Greiner Packaging wanted to streamline its production logistics and warehousing processes, with an emphasis on product transport within the plant, and therefore commissioned several analyses from external companies. These compared the advantages and disadvantages of different solutions. For example, the use of conveyor belts and the option of implementing mobile collaborative robots that move around the production and warehouse operations by reading a warehouse map were considered. "In the case of using mobile under-running robots, metal platforms would need to be installed in the production hall, on which the pallets would only be placed, which in our case was evaluated as not ideal from a safety point of view; moreover, these platforms would need to be installed in the floor, which is not advisable in cases where positions are not obvious or are changing," says Stanislav Čakovský, project manager at Greiner Packaging, which focuses on the implementation of Lean principles, production automation and process efficiency.
He added that the disadvantages of the mentioned alternative solutions outweighed the disadvantages for the operation. Based on detailed analyses, Greiner Packaging management decided to purchase Agilox autonomous handling technology. 4IGV delivered four Agilox ONE autonomous trucks to the Greiner Packaging plant last year.
Very fast implementation
The implementation of the Agilox autonomous vehicles took place at the beginning of July 2021. "The experts from 4IGV helped us with the installation, which was very fast. The implementation phase took about ten days. To achieve maximum efficiency, we had to set clear rules for the layout," says Stanislav Čakovský.
Agilox autonomous technology transports pallets of semi-finished and finished products. "The routes are from production lines to warehouses or for further processing, so the vehicles transport the pallets from defined locations to designated sites. They also transport pallets of products from warehouses to production lines," says Dušan Šutka, sales manager at 4IGV.
Autonomous guided vehicles bring pallets of products to defined locations in the warehouse, where they are then stacked in the racked warehouse by handlers with other equipment.
Internal signal system
The AGVs are called to the pallets based on a system of internal signals. "As soon as a pallet of products is needed at the line, a worker on the line presses a button that sends a signal to the trolley via a web interface. The truck immediately arrives and brings the pallet to the line. Workers then call for the trolleys in a simple way. Thanks to this system, we do not accumulate pallets in the production hall," says Stanislav Čakovský. On the other hand, when a pallet is ready to be transported away from the production line, the worker simply presses the appropriate symbol on a tablet mounted on the wall and the trolley arrives based on this instruction.
Autonomous handling technology at the Greiner Packaging plant transports pallets over distances of approximately 100 to 120 m. In addition, the autonomous technology continuously charges itself at the charging points. Charging the battery to maximum capacity takes just 10 minutes.
"The AGVs communicate with each other using intelligent X-SWARM technology. When the system detects that one charging trolley has a larger battery capacity than another, they even give each other priority when charging.
In addition, the trolleys communicate with each other even when working. When, for example, six jobs come together for them in a minute, they pass tasks to each other. The trolley that is closer to the point of need does the job. Unnecessary transfers are eliminated," explains Stanislav Čakovský.
The return on investment for the purchase of four trucks in this company is four years.
Production supply in Just in Time mode
The main advantages of 4IGV's Agilox trolleys are significant efficiency gains and cost savings. The supply system has become faster thanks to automation. In addition, the inventory that was on the production floor has been substantially eliminated. There was material waiting to be processed in various locations on the shop floor. Now the production supply is virtually Just in Time.
