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Tag: Materials Handling

Toyota expands reach truck range

Posted on by David Priestman

Toyota Material Handling has announced two further additions to the BT Reflex reach truck range. Following the recent updates to the R, E and O-series of BT Reflex machines, the narrow chassis N-series – an ideal truck for confined spaces – has been further improved, while cold-store versions of the R, E and N-series are also now offered.

The BT Reflex N-series is a compact truck designed for use at sites where space is restricted, loads are block stacked or drive-in racking is a feature.

The upgraded N-series comes in two capacities – 1.4 and 1.6 tonnes – while the lift height has been increased to 10 metres. Meanwhile, the new cold store BT Reflex models can lift to a height of 13 metres and are available in five capacities – 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 tonnes.

Designed to deliver optimum performance in temperatures as low as -30°C, the standard cold store version has an open cab, however, an isolated heated cabin option is also available.

Both the new narrow N-series and the cold store trucks benefit from a simple-to-use colour touchscreen display and are ergonomically designed with all controls within easy reach for maximum operator comfort.

Featuring lithium-ion battery technology, the new N-Series and cold store trucks are equipped with Toyota’s I_Site fleet management system.

Gary Ison, Sales Training and Product Development Manager, Toyota Material Handling UK, commented: “The latest additions to our class-leading reach truck range bring further benefits to more customer applications. The new BT Reflex machines guarantee a very intuitive and interactive driving experience and deliver highly intelligent energy-saving solutions.”

 

 

Delta presents comprehensive packaging automation

Posted on by David Priestman

Delta, a world-class provider of industrial automation solutions, will be presenting a full range of automation products for the packaging industry at this year’s Hispack in Barcelona. Echoing the need for the packing industry, Delta presents the new AX-308E CODESYS-based motion controller, the ASDA-B3 series servo system, 6-axis articulated robots and SCARA robots, to highlight its comprehensive portfolio of automation products from devices, software, to monitoring solutions.

“For packaging manufacturers, fully automated control production has become the motivation and developing trend in the continuous growth of the packaging industry,” said Ernesto Miguel Reyes, Sales Head Iberia for Delta’s Industrial Automation Business Group. “We provide a total solution that offers the precise positioning, high-speed monitoring, and system stability that is required for the improvement in productivity in the packaging industry.”

SCARA Robot and Articulated 6-axis Robot

Delta’s industrial robots combine with peripheral devices to build quick, flexible, and highly precise automated production lines. The DRS series SCARA robots (pictured) offer high accuracy, linearity, and verticality with sensor-less compliance control, multiple teaching methods, and intuitive guidance. Many of the capabilities of the DRS series such as loading and unloading, pick-and-place, and packaging will be relevant to Hispack attendees.

Automatic process path planning for conveyor tracking processes, for instance, enables glue dispensing, deburring, and coating. Both standalone and workstation applications are possible to enable flexible modularised production lines.

Delta’s articulated robot DRV series has two different working ranges to fulfil a wide range of requirements and feature a hollow wrist design for enhanced cable reliability. Handling loads of up to 7kg, Delta DRV robot arms can be mounted to a ceiling, tabletop, or wall. Their compact design facilitates easy installation and rapid commissioning on the production line. DRA Studio (Delta Robot Automation Studio) robotic integration software makes project management convenient while providing instant feedback remote management and an intuitive coding environment.

AX series Motion Controllers

The AX motion controllers includes models suited for both motion and logic control applications and provide multiple communication ports. The multi-axis AX-308E can control up to eight EtherCAT servo drives, and supports a broad range of industrial communication protocols including EtherCAT. AX-3 series Motion CPUs can control a diverse range of automated equipment used in woodworking, printing, labelling, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and of course packaging. The AX-8 series motion controllers also use the CODESYS platform for easy programming of complex motion control routines.

ASDA-B3 series Servo System

The ASDA-B3 series servo systems offer user-friendly operation with precise motion control, safe torque off (STO), and responsiveness of up to 3.1kHz. It also features a 24-bit encoder to achieve positioning precision with a resolution of 46,603 pulses in a single degree. The ASDASoft GUI reduces commissioning time and makes troubleshooting faster. ASDA-B3 series servo drives are compatible ASDA-A2 series and ASDA-A3 series motors in addition to the latest-generation ECM-B3 series motors. The latter offer improved power density, stability, and stiffness while reducing and increasing torque and maximum speed in a footprint that takes up 40% less space.

