As we all know, industrial countries all over the world have a greater demand for autonomous industrial vehicles (unmanned forklifts) than ever before. However, when it comes to deciding to support or oppose automation, many warehouse and logistics managers still look forward to a long and bumpy road. This is not an inevitable conclusion: here, this article shows you how to gradually implement automation with little effort and ultimately improve productivity.
Since the material handling process of most small and medium-sized enterprises is still manual (manned), there is a high demand for AGV / AMR. And there are many possibilities: unmanned forklifts are suitable for pallet transportation, block storage, storage and retrieval in elevated warehouses, and routing solutions. Tractors, transporters, pallets, stackers or forward forklifts are used for this purpose.
Automation of material handling -- making the goal easier to achieve
The buzzword "smart factory" is as old as the need for more digitization. But what does it actually mean when it is applied to the use of automatic material handling vehicles? In most cases, the answer is to achieve some goals, such as improving the flow of materials within the company, improving the safety of processes and their own employees, and reducing damage to equipment and infrastructure.
Imagine: if an employee carries an average of 250 pallets in a working day, what effect can an unmanned forklift that can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for a short charging time? There is no doubt that unmanned handling tools, including AGV / AMR, operate accurately without physical fatigue or sick leave. In addition, when the number of routine standard tasks completed manually becomes less and less, it is more and more likely to assign their employees to more complex and higher value-added activities, and leave the rest to the machine.
Therefore, the overall goal of warehouse automation should be to create added value for employees and companies. But why do many people still hesitate, because this is obviously a win-win situation. And if the cost problem can be solved quickly within an average return on investment time of two years?
The advantages of driverless material handling are clear at a glance
● optimize production: due to the improvement of efficiency, timely delivery and continuous 24 / 7 production.
● minimize material losses: reduce the cost of damage to machines, products and infrastructure.
● improve work safety: benefit from the complex safety system of people and machines.
● return on Investment: most systems recover costs in one to three years.
● manual operability: the automatic industrial vehicle can be operated manually in case of emergency, such as WLAN failure.
Gradual automation: reduce workload and improve productivity
Let's return to the question of whether automation as a large project involves a lot of effort. The answer is: not necessarily. Key words: Automate in stages.
Therefore, you can test automation from all angles with the initial project of production mode. If the use of driverless material handling is effectively and smoothly carried out in "small-scale" operations, it can be flexibly expanded to the required level as needed.
First, it is sufficient to realize simple and repeated material handling from a to B - for example, from manufacturing machines to assembly. If all this goes well and the manual process works well, the automatic handling from assembly to warehouse can follow. The next steps can include all routes from pallet handling to final goods release.
In this way, the manual warehouse is gradually transformed into a semi-automatic warehouse until the obstacles that may seem insurmountable at first are overcome and become a fully automated warehouse. Since initial investment does not require a particularly high financial advantage - it is usually possible to achieve significant high productivity with little effort.
Instead of embarking on a large project, start taking small steps now.
Progressive automation improves acceptance
The acceptance of employees, work committees, safety experts and stakeholders plays a decisive role in the success of automation projects. It is best to communicate upcoming changes as openly as possible. It's even better to let employees experience the argument of communication without being overwhelmed by it.
This is exactly what happens with gradual automation: small steps to ensure that the comfort zone does not expand too much. Employees have the opportunity to become familiar with automation. They soon noticed that their work became easier and safer, and they also benefited from more flexible working hours because driverless systems can work in several shifts.
Automated forklifts have also created new freedoms that can be used for more complex and higher value-added activities. Therefore, the investment in automation is always the investment in the long-term protection of the site and work.
Our suggestion: ask your employees to give personal names to their new colleagues. You'll see that this little trick actually increases acceptance.
Automatic forklift -- brief description of project preparation
Regardless of the scale of the project and whether it is an existing or new environment, careful planning and clean implementation are crucial to ensure the smooth and economical progress of the step-by-step automation process. When using the automatic guided vehicle to realize automation, the following points should be considered;
● evaluation of their own requirements and conditions.
● record and analyze all processes on site.
● review existing capabilities and develop budget concepts.
● conduct risk assessment.
● definition of system specifications.
● consider the requirements of construction / improvement, etc.
Depending on the number of steps involved, the implementation of a project takes 6 to 12 months. A system that can be integrated into the company's own logistics process alone is expected to achieve the greatest success. Moreover, it works automatically in long-distance transportation and several shifts.
Seamless integration of driverless material handling system
It is important to combine the existing process with automation in a seamless way, and it is also important to combine it with the existing forklift system in a fast step.
Integration through natural or reflector based navigation systems: reflector based navigation is for reflectors installed in the warehouse environment, while natural navigation is for fixed objects in space. The combination of the two technologies (dual navigation) is also possible.
In the layout of distributed contact charging station: AGV automatically goes to the nearest charging station when necessary, stops there and charges its lithium battery independently.
Integration with process and system: in production, it is possible to integrate with PLC through I / O link, robot, material processing, etc. If the customer's WMS is also to be integrated into the automation system, the existing interfaces must be perfectly combined.
Combination with people: the safety system can detect people's obstacles, reduce the speed, and stop the forklift immediately when necessary.
Built in visualization: a clear dashboard provides a complete view of the system - it allows real-time monitoring of activities and access to company specific key performance indicators.
Supply and service model as automation assets
If you plan to invest in automated forklifts to increase productivity, you should trust a supplier who can provide you with complete solutions in software, hardware and services.
Even if automation is a step-by-step process, it is ultimately worth having a reliable partner around you who can provide a complete solution from a competent hand when necessary. This should include analysis, planning, implementation in existing infrastructure, comprehensive data management, and services such as downstream support or predictive maintenance.
About predictive maintenance: predictive maintenance provides an active maintenance method based on real-time data - before expensive downtime occurs.
Is artificial intelligence and Internet of things the future of material handling?
As you can see, the automatic material handling system can improve the material flow within the company and significantly improve productivity. Instead of embarking on a big project, take small steps from today. But what about tomorrow?
We believe that artificial intelligence and the Internet of things are the future of automated material handling. Enterprises, including Toyota material handling company, an industrial vehicle giant, have made positive exploration in this regard.
For several years, Toyota material handling has been working closely with Microsoft to find and implement solutions. The common vision pursued by "Toyota artificial intelligence team logistics" is based on teamwork in the network: through direct communication with each other, forklifts with artificial intelligence can always determine the best route and the best use of resources.
As far as we know, almost the top ten forklift manufacturers in the world have equipped all forklifts in self driving factories with integrated telematics systems for data transmission. Forklift fleets can be networked to avoid resource waste and downtime. Can all these help shape the future of logistics?
