The most important answer first of all: there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution in this area. Every system has strengths and weaknesses, depending on how it is used. But the fact is that the automation of production logistics significantly increases profitability in production. Noë van Bergen, Head of Automated Solutions at STILL, Florian Kratzer, International Key Account Manager Automated Solutions and expert for undercarriages at the Hamburg-based intralogistics provider, and Herbert Fischer, Head of Business Segment Tugger Train at STILL, agreed on this point during the event. To achieve this, however, it is important to find the "ideal route" with the right balance of time, money, energy and manpower. This path depends on many factors, such as the choice of load carriers, the type of warehouse, the form of material transfer or the space available in the production area.

Automated forklift trucks and warehouse trucks

According to Noë van Bergen, automated forklift trucks and warehouse trucks show their strengths in comparison to underride vehicles and tugger trains, especially when existing manual processes are automated without significant changes. The devices are ideally suited to dealing with existing infrastructure, such as racking or floor storage areas. "Forklift and warehouse technology solutions demonstrate their advantages not only horizontally, but also vertically," argued the expert. Added to this is the load compatibility. The forklift and warehouse technology-based solution is able to transport very different load carriers such as pallets or pallet cages from great heights in the warehouse to different transfer points in production. These automated vehicles are also cost-effective. Van Bergen: "Forklift and warehouse technology-based applications have a really good return on investment in production supply. In most cases, we are talking about a return on investment (ROI) of less than three years."

Underride vehicles

Florian Kratzer took up the cudgels for the underride trucks, which - in contrast to STILL's automated forklift and warehouse technology solutions - were designed from the outset as automated guided vehicles (AGVs). "The trucks are so small that they fit under the load carriers and can carry loads of up to 1.5 tons thanks to the integrated lifting mechanism. With excellent maneuverability, they can easily reach almost any position in production," emphasized the STILL expert, who particularly praised the very high flexibility of this automation solution: "In the area of product transfer, they have the best accessibility in our system comparison. They can even reach deep into production areas - right up to the production worker on the production line." The reasons for this lie in the very small space requirement of the underride vehicles, because the dimensions are limited to the size of the load carrier. Kratzer: "They allow us to carry out just-in-time deliveries without any problems. In addition, the prerequisite has been created to enable dynamic route optimizations to be automated by the system. And at very low cost. With the Deckload vehicle, we are definitely well below the costs of a forklift truck and even below those of a tugger train."

Tugger train systems

For Herbert Fischer, the tugger train is the method of choice when it comes to automating production logistics. "If the system is planned correctly, the tugger train can combine the delivery and disposal of load carriers at the respective station in just one step. In concrete terms, this means Three tugger train systems handle roughly the same amount of material for which the other two systems require up to around 15 vehicles, causing a lot of traffic in all directions. Bundled transportation offers clear advantages here," said Fischer, explaining his view. However, he also conceded that high investments are necessary for a tugger train installation, especially at the beginning and in the case of full automation. Fischer: "However, due to the small number of units required, this investment is also kept within limits."

Conclusion

And which is actually the ideal solution for automating production logistics? While the forklift truck clearly scores highly when it comes to the infrastructure of the transfer points and the buffer space required for pallets, the underride vehicles come out on top when it comes to space requirements. They can maneuver far into the production area and get exactly where the goods are needed. The bundled tugger train systems, on the other hand, show their strengths in particular when it comes to improving lean production processes, such as sequencing. "We see that the choice of automation in production logistics depends very much on its use. At STILL, we work with our customers to decide which is the best solution for their particular application after a detailed consultation. Ultimately, we don't sell the individual product, but rather suitable solutions for the respective requirement," Noë van Bergen summarized.