Seegrid expansion – AGVs target fast ROI

Seegrid launched its GT45 tow tractor at the recent LogiMAT exhibition as well as the Guided by Seegrid P50 C Linde tow tractor.

This marks Seegrid stepping up its expansion into the European market. Seegrid has been working with Linde as a partner for around four years.

Hasco explains: "The partnership is about marrying Europe’s number one industrial truck company and our software-intensive visual solution for European customers.”

Seegrid and Guided by Seegrid vehicles navigate using proprietary and patented technology, a software-intensive visual solution, converting standard manned pallet trucks, forklifts and tow tractors into unmanned, vision-guided flexible AGVs that navigate without lasers, wire guides, or magnetic tape.

The technology allows vehicles to see their environment, map it in a virtual grid, and guide the vehicles. The unmanned AGVs then navigate freely and autonomously without reliance on external infrastructure, and with no modifications required in the facility.

Hasco sees this ease of use and flexibility as a critical differentiator from older generation AGVs.

"We can go to a warehouse and train up a robot for a route in 15-20 minutes. We compile the facility map using sophisticated software and algorithms. Taking three shots a second, we photograph the environment, from 360 degrees to 240 degrees vertically and 360 degrees around the robot. This gives us hundreds of thousands of data points that make up the facility map. This is flexible, affordable, easy to set up automation. We’re moving into the European market because we’ve been getting frequent requests on our website and elsewhere.”

AGVs have arguably been falling out of favour as they are perceived to be inflexible. Once you put wires into the facility, you are married to the layout, and as businesses are dynamic, it is helpful to be able to change warehouse layout when necessary.

Hasco says: "We use visual technology only. It can be changed quickly, so it is much easier for companies to step into this kind of automation. We can bring the technology to your facility so you can try it before you buy it.

"We’ve seen a lot of interest from Linde dealers, they see the efficiency benefits and because labour costs are high in Europe compared to other markets, they know their customers will see ROI benefits.”

The bread and butter for AGVs at the moment is tackling relatively simple and repetitive tasks. Long run, horizontal movements at manufacturing facilities are the ‘low-hanging fruit’ being targeted first.

"Redundant long runs is the target for us,” says Hasco. "It doesn’t make sense to have a forklift operator driving half his time empty. Our AGVs can take labour costs off and add efficiency. They operate seven days a week, just change the battery every 8-10 hours. We target an ROI of 12-18 months on a two shift operation, with the savings coming from the removal of labour costs.”

In terms of the future, Hasco sees AGVs making inroads across a range of warehouse tasks including cross-docking operations, pallet put-away and even case picking.

"We’re working on technology to allow the AGVs to go into the racking. We’ll have it in 12 months if not sooner. It’s just about creating another execution of the software. I don’t see any stumbling block, it’s more that we have been focused on the low hanging fruit.

"Jeff Rufener, former president of the Industrial Truck Association, stated that by 2025 fully automated and guided vehicles will account for 50% of industrial truck sales and we go along with that prediction.”

To see a little of the future, you can visit the Seegrid stand at CeMAT in May.