This was already clear from our survey of manufacturing companies in 2019 and has only become even more obvious since: automation in production logistics (using AMRs and AGVs) is a hot topic for companies and will only become more so in the future. Sirris is not only keeping its finger on the pulse, it is also actively researching and testing the potential of these types of automation. And you can reap the benefits of this!
Using AMRs and AGVs to automate production logistics can solve current and future challenges. At the end of 2019, Sirris launched an online survey on production logistics. During the survey, we zoomed in on the logistical problems and challenges that manufacturing companies typically encounter, whether on the factory floor or in the warehouse. More than 100 companies from across the range of manufacturing industries took part. The survey clearly showed that logistics takes up a great deal of production activity, that all production operators are engaged in some form of (planned or unforeseen) logistics and often have to waste valuable time waiting at their workstations for missing materials, with consequences for production.
Given high labour costs and the difficulty of finding suitable production operators, it is important that they can be relieved of logistics activities as far as possible. Within the European Trinity project, Sirris worked with Altachem and Flagstone to explore the potential for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in production. After the first demo in Sirris' Diepenbeek laboratory, the set-up was moved to project partner Altachem, where a second demo could take place in a real production environment. Meanwhile, a new project on this topic is already in full preparation and it can also count on receiving a lot of interest. We present the knowledge gained from this in masterclasses at industry events. This lets Sirris be more effective in helping companies study the feasibility of using AMRs and AGVs in their production.