Delta welcomes visitors seeking for a total packaging solutions with state-of-the art automation to visit booth D237 in Gran Via Venue, Barcelona, from 24 to 27 May.

 

 

IFOY FINALIST FOCUS: e.scala by Stow Robotics

Posted on by David Priestman

The latest product in our series examining each of the IFOY Award nominated finalists ahead of the winners announcement on 30th June at BMW World is the e.scala goods-to-person system entered by Belgian intralogistics specialist stow robotics.

IFOY category: Robot

e.scala is a highly standardised, robot-based goods-to-person system that replaces all the classic components of an automated storage system with a robot and thus enables a realisation time of just three months in addition to a significantly lower investment and lower running costs.

Description

The e.scala is a robot-based storage and order-picking system, whereby the robot moves in three dimensions in a storage cube and can easily reach any point in a warehouse or in production via a rail system. A patented ramp system enables the robots to move from storage level to storage level and to overcome height differences outside the storage cube. Due to the high flexibility of the robots, multiple workstation variants can be mapped very easily. This makes it possible to map almost every procedural customer requirement with standard modules.

The area of ​​application for e.scala is in small and medium-sized installations with a focus on applications in e-commerce, in production supply and on micro-fulfilment solutions. The high level of standardisation of the system makes it possible to automate even small requirements from 500 storage locations and thus enables full automation to be carried out significantly earlier compared to classic systems.

CLICK HERE to watch a video.

IFOY TEST REPORT

The manufacturer stow robotics is coming to the IFOY TEST DAYS in Dortmund with a demo system of a classic goods-to-person shuttle system, which was transported from the truck to the test hall in one go. The only moving part in the storage and picking system is the shuttle that moves on rails, which stow calls “robot”. Otherwise, the customer is supplied with pure redundancy. The strength of e.scala lies where it comes to entry into automation goes.

The USP of the installation is the fact that the complete system consists of only 15 different parts. However, only the “exciting” pre-storage zone is shown with three lines to get to four levels in the warehouse. How the system works is also stored in the product name: The “e” comes from escalator, i.e. an escalator. And the “scala” is intended to demonstrate the scalability. And something else very special is immediately noticeable: the entire installation does not require a vertical lift, i.e. no elevator: the individual aisles are accessed via sloping ramps, which significantly reduces the susceptibility to errors. The module on which the robot can change the direction of travel in order to move the goods to be transported into or out of the warehouse and, with or without goods to be transported, is called the “connector”.

In principle, the system is similar to a multi-storey car park, with the actual ordering system usually being outside the warehouse. The manufacturer attaches great importance to the redundancy of the system: The only thing that can break, according to its own statement, is the robot. But it doesn’t block the whole system. stow uses the 200-year-old concept of the railway. The transport robot has eight wheels: four for driving in the X direction, the other four move the robot in the Y direction after the wheel change. In principle, the entire structure only needs electricity twice: once for the charging station, where the individual robots can charge their power caps – with a charging time of eight seconds, they drive around for around twelve minutes – and once for the WiFi robot communication with the warehouse management system. That also means:

The individual modules of the e.scala system are 5m x 2.5m in size and are scalable. The system still tolerates a total height of 24m. The Stow Traffic Control (STC) knows when the robot drives over the built-in passive RFID tags in the respective section of the route. Some would call it a material flow system, while others would call it a warehouse control system.

e.scala is basically intended for use in small and medium-sized installations with a focus on applications in the e-commerce sector, in production supply and in micro-fulfilment solutions. Because the system is standardized to a high degree, even small requirements from 500 storage locations to be automated can be well served with it. Because the 15 basic components of the system and the robot can be delivered directly from stock, a complete system can be planned and implemented within a very short time. Even in the event of a robot breakdown, the availability of the system is extremely high, because the accessibility of every place in the system is secured at all times via multiple routes.

IFOY Test Verdict

The “charge on the fly” system of the robots, which can recharge their power caps at any time, guarantees customers 100 percent performance of this storage and picking system in 24/7 regular operation. Because for the automation of smaller systems, low initial investments and a later easy scalability are of great importance, e.scala is perfect for SMEs that don’t want to go “full” with their investment in automated intralogistics.

