Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are finding a growing number of applications within manufacturing companies of all shapes and sizes. The Manufacturer Editor, Joe Bush, sat down with James Jones, Partner at AGV manufacturer, MasterMover, winner of The Manufacturer MX Awards Product Innovation & Design category 2023, to find out more.
MasterMover’s range of electric tugs deliver safe, controlled movement of heavy-wheeled loads to a variety of industrial and manufacturing sectors all over the world to eliminate manual handling, protect people and improve operational efficiency.
The company’s wide product range can move anything from 500kg up to several hundred tonnes and, as the range grows and expands, the company is also incorporating a growing level of sophistication and technology into its offering.
“We’ve been designing and installing AGVs for several years,” commented James. “So for anyone looking to deploy AGVs on their sites, we can offer a number of key learnings and top tips to help installation, and help manufacturers get to a successful operational state as quickly as possible.”
A ‘guided’ history
Manufacturing is constantly looking for new ways to innovate, and to produce better, safer and more efficient outcomes and operational benefits. And, although AGVs have been around for some time, modern technology is changing the shape and crucially, the capabilities of these vehicles. As such, they can play a significant role in solving operational efficiency challenges that manufacturers are currently facing.
James explained that traditional AGV technologies would have included magnetic tape on factory floors and inducted wires being used to enable navigation. However, today, MasterMover’s AGVs are able to navigate from the natural environment, meaning manufacturers don’t have to install equipment into the floor for the vehicle to know where it is, and where it’s going. The software behind them is constantly improving and becoming more readily available.
The sectors that are deploying AGVs is also changing. Traditional AGV deployment has typically been centred around lightweight, high volume manufacturing such as food and beverage. However, through the deployment and growth in the market, more heavy industrial manufacturing plants are now benefiting from AGVs and moving away from fixed automation infrastructure.
“We’re seeing a huge amount of interest in AGVs,” James added. “Everyone’s looking to improve operational efficiency, and AGVs can help. The motivation behind AGV deployment is also hugely varied.
“Some customers have a clear ROI target and that will be their area of focus, while others might be looking for secondary benefits such as positional accuracy, efficiency or simply want to use the latest technology available in manufacturing processes. They may even be experiencing a shortage of labour availability in their region due to the current employment market.
“So, there’s benefits everywhere. And I think manufacturers from all over the world are starting to broaden the reasons and benefits for looking towards AGVs and automated solutions.”
MasterMover’s AGVs are equipped with BlueBotics’ ANTdriven technology, leveraging advanced navigation and control systems to achieve autonomous movement. ANT (Autonomous Navigation Technology) natural feature technology enables precise localisation and mapping. This technology allows AGVs to navigate within complex environments and avoid obstacles through a virtual path.
The ANTdriven system supports seamless integration with existing infrastructure, facilitating smooth communication between AGVs and centralised control systems. “We can also work with customers to provide different types of AGV navigation technology (e.g. line following, satellite GNSS outdoor navigation) depending on their specific requirements,” James added.
Applications
Any product that is being moved around a site has the potential to have an AGV involved in the process. In terms of where they can be deployed, they have the capability to be integrated into part of the main production line – creating flow lines where before, there may have existed rigid, fixed tracks, cranes and process equipment.
The same can be achieved with a fleet of AGVs creating more modular and scalable flow line potential. There is also the option to have AGVs playing sideline roles within a main production line e.g., collecting kitting or ancillary parts and delivering them to the line.
“There’s now huge scope with AGVs,” James continued. “Historically, they were very much geared towards lightweight warehousing (we’ve all seen footage of Amazon factories where parcels are moved around in a very clever way using large fleets of small scale AGVs).
“However, big, heavy automotive plants, for example, can now also achieve that same benefit. As AGVs have become bigger, more powerful, and the physical vehicle capacity has increased, so their field of application has broadened.”
The evolution of AGV technology has been marked by significant advancements in sensor capabilities. These improvements have enhanced AGVs’ ability to operate in dynamic environments and adapt to changing conditions such as outdoor weather or slopes. Likewise, as the technology continues to evolve, adjusting routes is becoming even easier.
Traditionally, AGVs have been limited to indoor operations where floor conditions are smooth and typically dry. “More and more, we’re seeing that our customers want to automate processes beyond the factory door – for example, building-tobuilding movements or yard applications,” James continued.
“Our AGVs are available with impressive GNSS outdoor navigation technology as well as a rugged design that ensures weather protection and consistent performance.”
Problems and pitfalls
As is the case when deploying any new technologies, some manufacturers are apprehensive about ROI, are risk averse and can get stuck in ‘pilot purgatory’ as they struggle to move technology from smaller trials to full scale deployment.
However, MasterMover is well-placed to assess the common mistakes that operations make when trying to deploy AGVs, and James offered some top tips on how to make deployment a success.
A fundamental point is that good product specification is a must. So, for the product to work – not only on day or year one, but five years down the line – the product has to be designed correctly.
“At MasterMover, we place a huge emphasis on vehicle design so that the product itself is capable of dealing with the physical world. So, within the operating environment, knowing if there are uneven floors, slopes, expansion gaps, or anything that can impact product performance, is really important. We have seen other sites struggle with vehicle design and durability, so getting the product specification right is key.”
