hazardous waste and by-products need separate, secure storage to avoid cross-contamination and safety risks. Improper recycling management can cause cross contamination, leading to environmental hazards and operational shutdowns.
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Operational Efficiency Challenges - Petrochemical plants struggle to manage buffer zones between cracking, distillation, and blending, leading to possibility of mix-ups and contamination resulting into regulatory non-compliance issues.
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Supply shortage - Chemical warehousing is expected to reach $108.55 billion by 2030, with a steady growth of 4.61% CAGR. Existing Warehouses must scale their storage and material handling capabilities to keep up with the demand.

Automation Solutions for Chemicals and Petrochemicals

Fixed and Flexible

Material Movement

Buffer Storage

Vertical Storage

Tracking Software

Digital Twin

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Our robots seamlessly connect with your existing bagging and production lines, enabling quick scaling with minimal downtime. Our AI enabled software can integrate with your MES and ERP software ensuring visibility across system. We use ESD-safe materials to store and handle temperature-sensitive chemicals safely, preventing contamination and VOC emissions for uninterrupted production and higher throughput.

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Our AMRs and anti-static conveyors with turn tables ensure safe inbound and outbound pallet transfers of containers and IBCs in climate-controlled environments, minimizing spillage and effectively handling large batches while ensuring regulatory compliance.

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Our shuttle systems (ASRS system) optimize petrochemical buffer zones by enabling precise, automated staging of intermediates between cracking, distillation, and blending processes. Modular racks scales to varying tank sizes and flows, reducing delays and contamination risks while boosting operational efficiency.

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Our Stacker Crane ASRS stores up to a height of 40m, enabling dense multi-deep storage and retrieval, for faster order processing of loads up to 1500 kgs. It boosts inventory transparency and improves stocking and re-ordering levels of inventory, helping to manage large volumes efficiently.

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Our AI-enabled WES provides real-time, batch-level tracking across chemical variants through Barcode/RFID, preventing mix-ups and ensuring high quality production. It optimizes inventory balance, avoiding overstock or shortages, and enabling efficient, uninterrupted chemical production.

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Our digital twin platform lets you simulate and understand the capacity usage by combining real-time data from existing operations with projected data from incoming inventory. This real–sim coexistence helps you test, analyze, and optimize the bottle necks in the virtual world before execution in the real one.

Solutions Finder

Your biggest challenge?
Hazardous materials require strict safety
Chemical storage requires complex intralogistics
Protocols and process for material movement and storage
Lack of skilled labor for handling complex SKUs
Criticality of hazardous inventory management

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Automate Chemical Warehousing for Enhanced Safety

Why Choose Addverb?

Empowering Industries with Automation

The Chemical Warehousing industry requires a safe and scalable automation solution, along with robust inventory tracking to comply with stringent regulations.

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Products for Chemicals and Petrochemicals

Our extensive product portfolio helps us design customised solutions for varying industry requirements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What factors determine the cost of automating a chemical or petrochemical warehouse?

    The cost depends on warehouse size, material type (flammable, corrosive, or temperature-sensitive), storage class, and safety compliance needs like ISO and ESD. Since chemical operations require strict segregation and hazard control, solutions are custom-engineered. For an exact cost estimate, please get in touch with our experts here.

  • How long does it take to implement warehouse automation for chemical facilities?

    Timelines vary by facility layout, safety zoning, and the level of automation (storage, handling, or dispatch). Modular systems such as automated pallet shuttles or guided vehicles can be implemented in phases within months, ensuring compliance with safety standards and smooth integration with existing or new WMS systems.

  • Can automation handle hazardous, corrosive, or temperature-sensitive materials safely?

    Yes. Addverb’s certified AMRs, explosion-proof conveyors, and temperature-controlled ASRS systems are designed for hazardous and sensitive chemicals. Our solutions maintain proper segregation, minimize human exposure, and ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.

  • How do Addverb solutions support segregation and compliance requirements?

    Our warehouse control systems enable strict zoning for incompatible substances and track each material’s storage conditions. Real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and air quality ensures adherence to ISO, ESD, and local regulatory standards for safe and compliant operations.

  • Can automation improve traceability and inventory accuracy in chemical logistics?

    Yes. Addverb’s WMS integrates with operations and labeling systems to provide real-time traceability from inbound raw materials to outbound dispatch. Each container or drum is barcoded/RFID-tagged for complete visibility, reducing errors, ensuring compliance, and supporting faster recalls when required.