IFOY INNOVATION CHECK

Market relevance: With e.scala, Stow robotics is targeting small and medium-sized container-based warehouse automation solutions based on the goods-to-person principle, which are currently in particularly high demand in the growth sectors of e-commerce, micro-fulfilment and production supply. Economical use should already be possible from 500 storage locations or 250 square meters of floor space. e.scala has to compete with systems from Autostore and Exotec in this area. Market potential and relevance are expected to be high due to the special features of the system.

Customer benefit: The ramp system for changing the robots between the storage levels makes it possible to dispense with lifts, rigid conveyor technology and electrification of the storage area and thus achieve low system complexity with low investment, operating and maintenance costs. The standardization allows rapid implementation and commissioning within just three months. The storage cube can be scaled quite freely in terms of height, width and length and allows a certain degree of flexibility when choosing between storage density and capacity. The advantages over AutoStore are the higher payload, faster response time, higher throughput and better redundancy. In certain configurations, even higher storage densities should be achievable.

Novelty: The innovation consists above all in the low system complexity caused by the use of the ramps. The robots are the only actuated units in the storage structure, which makes the solution extremely scalable at a moderate cost. In addition, there is increased redundancy since each container in the system can be reached via multiple paths. Containers can be flexibly sequenced at three points in the system, but this is not an innovation compared to other systems. The charging management of the robots is excellently solved by supercaps, which are quickly charged during the picking process in 8 seconds for 12 minutes of operating time, which ensures that the robots are available 24 hours a day.

Functionality / type of implementation: The functioning of the test system was successfully demonstrated. The robot with two-way chassis changed storage levels safely with and without a load via the ramps. Apart from the integrated lifting function for picking up the boxes, the robots are kept simple and robust. Using the rail system, the robots can also carry out sequencing in the pre-zone and drive to other areas of the building for production supply.

Verdict: The specific customer benefit of e.scala is given above all for small and medium-sized systems, which are to be implemented quickly and cost-effectively due to the simplicity and standardization of the solution. The system is technically simple and solidly built and impresses with its flexibility in choosing between storage density and performance as well as with the comparably high level of redundancy even if individual robot units fail.

market relevance ++
customer benefit +
novelty +
functionality / type of implementation ++
[++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / – – not available]

For an overview of all the finalists, visit www.ifoy.org

CLICK HERE to find out more about stow robotics’ e.scala solution.

Sitma ready for LogiMAT after Milan success

Posted on by David Priestman

Having very successfully concluded IPACK-IMA, the first in-person edition after almost three years, Sitma is now ready for LogiMAT (Stand C46 in Hall 5).

The event – a must for the intralogistics and e-commerce world – will be held from 31 May to 2nd June in Stuttgart, where the Sitma team will keep on focusing on its brand new Paper E-Wrap (pictured), the packaging wrapper with paper that already attracted great interest in Milan.

LogiMAT is a key step in Sitma’s strategy, which is fully committed to developing turnkey solutions for the e-commerce sector.

The aspects most appreciated about the semi-automatic Paper E-Wrap solution for e-commerce packaging are:

  • Compact design: with a footprint just over 5 metres, the machine comes with a power supply, a packaging feature and labelling device. It immediately stands out for its modern and modular design with small overall dimensions.
  • Simple process and use: just place the products on the feeder belt and the machine takes care of the rest: it reads the barcode, sends label printing and application inputs, measures the 3 dimensions of the product(s) fed and packages – and Bob’s your uncle.
  • Sustainable: it works with heat-sealing paper, which therefore does not require additional glue. The result is a fully recyclable package.
  • Customisable: depending on the different production needs, it is able to manage either single or multiple products, it can print promotional and/or administrative documents in-line and automatically add them to the order. Plus, it can come with scales and labelling systems.
  • Suitable for any industry: with the Paper E-Wrap you can package objects and products from different e-commerce sectors, such as clothing and footwear, books and media, and consumer electronics  – versatility is the key word.

Sitma’s offer for the logistics sector does not just include cutting-edge machines such as E-Wrap, previewed in Milan. It also comprises a wide range of sorting systems that are ideal for automating modern logistics centres. Wrapper’s portfolio includes units featuring top performance levels such as Fast Pack, which – depending on the type of object to be packaged – can reach up to 3,600 pieces/hour.

