Autonomous Forklift
Assembly Line
Forklifts Hurt Thousands of Workers Each Year. Factories Are Seeking Alternatives.
Plastic-pipe manufacturer Ipex designed its new factory in North Carolina to minimize the use of forklifts, relying instead on overhead cranes and hand-pushed electric pallet jacks. That made the plant, which opened in 2023, a safer, quieter and less stressful workplace, said Johnny Drummond, the company’s director of manufacturing.
Mercedes-Benz has been trying to reduce forklifts in its U.S. plants since 2018, replacing some with autonomous vehicles. Tesla is making a similar effort, using push carts and trailer-hauling “tuggers” inside its factories to cut down on traffic and injuries, a person familiar with the matter said. Whirlpool’s washing-machine factory in Clyde, Ohio, has eliminated forklifts from its production area, and uses robotic tuggers to deliver parts to assembly-line workers. Other company plants are following suit, said Kristin Day, Whirlpool’s vice president of U.S. manufacturing operations.
For now, even companies aspiring to forklift-free status still rely on the vehicles. Whirlpool uses them in parts of its Clyde factory where large, bulky items are transported. Older plants run by Ipex, the pipe maker, have floor layouts and production procedures for which forklifts are necessary.
MHI's Automated Picking Solution Utilizing ÎŁSynX Fully Implemented at Kirin Group's Ebina Logistics Center, the First Such System in Japan
The automated picking solution utilizing ÎŁSynX, developed by MHI Group, introduces automation and intelligence for the picking work that up to now has been performed manually by workers, who have also been responsible for considering how to improve efficiency in their picking operations. The system utilizes a proprietary optimization engine and integrated control system to efficiently coordinate multiple automated guided forklifts (AGFs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and palletizers in order to reduce the number of picking and transfer operations, optimize the picking process, and improve throughput (processing capacity).
MHI Group continues to collaborate with Kirin Group on joint demonstration projects for the automation of inbound and outbound processes at beverage warehouses using a new type of unmanned forklift equipped with ÎŁSynX, and automation solutions for the loading and unloading of trucks.
Cyngn completes first paid DriveMod forklift deployment
Cyngn announced that its autonomous DriveMod Forklift has completed its first paid autonomous deployment at a customer facility. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company said this marked a milestone in the commercialization of the next vehicle in its Enterprise Autonomy Suite, or EAS, portfolio. DriveMod has built-in safety features including 360° high-definition perception and Cyngn’s Virtual Bumper technology. The system is designed to safely navigate dynamic environments while attaining high operational precision, said the company.
Last month, Cyngn announced that OEM partner Motrec had built its first 12,000-lb. DriveMod Tugger. Last week, the company said that a major automotive equipment manufacturer is among the customers using the DriveMod Tugger. Cyngn also last week secured its 21st patent for a system and methods of adaptive object-based decision making for autonomous driving.
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A-Robotics Forklift
Self-Driving Vehicles Are Finding a Home in Industrial Operations
Kimberly-Clark credits hundreds of autonomous forklifts with helping the consumer-products company keep Kleenex facial tissue, Cottonelle toilet paper and other goods flowing to stores despite labor shortages during the Covid pandemic. Sharpie maker Newell Brands says the vehicles are helping deliver safety improvements and cost savings across the company’s operations.
Kimberly-Clark has more than 300 autonomous forklifts at its North American warehouses, up from about 30 in 2019, said Sarah Haffer, vice president of customer logistics for the company’s North America consumer division. Haffer said Kimberly-Clark’s warehouses with autonomous forklifts have provided some of the most consistent service levels to its retail customers. “We have been able to manage through Covid with real stability and beyond in terms of throughput and capabilities,” Haffer said.
Newell Brands, whose products also include Coleman outdoor recreation equipment and Rubbermaid food storage goods, uses more than 200 autonomous forklifts across its facilities. Newell Chief Executive Chris Peterson said robotic vehicles have reduced incidents of damage to goods and are delivering “significant cost savings.”