AGVs Archives

Open Door to Future of Industrial Automation

Posted on 5 July, 202325 July, 2025 by David Priestman

At the SPS manufacturing event in Parma, Italy, Bonfiglioli presented technologies including its mechatronic solutions for industrial automation, packaging and intralogistics, robotics and IoT.

The flow pack packaging process requires automatic machines that can keep up with high production rates, for which Bonfiglioli offers a wide range of compact, modular, dynamic and high-precision drive and control solutions for both horizontal and vertical forming, filling and sealing machines. These include the package on display during the three-day event, featuring a TQ in-line high precision planetary gearbox combined with a BMD permanent magnet synchronous servomotor and AxiaVert smart inverter, the latter characterised by high application versatility. In addition, the company is able to ensure maximum handling speed for finished products during the palletization process thanks to a solution that incorporates our BMD synchronous servomotor, Series A right-angle gear unit and ANG Series servo inverter.

Two intralogistics solutions were also presented at the fair. The first solution for post & parcel use and airport baggage handling systems consisted of a compact right-angle Series A gear unit available in a wide torque range, the IE4-certified BSR synchronous reluctance motor – an ecological and high-performance product thanks to the absence of magnets, and a DGM MPM decentralized inverter with sensorless vector operation for optimal dynamics control. The second solution designed for roller conveyors combined the EVOX CP helical in-line gearbox with smooth surface that can be fitted to any machine thanks to its compatibility with market standards, the MXN asynchronous low-voltage e-motor (IE3) developed to be modular, reliable, energy efficient and internationally certified, and a DGM MPM sensorless inverter.

Visitors got an up-close look at the two successful applications designed in partnership with Modula S.p.a. and I.DE S.r.l., for which Bonfiglioli has developed complete and tailor-made technical solutions.

The latest frontier in mobile collaborative robotics applications

Bonfiglioli also showcased its technologies for Cartesian, delta and articulated robots, the latter solution consisting of a custom precision planetary gearbox and servomotor developed for ABB.
Still in the field of mobile robotics applications, there was a strong interest in BlueRoll: the platform of high-performing wheel-mounted gearmotors for AGVs and AMRs with an ultra-compact and energy-efficient design for a long operating cycle. The modular drive system comes in three configurations, Basic, Advanced and Compact, with a customisable single gearbox load ranging from 360 to 1020 kg and a maximum speed of 2m/s.

Bonfiglioli’s IoT enables condition monitoring and predictive maintenance

Downtime, sudden breakdowns, high maintenance costs, short life spans and collateral damage to assets are some of the greatest issues faced by industrial machinery manufacturers and operators. As a technological partner, the Bologna-based group offers condition monitoring and predictive maintenance services, as well as post-sales assistance. Bonfiglioli responds to customer needs to monitor the general status of gearboxes and motors with its IoT platform, thanks to the presence of sensors capable of measuring performance, consumption and cycle times by monitoring significant parameters such as vibrations or temperature. The predictive maintenance service, on the other hand, helps prevent damage and downtime by making key data accessible to predict technical assistance interventions in advance.

“We have designed specific sensors for Bonfiglioli motors and gearboxes,” commented Marco Bertoldi – Global Sales & Business Development Director at Bonfiglioli. “The recent acquisition of Selcom Group S.p.A. has allowed us to expand our knowledge of engineering and design for the integration of electronics into our mechanical solutions, enhancing our offer of turnkey mechatronic solutions”, he concluded, highlighting the advantages of this collaboration, with the customised DC-DC converter and display for Toyota and the customised PLC for Robopack also on display.

The Bonfiglioli Group undertakes to reduce the environmental impact of all stages along its supply chain, limiting the energy consumption of factories and plants, while developing and promoting solutions for green economy sectors such as wind power, recycling and photovoltaics. Our environmental commitment translates into innovative energy efficiency solutions and products with a low environmental impact, as we ensure a responsible supply chain: our research and development teams constantly strive to explore new ways to reduce environmental impact and create products with a reduced carbon footprint. In the 4.0 area at SPS dedicated to sustainability, the EVOX ecosystem, featuring the CP range of high-performance coaxial gear units, BXN IE3 asynchronous motors and Agile series inverters, is ideal for applications that require precision and flexibility.