Along with their ergonomic design and high degree of flexibility, a feature shared by Sitma’s range of wrappers is once again the ability to create packages based on their contents. This allows for optimisation in terms of space and materials, a gain for both customers and for the environment.

Today, Sitma says it has unique know-how in using paper-based materials, which allows it to offer its customers an alternative to traditional plastic film employed for packaging purposes. Forty years of experience in packaging have also given it a mechanical expertise that stands as a benchmark in the automation sector and allows the company to develop customised solutions that are both high-tech and highly flexible. Its current expertise does not just stem from decades of experience, but also from its forward-looking approach to the market. This has always led the company not only to follow, but to anticipate trends. This is why Sitma was among the first companies in the sector to develop e-commerce solutions, which have now given it a competitive edge.

 

Hyster launching new forklift at LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Hyster will show a new A Series lift truck for the first time at LogiMAT 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany. Visitors to the show from 31 May to 2 June 2022 will get a chance to see a model that lifts 3.5 tonnes from the new line of tough, scalable, counterbalanced lift trucks at the Hyster stand.

In Hall 10 at Stand C10, experts will be on hand to discuss how Hyster can “Power YOUR Possibilities” with a range of more than 140 counterbalance lift trucks, warehouse equipment and container handlers.

On the stand, the much anticipated Hyster H3.5A will be revealed alongside the “lithium-ion ready” P3.0S Platform Pallet Truck designed for businesses cross docking, loading and unloading trailers or order picking in the warehouse. The P3.0S on show features a fixed platform with side protection for the operator, but there are options available including rear protection or a folding platform with side arms.

In addition, attendees can learn about the different power options for Hyster forklifts and warehouse equipment. For instance, Li.ON FORCE, a lithium-ion battery from Sunlight Group, has recently been added as an option for selected 24V, 48V, and 80V Hyster equipment giving customers more ways to select the best battery technology for their application. The batteries can be linked to Hyster lift trucks using the CANbus communication to optimise battery management. Real-time battery monitoring data and remote access is also available with the Sunlight Group’s GLocal telematics solution.

“We are excited to bring together some of our newest developments and diverse global industry experience at LogiMAT, showing how we support our customers’ specific needs with different solutions,” says Rainer Marian, Director Network Development at Hyster Europe.

AMR choice: the difference is quality

Posted on by David Priestman

Frazer Watson, UK – Ireland Country Manager at AMR designer and manufacturer iFollow, examines the quality differentiator when it comes to choosing an Autonomous Mobile Robot solution.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are rapidly building a reputation for being a smart, flexible and productive intralogistics transport solution. At a time of increasingly scarce labour, AMRs can be deployed to work in cooperation with staff, enabling manufacturing, warehouse, fulfilment and distribution centre operations to redeploy personnel resources from simple transport duties to where they can be most productive – such as picking orders into roll cages or onto pallets being carried by the robots.

These facilities are often demanding environments for materials handling equipment. The surfaces on which AMRs travel are not always the smoothest and they are often full of static obstructions such as racking, shelving, conveyors as well as mobile ones like forklift trucks. Mobile robots can rack up significant mileages through a typical year in these environments, working long shifts carrying loads up to the unit’s capacity.

The combination of these factors is why, like any item of materials handling equipment, quality build and robustness are vital characteristics for an AMR – not only to ensure a longer lifespan for the unit, but also to minimise downtime due to repairs.

There and numerous predictions for AMR market growth through the coming decade and while there are many lower cost units that will have limited uses, market growth will be boosted as the limitations that preclude many units from broader applications are being overcome by higher quality mobile robots, such as those from iFollow.

Increased payload capabilities up to 1.3 tonnes will give mobile robots the potential to carry out tasks such as moving barrels or pallets of paint cans. This is just one example of how improving AMR capabilities will broaden their possible deployment. The ability to work between different temperatures, which can risk strain on internal components, is another. Moving between temperature zones from as cold as -25°C to as warm as +40°C, in constrained environments, presents more of a challenge for mobile robot technology than many may realise. In iFollow mobile robots, for example, the temperatures of the key electronic components are regulated by a servo system completely developed by our teams. Thus, the absence of condensation is ensured, even when moving from a very cold environment to a temperate space.

