No question, there are some pretty impressive high-speed automated storage and retrieval systems out there today. But apparently, they're all about to be eclipsed by the giant semi-automatic picking and storage system that has just been commissioned by the luxury apparel manufacturer and retailer Hugo Boss.

Boss has contracted with Austria's Knapp AG to automate its new distribution center in Filderstadt bei Stuttgart, Germany. According to Knapp, the 400,000-storage-location OSR Shuttle will be the world's largest system of its kind.

The OSR Shuttle will be the centerpiece of a 251,000-square-foot logistics center Hugo Boss plans to open in 2014 near the Stuttgart airport. The high-throughput system allows storage of full cases and immediate availability of items after putaway. Picking will be carried out via a goods-to-person procedure.

The shuttle system's flexibility will enable the company to react swiftly to changes in the market as well as to the demands of different sales channels, Knapp officials said.