Automated Guided Vehicle

AGVs can be implemented into warehousing and production facilities with little to no disruption to ongoing processes. Unlike traditional conveyor systems, AGV routes can follow the same paths as manually operated forklifts. After implementation, these paths can still be used as throughways for operators and other equipment.

AGVs require that their paths be mapped and programmed. Depending on the exact technology deployed, this may require guide wires or QR-code appliques attached to fixed infrastructure. Once installed, these paths can be easily and quickly reconfigured, making AGVs one of the most flexible material handling solutions on the market.

The nature of the improvements to health and safety a facility will realize depends on their current processes. Generally speaking, the manual transportation of heavy goods, and the operation of heavy machinery, are among the most dangerous activities in warehousing and production facilities. By incorporating industrial automated guided vehicles into its processes, facilities eliminate the risk of injuries and damages associated with operator error.

AGVs are programmed to follow specific routes and to interact with product in precise ways, with little room for variance. They do not miss their turn and clip infrastructure, they do not turn too quickly and topple loads and, if confronted with an unexpected obstacle (such as a pedestrian or other equipment), they are equipped with a suite of safety features that enables them to stop quickly to prevent injury or damage.

AGVs can both fill gaps in a labor pool and enable operators to do more work, more easily and more accurately. Operators no longer have to move heavy pallets with manual jacks, and they don’t have to wait for slow-moving robotic carts. AGVs can move at the pace needed to balance loads across a facility’s different processes, maximizing productivity and minimizing cycle times.

Depending on the exact nature of the application, AGVs can eliminate unproductive time operators might otherwise spend walking to or from pick faces or parts storage. And they can deliver goods where the goods are needed, when they are needed, and at an ergonomic height for the operator.

AGVs offer a safe and efficient automated solution to trailer loading and unloading. They can be programmed with loading patterns that optimize the efficiency of the loading and unloading processes, and help balance processes up and down stream.

With laser or optical navigation, they can pick up and place loads precisely, eliminating damages and creating a safer work environment than manually operated forklifts.

AGVs are connected to a Warehouse Management System (WMS), which controls the vehicle’s movement and tracks the location of its goods. This helps improve inventory management, as the entire warehouse’s catalog of goods is kept up to date in real time. AGVs can either move pallets of goods directly into warehousing or to staging or flex areas.

Properly tooled, AGVs can deposit goods on inbound conveyors or remove goods from outbound conveyors. Or, they can be equipped with forks to lift single- or double-pallet loads.

The basic function of an AGV is to move goods over routes that are repetitive and programmable. This removes that burden, and its associated costs and risks, from manual operators.

In large facilities, or business parks with multiple buildings, AGVs can form the backbone of goods transportation, moving pallets long distances efficiently and economically, and freeing up operators to focus on more value-adding tasks.

The same features that enable AGVs to efficiently slot goods in storage — their precision, speed, and safety — also makes them ideal for bringing goods from storage to operators. In manufacturing, they might be used to bring raw materials or parts to line operators. In a warehouse environment, they are commonly used to bring product to a picking station.

AGVs can then be used to bring a finished order to a packing station and on to receiving.