6 Things to Know About AGVs in the Warehouse

Offering seamless integration into your existing workflows, our Jungheinrich Automated Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) solutions are designed to reduce your costs, increase your productivity and streamline your business.

If you’ve been considering adding AGVs to your warehouse automation setup, here are some factors to consider to help you make your decision.

1. There Can Be A Cultural Barrier…But It Can Be Overcome
While it’s perfectly natural that employees would be unnerved by the addition of automated trucks, adding a training program for workers can help ease this transition. In reality, AGVs may not be replacing employees at all, but in many instances, they perform tasks that humans are not well equipped to handle.

2. There Will Be Improved Worker Safety
AGVs can improve worker comfort by taking on tasks that would require exposure to certain conditions and repetitive tasks. Our AGVs come with forward and side sensors that detect people and obstacles.

3. AGVs May Require Some Changes To Infrastructure
As an organization evaluates whether their material handling operation would benefit from the addition of AGVs, it’s important to give a thorough review of existing infrastructure. While early AGVs had substantial infrastructure demands, often requiring the addition of wiring and reflectors, new AGVs have the ability to learn floor plans and understand where fixed objects exist on the warehouse floor.

4. Reduced Labor Costs
While the initial costs of adding an AGV for a small implementation might still seem too steep for smaller businesses, medium to large scale implementations can realize reduced costs over time. AGVs can help reduce operator costs (e.g., salary, insurance etc.) and reduce non-value-added time.

5. There Are Rules
Implementing AGVs in your facility means that there will be some general rules that everyone will have to follow. Some of the basic rules required to run an AGV system are: Keep travel routes clear. This will ensure a seamless implementation of safety and productivity.

6. Increased Control And Awareness
Thanks to Jungheinrich’s proprietary middleware, a constant connection and integration allows our AGVs to interact with their environment, including the ability to do things like open your warehouse doors. You’ll also be constantly aware of where the AGV is and what it’s doing at any given moment.