Warehouses are designed to maximize capacity and support processes as efficiently as possible. Narrow aisles and high-bay solutions offer space efficiency. To further maximize this efficiency, the warehouse can also be automated. No matter how narrow the aisles may be, to consider automation in any warehouse, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) must be able to operate efficiently in the same space as driver-operated forklifts.

To ensure that operations in high and narrow warehouses can run efficiently without compromising safety or workflow, automation must be carefully thought through. Rocla AGV Solutions has developed a new model of its automated reach truck for this purpose. It works in aisles with a free space of just 2.85 meters and offers the same height and heavy lifting capacity as the original Rocla ART AGV.

A reach truck for every need: ART and Short ART

ART (Automated Reach Truck) is a multi-purpose solution that is particularly suitable for large storage operations. The original ARTmf and ARTnf models work in aisles with a free space of just 3 meters, can handle loads of up to 1,600 kilograms and have a lifting capacity of up to 10 meters. Thanks to a new frame model, the new ARTsmf can work in aisles with 2.85 meters of free space without compromising lifting capacity.

The lifting capacity and agile turning radius are designed to meet the requirements of the most common warehouses and make ART a suitable addition to other players in the facility. Rocla AGV Solutions takes the operating environment into account from the outset and ensures that no racking modifications are necessary, even in tight warehouse spaces. "When automation is introduced in an existing warehouse where aisle widths might be narrow from the outset, it is a great advantage for the customer if the layout can remain the same. This is a basic rule for us at Rocla AGV Solutions - no racking modifications are required even with automation," says Kari Johansson, Solutions Management Director at Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe.

In addition to narrow corridors, height is another aspect of space efficiency. There are certain requirements for material handling equipment, especially for storage heights of 10 meters. The ART reach truck is ideally suited for this. Its sister vehicle, the short ART, a short-frame but powerful automated reach truck, offers even more options to customers with very high storage facilities where space optimization is required.

Targeted automation

Normally, the most profitable solution for the customer is to automate only what is worthwhile and invest in a system where AGVs and driver-controlled forklifts work together. This type of optimal automation combines automation and human flexibility. "The mix of manual and automated functions for optimal automation is usually the best solution, even for compact high-bay warehouses. For example, forklift drivers may only handle goods on lower levels and AGVs on higher levels. When dividing the tasks, it is possible to support the ergonomics of humans (no stiff-necked staring at the ceiling) and the tirelessness of AGVs, for example, to optimize AGV storage with slow-moving products around the clock," explains Matilda Suonpää, Product Manager for Warehouse Logistics Solutions at Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe.

In addition to optimal automation, route optimization offers many possibilities and savings in the tightest of spaces. As part of Rocla AGV Solutions, customers receive the Fleet Controller suite, which connects to the existing WMS (Warehouse Management System) and automatically keeps the fleet running by optimizing the orders and routes of the material flow.

FleetController and its Order Optimizer plan the order of task execution according to the deadlines set by the WMS. To keep to the schedule, FleetController can automatically and actively manage the assignment of tasks between AGVs and forklift trucks. In this way, the solution adapts to the amount of available transport resources - AGVs and driver-controlled forklifts - which always results in an optimized investment. With customized solutions, many types of warehouses - even very high or with very narrow aisles - can be transformed into efficient and flexible locations. With the right partner, even warehouses where aisle width has previously prevented the use of AGVs can become more efficient through optimized, profitable processes.

Safety first

Rocla AGVs are designed to work with people and communicate with them in different ways. They are designed to meet the requirements of the ISO 3691-4 safety standard with features such as safety scanners and a dynamic stability control system. Safety is complemented by accessories such as the Proximity Detection System (PDS), which improves collaboration between AGVs, forklifts and people in a shared warehouse environment and ensures smoother operations.

The PDS allows AGVs, forklifts and humans equipped with tags to recognize each other without direct line of sight, causing the AGV to slow down and stop when necessary. The AGV also interrupts all high lift activities when manual operations are being performed within a close radius and only resumes work when it is absolutely safe to do so. The efficiency of the Rocla AGV and its ability to communicate with driver-controlled forklifts to create a safe, smooth and collaborative environment in your warehouse is what optimal automation is designed to achieve.