As the number of mobile robot brands and models available on the market increases customer choice, the quality of the design and build is set to be a crucial differentiator. While many mobile robots look similar on the outside there remains a great deal of difference when it comes to quality. And this should be a prime consideration when choosing the right model for applications in which the AMR is to be deployed. The long-term success of an operation will depend on the AMR having the reliability and capability to maximise uptime and maintain flow through a warehouse or production facility.

Check that the AMR has all the required registration and certification. Buying a fleet of a couple of hundred mobile robots, for example, without certification is a huge risk. Has the machine been through a quality process? Is it CE certified? Does it meet the latest standards that are in force for the region where it is being used? What about support – can parts be supplied locally for quick response?

A supplier that both designs and manufactures its own AMRs, as well as providing the supporting software, can better respond to customer problems with solutions adapted to their particular needs. It will be able to tune the mobile robot solution to the application – for example adapting the lifting platform to the needs of the application. This ability often allows a supplier to adapt a single type of robot to fulfil a customer’s entire needs.

iFollow operates in the food, industrial, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, logistics and mass distribution sectors, which all operate busy, fast moving facilities. The company made the strategic choice to design and manufacture its own autonomous mobile robots – which are all guaranteed – and fully develops its own navigation and fleet management algorithms. Mobile robots are a relatively new technology that is rapidly gaining momentum as a means to gain competitive edge – from grocery retail logistics to industrial manufacturing. Seeking out premium machines that are designed for use in intense, constrained environments and repeated use over time will ultimately deliver greater value for the end user.

Dematic brings interactive stand to LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Dematic is putting customers and their requirements front and centre at its trade show appearance in Stuttgart, transforming its stand into a unique customer experience at the upcoming LogiMAT, May 31 to June 2. For an interactive trade show experience, the company will unveil 15 showcases where innovation can be experienced live with the help of 3D configurations, 360° tours and augmented reality. This approach allows specific and fully automated warehouse solutions to be visualised, tested and remotely controlled on site.

Under a new slogan, #bringiton, Dematic plans to encourage stand visitors and customers to use new material flow solutions to benefit from opportunities that achieve a competitive advantage. Dematic aims to address current challenges customers in intralogistics are facing, thereby demonstrating how it is a premier partner to deliver the most suitable solutions. The two-story Dematic booth is located in Hall 1 at Booth B37.

“Customer experience is Dematic’s top priority at LogiMAT. In an ongoing dialogue with customers, we want to understand their requirements from the entire intralogistics value chain so that we can help strengthen their competitiveness over the long term with innovative solutions customised to their exact needs,” explains Bernard Biolchini, Executive Vice President (EVP) EMEA at Dematic. The company has identified key challenges the industry is currently facing, such as overcoming staff shortages and space constraints, achieving reliable delivery times despite shortages in raw materials, planning reliability for project costs, changing consumer behaviour and further digitalisation initiatives.

The Dematic executive added: “Over the last two years, many operating parameters have changed and they require new thinking and a deep understanding of our customers’ needs.  At LogiMAT we want to captivate our visitors with new approaches and present them in an extraordinary way.”

Biolchini also mentioned that customers will also have an opportunity to meet many of the executives from the EMEA region, which underwent a new alignment in early 2022 to better meet local customer needs with Dematic’s global experience.

Visitors to the Dematic stand can obtain information and exchange ideas as they normally do, but they can also demo new products on-site.  Notes Dr. Jens Hardenacke, the managing director at Dematic Central Europe: “Our guests will not only be able to see our solutions on product displays, but they can also experience them ‘live’ in innovative ways.”

Thus, visitors have an opportunity to first illustrate their individual automation project in a 3D view and then to operate it live. They can use virtual reality goggles for remote machine maintenance as one example of how the concept translates.

“I am looking forward to showing in a more interactive way how Dematic can support customers from start to finish in terms of their automation journey with our broad set of advanced applications that feature both the best technology options on the market and demonstrate our ability to meet the specific needs of various industries we serve,” explains Hardenacke.

In addition to ground-breaking e-commerce solutions, mixed case fulfilment, pallet storage and mobile automation, Dematic also plans to unveil its new visual remote inspection service for intralogistics equipment at the show. It can significantly reduce the time and effort required for maintenance but without compromising quality. Regular safety checks and visual inspections can be accomplished with the help of drones. Dematic will be conducting live drone flights at its German headquarters in Heusenstamm – near Frankfurt – at LogiMAT. Dematic also plans to demonstrate the use of a digital twin for predictive maintenance.

