SOLUTION

Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)

AGV stands for Automated Guided Vehicle, an unmanned material han- dling system that transports products or materials throughout the facility by following a set of predetermined paths. It requires a guidance system in order to navigate in the facility. The navigation technologies include laser navigation, magnetic navigation, inductive wire navigation and optical navigation.

ABOUT AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE (AGV)

ADVANTAGES OF

AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE (AGV)

Nowadays, AGV is not only just being used in warehousing and manufacturing sector, but also integrated into other industries like retail, military, healthcare and etc. Below explains why AGV has been widely implemented in different industries.

REDUCED LABOR COST

In material handling equipment industry, there are two common battery technology that typically used to power the equipment which are lead acid battery and lithium-ion battery. However, lithium battery technology has become more popular in recent years. Below explains why people switching to lithium battery instead of lead acid battery nowadays.

INCREASED SAFETY

A manually operated vehicle is reliant on a driver for navigation. As compared to AGV, manual operated vehicle has far fewer safety mechanisms because human makes mis- take. Mistakes tend to be happened when human operator get fatigued or distracted during operation, which will eventually cause accidental damage and personal injuries. However, these are not concerns for AGV. Reason being is AGV is equipped with navigation system and sensors which allow it to operate safely in the facility without colliding with any objects. It will come to a complete stop once it detects the obstacle along its route and will only continue to travel when the obstacle is being removed. Furthermore, AGV can perform task that may put human operators in danger such as working in extreme temperatures or handling hazardous substances and etc.

INCREASED ACCURACY AND PRODUCTIVITY

Human errors like fatigue, distraction or apathy can contribute to lower accuracy and productivity. For example, misplaced the products, do unnecessary workflow and etc. In contrast, an AGV doesn’t have to be the case. With a programmed path and the aid of sensors, AGV could carry out the task perfectly without any supervision. In addition, AGV can be integrated with warehouse management system such as WES, WMS, ERP etc. in order to enhance operational efficiency. When AGV integrated into the system, it helps to streamline the processes like material ordering, inventory tracking etc. This will eventually minimize the loss time, at the same time increased the productivity.