AGVs at Norsk Lastbaerer Pool increase productivity

It is no secret that companies are constantly looking for new ways to make their processes more cheap and lean. In recent years there has been a strong interest within the industrial sector to phase out traditional manual labour tasks and to go towards fully automated areas where work tasks are carried out by machines. At Norsk Lastbaerer Pool in Norway this has been successfully done by the introduction of 9 new AGVs. With this new addition, their production area is now completely automated. WLN had a chat with Factory Director Egil Bremnes to learn more about the new AGVs at Norsk Lastbaerer Pool.

WLN: Why did you decide to go for AGVs?

Well, when we decided for AGVs we had already begun to automate some of our production processes.

For instance, some years ago we invested in a large washer and a stretch film machine. Our company acts as a pooling system of trays and pallets which are used within the grocery sector in Norway. We take in dirty pallets and trays from a grocery store and wash them and then store them until the next grocery store needs them. In this way the pallets and trays are recycled between different grocery stores.

After the investment in a washer and stretch film machine we also wanted an automatic system for the transport of clean pallets from the machines to storage and dispatch areas. We considered many different options. We could have used a fixed conveyor system instead, but since we wanted to avoid fixed structures the decision fell on investing in AGVs. We found AGVs to be more flexible than other types of transport systems.

WLN: What are the AGVs work tasks at Norsk Lastbaerer Pool?

The AGVs pick up and deposit pallet and trays. They pick up clean pallets and trays from the washing machine.

Some of the pallets are covered in plastics by going through a stretch film machine and some pallets are directly picked up by the AGVs. The pallets and trays are then stored until needed or transported to our dispatch area. Previously we had manual forklift drivers to do these work tasks.

WLN: So you had to lay off workers?

No, no one had to go from Norsk Lastbaerer Pool. Of course we didn’t need as many forklift drivers as before, but we didn’t want to lose the good employees and the competence we had within our company. We realised that we could find new and better work tasks for them. So in this way we have become more effective in other areas of the company as well. Maybe other companies think differently, but we reasoned that we wanted to keep the competency we have within the company.

WLN: What benefits have you experienced since the introduction of the AGVs?

Well, I must say that it took some time before it was all operational. It is a large system with many steps where everything is carefully planned. For instance we have a doorway between our production halls which has a much lower ceiling height than the rest of the hall. But we also needed a high mast so that the AGVs could see above our high pallet stacks. We had to have some discussion with our AGV supplier on how to solve this.

The solution they presented was to use a telescopic mast on the AGV. It is quite interesting to see when an AGV approaches the doorway, its mast is automatically lowered. When it has passed through the doorway the mast is elevated again. Everything works automatically and is taken care of by the AGVs themselves. Some maintenance is of course needed – which is the case for any type of machine if you want it to last, but production is fully automated now.

WLN: You mentioned it took some time to install the AGVs. What were the obstacles?

We already had an internal warehouse manager system and it had to be ensured that the AGVs and the WMS system could talk to each other so that data is shared. There had to be a configuration here to do this, but our supplier’s software engineers solved nicely. Also, it takes some time before the AGVs are running as they should. For instance, the vehicles have to be test driven and checked to make sure that they follow their assigned route and do the work tasks they are supposed to carry out.

Of course in the beginning it was a big investment in time and money for us. Our suppliers Soft Design and Atab were here a great deal to help commission the system and check that it worked properly. Now however everything works perfectly and the AGVs even work night time and weekends. This we are very pleased to see. Although there were some big investment in the beginning, now when the system is running, we can clearly see the benefits of it. This year our company is celebrating 10 years and we have certainly reached the point where we wanted to be business wise and this we are going to celebrate. For this occasion we have invited our AGV supplier to take part because we are very happy with the end result. They will help us to programme the AGVs to serve champagne to our guests. The AGVs can get a day off from production to help celebrate our 10th anniversary as a company.

WLN: It sounds as if you are quite pleased with your AGVs?

That is a correct statement. The introduction of AGVs into our company has been a long haul. In the beginning it was a new technology to us, but along the way our AGV supplier has been very supportive and we have been able to discuss problems and solutions with them.

Some obstacles had to be solved in the beginning in the design phase and some problems arose along the way. But in the end everything was solved and we are happy with the end result. We are pleased with making this investment. Automation is certainly the future and our company strives to be a forerunner here.

QUICK FACTS AGV:

• AGV stands for Automated Guided Vehicle.

• It is a self-governing vehicle which is guided by laser triangulation.

• A software helps it navigate and know which work tasks to carry out.

• The AGVs at Norsk Lastbaerer Pool were supplied by Soft Design and Atab, the companies behind the AGV brand MAXAGV.

• MAXAGV is based in Sweden but are also sold in the UK through a regional sales office.

Visit Max AGV at IMHX 2016 in hall 9 stand 9F57.

www.maxagv.com