“With a digital twin, we can also perform a software health check with interactive dashboards, digital showcases and VR applications, which helps reduce time and costs for the customer during maintenance,” says Hardenacke.

 

MAN trials automation with Magazino robot

Posted on by David Priestman

The robotics company Magazino has acquired MAN as a customer for a pilot project with its SOTO mobile robot. SOTO automates the material supply between the warehouse and the assembly line, by handling and transporting small load carriers (KLT) completely autonomously. The pilot operation started at MAN’s Nuremberg, Germany site in the engine production for trucks, and offers both sides the opportunity to gain experiences with the robot for a future live operation.

MAN and Magazino have had a close development partnership in recent years. Among other things, hardware and software, as well as environment requirements for a live operation in an industrial plant were defined. The pilot project is now scheduled to run for around one year and lays the foundation for the implementation of an entire fleet of SOTO robots in 2023.

Dr Ingo Essel, Plant Manager Nuremberg, says: “We want to set up our logistics efficiently and effectively for the future and use the potential of digitalisation and automation in the process. With the help of SOTO, the entire delivery process can be fully automated, from depalletising in the automated small parts warehouse to provisioning in assembly.

“This way, we are pushing the topic of “advanced robotics” and building a smart supply chain in the interaction of humans and robots. We are pleased to have found a partner in Magazino who can optimally serve our high demands for automation in factory logistics and provide a flexible and scalable automation concept.”

Paul Seluga, Magazino’s Project Manager for the pilot project with MAN, describes the target process as follows: “The robot SOTO picks up the KLTs from the handover-rack of the automatic small parts warehouse and brings up to 18 KLTs simultaneously to the production line. There, SOTO places the KLTs, which can weigh up to 20kg, into common flow racks. On the back of these racks, the workers can easily access the individual parts for assembly. SOTO can also pick up empty KLTs in the process and bring them to the central collection point.”

Common VDA KLT formats up to a size of 600mm x 400mm x 280mm are used in the Nuremberg plant. The robot’s adaptive gripper automatically adjusts to the corresponding KLT size and flexibly moves to the different chutes of the transfer racks. Machine-readable codes on the racks as well as barcode labels on the containers help the robot to identify them. In future, the robot will obtain the material transport requests from the warehouse management system.

While assembly lines in the manufacturing industry are already highly automated and optimised, the supply of replenishments is still mainly done manually. Previous solutions such as tugger trains or simple automated guided vehicles (AGVs) cannot fully automate the process, as manual labour is required for loading and unloading the KLTs into racks.

SOTO combines these elementary logistical processes in a single, fully autonomous solution: the pick-up of different KLTs from a warehouse, the autonomous transport of several KLTs through the production, and the put-down of KLTs into flow racks close to the production line. The collection of empties as well as the rotation of small load carriers by 90° to 180° are also part of its features. The automation and combination of all these process steps clearly sets SOTO apart in the market and, for the first time, enables true end-to-end automation in the material supply.

Continental premieres AMRs at LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Continental will present for the first time in public its Autonomous Mobile Robots for the external market at the LogiMAT 2022, the international intralogistics tradeshow, from May 31 to June 2 in Stuttgart, Germany (hall 2, booth number EF15).

After an internal test phase in Continental production locations worldwide, the AMRs are now ready for the external market entry with improved and new features as well as the handling of new use cases. Building on the company’s years of extensive research in the robotics field, Continental is including these solutions now into its product portfolio in the newly established area of Continental Mobile Robots.

“We are pleased to confirm that from now on volume production of the AMRs has started in Continental’s Rheinböllen plant in Germany with the first external customer projects slated to be delivered,” says Pierre Pomper, Head of Autonomous Mobile Robots at Continental. “Continental complements its in-house capabilities with a partner ecosystem of technology leaders Kinexon and ROEQ to provide customers a leading edge AMR solution out of one hand.”

Since 2020, Continental’s AMRs have been successfully deployed at several own production locations worldwide. The company built its Autonomous Mobile Robots in-house to meet the demands and challenges of the future factory, since such a solution was not readily available in the market. The experience gained has now been incorporated into the AMR version for the external market.

