Only with a standardized interface can trucks be controlled and coordinated across manufacturers. "We at STILL believe that a standardized interface will be essential in the future in order to continue to meet the requirements of our customers," adds Florian Kratzer.

The solution provides the standardized communication interface VDA 5050, which can be used, for example, to standardize order management or traffic management of heterogeneous fleets under one user interface. The interface has demonstrated its capabilities during the AGV Mesh-Up events under the auspices of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association. STILL was already involved in this event last year, which took place as part of the IFOY Test Camp. Together with various manufacturers, STILL demonstrated how a wide variety of driverless transport vehicles can communicate with each other via the VDA 5050 interface, navigate safely and efficiently on a common area and complete transport tasks in a network. "During this test event last year, we very successfully formed trucks from different manufacturers with very different navigation technologies and transport capabilities into a homogeneous unit under the control system of the KION Group, to which STILL also belongs," says the STILL expert.

AGVs leave the niche

The success of such demonstrations shows that driverless transport systems will no longer be a niche solution in the future, but will be suitable for the mass market. Kratzer: "STILL's vision is to bring automated solutions to the general public. In this way, we will also be able to serve long-term, high-volume customer requests that require large, automated fleets."

By adapting the Group's internal control system software for AGVs and the vehicle-integrated software to the VDA 5050 interface, the Hamburg-based intralogistics provider also wants to ensure that it has the expertise to integrate products from other suppliers into its system. At the same time, STILL can offer series-produced AGVs that can be integrated into the control systems of other suppliers via VDA 5050, for example those of the software manufacturer SYNAOS.

Partnership with SYNAOS

The partnership that STILL has entered into with the innovative software manufacturer SYNAOS shows that VDA 5050 is not only used at events and for demonstration purposes. This cooperation not only serves to practically implement and roll out state-of-the-art automation projects, but above all to offer customers the opportunity to choose both the software and the hardware themselves and to bring the two together individually - exactly what the VDA 5050 promises.

Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg, CEO & Co-Founder of SYNAOS: "We are delighted to add another strong brand to our international partner network with STILL. Our Intralogistics Management Platform SYNA.OS LOGISTICS has supported the VDA 5050 interface right from the start. Today, we manage numerous customer implementations on this basis. Our customers benefit from the partnership in several ways, as they can individually select the hardware and software they need to implement their intralogistics processes and significantly increase their efficiency. We look forward to joint projects with STILL."

Florian Kratzer: "With the standardized VDA 5050 communication interface, processes will once again be much safer and simpler. As a responsible manufacturer, we will therefore continue to actively accompany and support this process in the interests of our customers."