Furthermore, James warned that while having a great product is paramount, installation is also crucial. He added that the best way to achieve this is through a staged process – create a good solid team between the customer and the supplier and roll out installation gradually.
“For example, we’ve created a highly automated system with Toyota,” James added. “We’ve developed a very complicated system but the process of getting there was very simple. We ran the AGV out of hours, built customer confidence and achieved a big win where the customer enjoyed seeing the product in operation.
“We then brought it alongside other pieces of equipment within production hours. That staged integration process has meant we’ve been able to achieve wins all the way through the process – management and everyone else at the company has bought into it as a result. Both ourselves and the customer felt really empowered.
“It was an enjoyable installation journey, so a big tip from us is to stage the installation process, and don’t get too far ahead. Get some wins under your belt, and allow the supplier and the customer to enjoy them. You can then get to the end result a lot faster. Fundamentally, that’s worked well for us and it’s meant that we’ve been able to deploy more AGVs on those sites.”
Whether it’s replicating an existing process or bringing something new to the table, when a MasterMover AGV goes into site, it is set up with millimetre accuracy which is highly repeatable, with AGVs capable of hitting the same mark time after time. And if that site is working three, 24/7 shifts, there are huge efficiency gains to be had. In addition, AGVs also have the added bonus of enabling manufacturers to redeploy human labour into more value-add activities.
What does the future of AGVs look like?
With the future factory, Industry 4.0 and ever smarter systems and technology, manufacturing infrastructure is becoming more and more integrated, and AGVs have a big role to play in that future. And MasterMover is seeing the technology spin out, with heavy industry now wanting to enjoy the same AGV-related benefits which were previously the sole domain of high volume manufacturing.
Traditionally, if a manufacturer had an area of collection which product had to move through, there may well have been a fixed infrastructure which would have involved huge capital upfront investment. And as such, the company would have to achieve a certain number of production units out of that piece of equipment to get the payback.
“The beauty of AGVs is that they can grow,” James added. “You can start small, add more into the fleet when they are required, and you can halve your takt time (the rate at which a product needs to be completed in order to meet customer demand) by putting a second AGV into a single operation. They’re a lot more flexible, deployable and you can move them between sites.
“We speak to customers that will set up a production facility with a view to only being there for a year or two, as they have plans to move to a bigger site. However, if that’s the case the AGV system can move with them. There’s modularity around the nature of an AGV style solution.
“As we have such a big existing fleet of product installed with customers all over the world, we know there’s lots of conversations around how those products could be used in an automated way. We’re really enjoying the growth opportunity to go back to existing customers and talk about how can we help automate a process that has perhaps been manually operated for years.
“An operator can add a lot of value driving around collecting parts in an area. But if they then have a 150-200 metre walk out to the production line, that’s not valueadd. If an AGV can be deployed to go to the line, deliver its parts and come back, the operators can stay in the right areas and reduce traffic on-site.”
Case study – Toyota
Toyota has increased its efficiency through the use of MasterMover’s AGVs. Toyota engineers at the Burnaston plant – a major manufacturing centre in the UK – identified waste in the production and transfer of resin back doors.
Previously, resin back doors were loaded onto dolly trains to facilitate transfers throughout the facility. This transfer process involved an operator continuously driving back and forth while towing laden dolly trains throughout production stages, a process that was both inefficient and costly to Toyota.
The driving process was completed using a ride-on-tow tractor and a licensed driver. That meant each shift needed dedicated resources for the transportation process. Identifying this as a non-value adding activity and an area of waste, Toyota wanted to investigate automating the driving process to maximise efficiency.
Toyota’s essential requirements steered its selection criteria, and the company identified four key requirements for its AGV system, which would need to efficiently drive through the facility; interact and mix with other plant traffic; navigate through heavily pedestrianised areas; and seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure, processes and systems.
Toyota selected MasterMover’s AGV300 TOW, an autonomous solution that would fully automate its driving processes and slimline the transportation of resin backdoors.
“MasterMover were one of the few suppliers willing to customise and change the design of their core products specifically for our application,” said Kevin Jones, Principle Engineer, Assembly Engineering, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK.
Featuring intuitive, natural navigation, the AGV300 TOW is designed to follow a standardised route and deliver the repeatable movement of dollies. The AGV is programmed to stop at specific transfer points. Once it reaches a transfer point, the AGV300 TOW sends a signal to the door transfer system to automatically load the fabricated doors onto the individual dollies. Once the transfer of parts is complete, the AGV takes its command to move to the next station.
“A key point of the process is that the AGV needs to be able to stop very accurately at the transfer points and it can do that repeatedly,” added Kevin. “The AGV runs for around 16 hours a day; each route it runs is around 500 metres and every year it covers around 5,000 miles delivering resin back doors. It has a very busy route, mixing with other production traffic, and it also has to cross an external roadway where shunters and lorries have to pass through.”
Having been in place for two years, the AGV300 TOW has delivered a return on investment and enabled Toyota to unlock greater efficiency and reduce waste. The introduction of the AGV system has enabled Toyota to improve productivity and repurpose operatives to activities with a greater value-add.
“Our members are really confident with our AGV, in particular its safe operation. It’s been running for around two years and during that time we’ve had no safety incidents,” added Ryan Oakley, Engineer, Assembly Engineering, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK.
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