AGV System for Irish Chemical Industry

Posted on 9 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

ek robotics has announced an automation and logistics deal with Chemco Group. The company will realize the automation of the central warehouse in Dublin with three different types of transport robots.

Chemco Ireland Limited is a comprehensive chemical solutions provider. They work in partnership with some of the world’s largest companies, providing expertise, world-class efficiency, and transparent operations. With the goal of making the intralogistics processes in the central warehouse in Dublin more cost-efficient, the family-owned company chose an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system from ek robotics. In 2024, a transport robot fleet of nine AGVs will be used in the central warehouse. Four SMART MOVE narrow-aisle trucks, three VARIO MOVE and one HEAVY MOVE as well as another VARIO MOVE for the new building at the Dublin site will be responsible for the automated storage and retrieval of goods in the existing racking system in a three-shift system with transfer heights of 10 meters.

“We were looking at ways to make our warehouse logistics more cost-efficient, while maintaining our smooth and quality distribution and storage for our clients. We decided that automation was the way to go, and we had discussions with ek robotics. Since then, we haven’t looked back and we’re looking forward to the implementation of the Automated Guided Vehicles”, says Jamie McDonald, Operations Manager at Chemco. Graham German, Project Director at ek robotics UK, said: “This project has been a completely collaborative partnership and we have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Chemco to reach the perfect automated solution. We expect all our trucks to arrive on site at Chemco in around a year’s time at the end of 2023, with the fully automated operation commissioned and in action towards 2024.” Chris Price, Managing Director of ek robotics UK, added: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Chemco. We love challenges, which is why we wanted to get involved in the chemical industry – something we haven’t done before in the UK business – whilst also working with an excellent company such as Chemco. “We’re glad that Chemco have not only chosen automation, but they’ve also chosen to partner with ek robotics. This is another great step forward for our business.”

About ek robotics

ek robotics is the world’s leading manufacturer and system integrator of innovative high-tech transport robotics for production and warehouse logistics. At five locations in Europe (Rosengarten, Germany, headquarters), Reutlingen (Germany), Milan (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic) and Buckingham (UK), the transport robotics specialist with more than 300 employees creates intelligent, networked and flexible transport solutions for the fully automated, in-plant material flow of its global customers. With 60 years of experience in design, development, manufacturing, integration, turnkey delivery, and support throughout the entire lifecycle of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), ek robotics is among the technical elite in this fast-growing industry of the future.

Mushiny Robotics Gains European Presence

Posted on 6 January, 202325 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Mushiny, a leading supplier of complete solutions for the use of autonomous mobile robots, is consistently continuing its successful entry into the European market by establishing its own branch offices. Mushiny Robotics Europe GmbH, headquartered in the Lower Saxon municipality of Stuhr near Bremen, is making a start.

“With the important logistics location of Bremen in the neighbourhood and excellent transport links to the ports along the North Sea coast, we now have the ideal base to provide users of our products with optimum support in every respect,” explains Thomas Li, Co-Founder of Mushiny Robotics Europe GmbH. “From here, we can develop highly efficient AMR solutions in close customer contact, and in the future, interested parties will also be able to see for themselves the performance of Mushiny products in a showroom,” Li continues.

Mushiny specializes in creating highly efficient solutions for warehouse logistics, focusing on the use of autonomous mobile robots (AMR). Following the goods-to-person principle, Mushiny links warehouse management and ERP systems to AMR fleet management via AI software. Instead of just following predefined routes within a warehouse or production hall, Mushiny robots, as self-learning AMR systems, can independently optimize routing and thus logistics processes on an ongoing basis. The size of the robot fleet is easily scalable and can comprise more than 1,000 AMR units in individual cases. To control the complex operations, Mushiny develops individually configured Robot Management Systems (RMS), which can also be seamlessly integrated into existing logistics environments. Meanwhile, the recently introduced and industry-leading “Mushiny Xihe iRMS” solution is a new generation RMS whose use increases the operational efficiency of a warehouse logistics system by three to five times.