Due to the load density, the electric vehicles are as small and compact as possible, but can carry very heavy weights. With measurements of only 1,455mm, 630mm and 225mm (l/w/h), the AMRs can carry significant loads up to 1.2 tonnes at a speed of up to 2m/s. Thus, they are versatile, while also being maximally manoeuvrable. Increased torque, shorter turning radius, optimised sensor coverage, improvements to its lifting mechanism design and accessibility of controls as well as the easy equipment for the transport of carts, pallets and top rollers are additional features.

Customers can benefit from a partnership between Continental and Kinexon. The fleet management software of Kinexon which is offered optionally turns an AMR fleet into an intelligent and perfectly coordinated swarm. The creation of orders and routes as well as the management of the AMRs will become much easier and more standardised (e.g., using the VDA5050 protocol).

“We developed a reliable and scalable fleet management software in collaboration with Continental, which increases the flexibility and performance of our customers AMR fleets. Additionally, we offer an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) system for connecting relevant things of the material flow such as AMRs. Our holistic fleet management software combines this information in real time to optimise supply chains, material flow and industrial automation even more,” says Dr. Alexander Hüttenbrink, Managing Director at Kinexon.

Continental is able to offer its AMRs with different top modules. Customers can choose between cart/rack and lifting unit use cases. Due to the close collaboration with ROEQ, a leading expert for robotic equipment, Continental can now also offer top roller modules, for transferring loads between AMRs and conveyors. The number of options offered is what makes Continental’s offering so unique. At LogiMAT, an AMR with top roller module from ROEQ will be shown as a world premiere.

“We are excited to team up with a strong partner like Continental,” says Michael E. Hansen, Managing Director at ROEQ. “We are on a path of significant growth and I am convinced that our collaboration will provide customers with a wider choice of better and more robust solutions to meet their logistic challenges.”

The AMRs are an attractive shopfloor logistics solution for several industries including logistics and warehousing, automotive, food and beverage as well as electrical and electronics. They work hand-in-hand with humans, reduce manual activities such as driving forklift trucks, speed up transport and provide an accurate overview of shopfloor inventory and its storage location. Continental offers everything from a single source, which is not quite common in the market and a big benefit for the customers: From consulting, sales, integration, service and support to maintenance contracts and a 24-hour support – everything out of one hand.

Yale to showcase ‘Technology that moves’ at LogiMAT

Posted on by David Priestman

Yale Europe Materials Handling will return to LogiMAT with a showcase of solutions and materials handling products embodying the ethos ‘Technology that moves’. Visitors to Stand D31 in Hall 9 of Stuttgart Messe can expect to see the latest edition to the Yale product range, the Series N.

Yale experts will be on hand to discuss how Yale products enhance the latest logistics innovations by combining technology and design to provide tailored solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

“Yale has undergone an exciting business transformation, which we will demonstrate to visitors to LogiMAT 2022,” said Timo Antony, Area Business Director Central Europe at Yale. “We’re looking forward to meeting in-person with our customers, dealers and prospects to show how Yale solutions can keep their businesses moving and thriving.”

Forward thinking logistics

As part of a deepening partnership with one of the world’s top manufacturers of energy storage solutions, Yale will showcase a MR16 reach truck powered by a lithium-ion battery from Sunlight Group. Having previously used the company’s lead-acid batteries in its product range, Yale now offers Sunlight Group lithium-ion batteries as a power solution for its customers.

The MR16 Reach Truck can lift up to 10.5m and has a maximum load capacity of 1600kg. The robust heavy-duty mast design provides high residual capacities and stable load handling, which can enable faster put away and retrieval times.

Yale is proud to be revealing its new Series N ICE counterbalance truck for the very first time at a live trade show at LogiMAT. As well as being easily configured to match unique requirements, raising the bar for success in almost all applications and environments, the Series N offers shift-long operator comfort, excellent visibility and high fuel efficiency.

“There will be a lot of exciting announcements from Yale in the coming 12 months, and LogiMAT is set to kick-start a bright and prosperous chapter for our company, our dealers, and our customers old and new. LogiMAT 2022 is a great opportunity to see our ground-breaking new range, the Series N, as well as find out more about our power solutions and expanding partnership with Sunlight Group,” concluded Antony.

 

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