Automation,
Efficiency increase
Basic selection criteria
Deciding which AMR system from which manufacturer will prove to be the optimal solution for your operation, production, and future strategy depends on many aspects that must be carefully analyzed and evaluated in advance.
Among many others, these are questions like the following that need to be answered:
+ Which solution is best suited for our operational processes and how flexible does the automation solution need to be in this regard?
+ How open is the AMR system regarding its integration into the existing system landscape of my company?
+ How much structural investment do I have to make to meet the requirements for one or the other system?
+ How high are the maintenance requirements of the respective vehicles? And can this be handled in-house?
+ How do service lines and software subscriptions affect annual operating costs?
Commissioning
Another crucial aspect is how much time and effort will be required for commissioning. Or put another way: How long do any slowdowns or even downtimes in production last during preparation and commissioning?
AMRs from AGILOX, for example, stand out because they can be commissioned in less than 12 hours thanks to their innovative "Plug & Perform" technology. Each additional one of their vehicles can be integrated in succession in just 15 minutes(!), reducing restrictions or downtime to the absolute minimum.
Cost factor: Software
Software is key to any automation, and the cost of software subscriptions, regular software updates, and/or fleet management software licensing is thus another critical factor when evaluating different AMR vendors.
It should also be considered that some providers specialize in individual AMR systems and are constantly developing and optimizing them in cooperation and exchange of experience with existing customers.
In this respect, specialization on the part of the manufacturer and existing practical data as well as reviews of comparable companies will also be pre-decisive criteria for your search for the suitable provider of autonomous systems or systems tied to physical as well as virtual guardrails.
For example, the Austrian company AGILOX, mentioned above, is a pioneer in the development and production of high-tech AMRs that have many innovative features, including swarm intelligence, and have been used by many national and international customers for many years.
Finally, note that this article covers only one of many aspects to consider when moving to and getting started with automated transport systems. For this reason, you should also download the free checklist that is available for you here. In addition to the current topic, you will also find a detailed article on each of the other points listed, such as this one, which you can access free of charge.
