AGV (Automation)

An automated guided vehicle moves pallets on a fixed, repeated route without a driver. It is not a replacement for every truck on the floor. It is the answer to one specific problem: a repetitive horizontal movement that runs all day and takes an operator away from work only a person can do.

Good candidates are predictable and repetitive, such as moving finished pallets from a line to a staging area, or feeding a wrapper. If the route changes constantly or the loads are inconsistent, a conventional pallet truck with an operator remains the better answer. The machine listed here is an automated pallet truck, so the same load types and floor conditions apply as for its manual equivalent.

Automation is a project rather than a purchase, covering route mapping, safety zones, charging and how the vehicle shares space with people. KJ supplies, services and supports these in-house, and is the right first call for working out whether your site suits one.

The way to test the business case is to measure what you already do. Count the trips on that route per shift, time one of them, and note how much of the operator's day it consumes. That gives you a real number to weigh against the cost, rather than a guess. Layout, charging points, safety zones and how the vehicle shares aisles with people all need to be worked through before anything is ordered, and KJ can walk the site with you to do that.