AMR Supplier

Founded in 2016, Mushiny has quickly become the world’s leading provider of AI-driven AMR systems for a wide range of applications in goods and cargo logistics. The company is headquartered in the Suzhou Industrial Park north of Shanghai in the Chinese province of Jiangsu.

In addition to establishing its own subsidiary in Germany, Mushiny 2023 will also participate with its own presentations at the Hannover Messe (April 17-21) and LogiMAT in Stuttgart (April 25-27).

New Jungheinrich MD Eyes Opportunities

Posted on 6 January, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Paul Lynam has been named the new Managing Director of Jungheinrich UK, an industry-leading intralogistics supplier. It is a role he will combine with his current position as MD of Jungheinrich Ireland, a position he has held for the last two years. Lynam is on a mission to help businesses dependent on material handling/intralogistics respond to a fast-changing world. The appointment occurs at a critical moment within the intralogistics industry, and he is excited to have the reins of both companies at such a pivotal time.

“The sector is on the cusp of major change,” he explained. “We are at the start of a period where the impact of global megatrends such as electrification, digitisation, sustainability and globalisation will mean a lot of change and opportunity for our customers, and we will have to adapt to meet that demand.”

Driving and responding to change

“We’re seeing more automation coming into play,” said Paul, examining the real-world impact of change. “The technology is advancing and the effect of that is that you are creating choices for the consumer and the supply chain. The supply chain can do it the way they’ve always done it, or they can do it in a way that harnesses new technology and futureproofs their business.

“Our customers are changing, but they are changing at different paces and in different ways. We must change our approach to deal with that. That starts with the products that we’re providing (for example, if you create an autonomous truck, you don’t need to design a comfortable seat for an eight-hour shift because there’s no driver) but it effects every element of our operation, from the people we recruit to how we sell to how we develop the brand.”

Championing Environmentality

Jungheinrich is no newcomer to sustainability—it is an organisation with 70 years of expertise in electromobility. Yet the company’s EcoVadis platinum certification combined with the launch of Environmentality, Jungheinrich’s approach to tackling climate change head on, was a step change in the company’s approach to carbon neutrality. It struck a chord with Paul, who will be leading Jungheinrich UK’s journey towards net zero.

“Jungheinrich is taking the issue of sustainability very seriously and we are seeing this not just in new legislation but in the demands of the customer base.”

Those shifting demands are impacting every element of the Jungheinrich UK operation.

“We are developing our proposition with respect to the environmental footprint of our trucks both during the manufacturing and in the longer-term operational lifecycle. Not only are we leading the way in the lithium ion segment but we also have the Powerline range of trucks with a smaller physical footprint and zero carbon footprint to the point of delivery across the range.”

Journey of change

Central to Jungheinrich’s continued success are its people, and there’s one facet of Jungheinrich that struck Paul from his first day with the company.

“This is a business with a lot of long-serving and passionate employees who know everything about forklifts,” he said. “It seems to run throughout the organisation. Everywhere you go there are lots of people with 20+ years’ service and some have close to double that. I believe this is a sign that the company has been doing things very well, but it is equally a company that sees the world is changing and is inviting and enabling customers to go on this journey of change with us.

“The UK is in my opinion one of the flagship units within the global Jungheinrich organisation and the UK is a major economy. The opportunity to continue the development of the business here in the UK was one of those opportunities that don’t come around too often. Despite the current local and global economic challenges, it’s a good time to be in the industry.”

Jungheinrich UK Ltd is one of the top three leading intralogistics providers in the UK, generating a turnover of over £200 million annually. With a team of more than 800 dedicated and highly experienced employees operating from four locations across the UK, Jungheinrich offers the industry’s widest range of intralogistics solutions, including high energy efficiency pallet trucks, stackers, counterbalance trucks, order pickers and more in 600+ truck variants, new or fully refurbished.

A full intralogistics solutions provider, Jungheinrich excels in automation, racking systems, warehouse planning and financial services and operates one of the largest forklift rental fleets in the UK, all connected by a 500-employee strong customer service support network.

The company is a division of the Jungheinrich AG Group, which has direct sales companies in 40 countries and operates through a partner network in a further 80 countries. Jungheinrich employs 19,000 people worldwide and generated consolidated revenue of €4.2 billion in 2021.

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