Method for operating a storage facility without lifts

A method of operating a storage facility, the storage facility having a plurality of storage racks, each storage rack having a plurality of storage rack levels for storage of transportation units, wherein the storage racks are adjacent a first aisle on one side thereof and a second, neighboring/adjacent aisle on its opposed side thereof, wherein for each aisle more than one storage and removal apparatus is provided, transportation units are placed into the storage racks and removed from the storage racks via the storage and removal apparatuses and a direct horizontal exchange of transportation units takes place from the first aisle to the neighboring/adjacent aisle via exchange locations within the storage racks, wherein each storage and removal apparatus itself actively horizontally moves the transportation units in the exchange locations, said method comprising:

• arranging each storage and removal apparatus to have a vertical operating range from an uppermost level to a lowermost level and adapted to service more than one storage rack level in its respective aisle and that each aisle has enough of said storage and removal apparatuses to access all storage rack levels of an aisle;
• and
• vertically offsetting or staggering the vertical operating range of each storage and removal apparatus of the first aisle in relation to the vertical operating range of each corresponding storage and removal apparatus of the second neighboring/adjacent aisle wherein the uppermost level of each storage and removal apparatus of the first aisle is above the uppermost level of each corresponding storage and removal apparatus of the second, neighboring/adjacent aisle and the lowermost level of each storage and removal apparatus of the first aisle is above the lowermost level of each corresponding storage and removal apparatus of the second, neighboring/adjacent aisle, wherein the transportation units can be vertically and horizontally routed through the aisles via a storage and removal apparatus of the first aisle and horizontally routed through the storage rack levels to a corresponding storage and removal apparatus of the second, neighboring/adjacent aisle without lifts by being actively exchanged between aisles and storage rack levels by use of the storage and removal apparatuses only.