The basic frames and standard shelves can be flexibly modified thanks to the modular design. The item engineering tool serves as the design platform © item

Two shelf levels can be equipped with up to eight KLTs. Roller conveyors have been integrated for this purpose, allowing the containers to be positioned easily. Several gripper trays are fitted on the top level of the shelving in the standard version. The roller conveyors have been replaced in other versions of the shelving unit, for example, to enable cardboard boxes to be transported easily. It is also possible to replace the roller conveyors with panels to create a regular shelving frame. "We now offer a standard rack in three different versions, each with the same dimensions," says Przemyslaw Krzysztyniak, project manager and system developer at Item. "Customers can use these preconfigured systems to transport a large number of containers quickly and easily."

The basic frames and the standard shelving units are made up of components from the Item modular system. The shelves and superstructures can be flexibly modified thanks to the modular design. The item engineering tool serves as the design platform. To modify the standard solutions, they are simply called up in the intuitive online tool and adapted or extended. This allows them to be adapted according to the respective requirements. For example, the user can change the profiles and adapt them to the weight of the transported goods.

Lightweight profiles are particularly suitable for transporting cardboard boxes or KLTs, while heavy-duty profiles are ideal for transporting pallet cages with heavy loads. Additional roller conveyors or other components from the modular system can also be added. Customers therefore have various options: They can order the standardized superstructures directly from Item and thus already receive a versatile transport solution for their AMR, or they can use the standard solutions as the basis for an individual design, which they create using the engineering tool. This can also be ordered directly and can be delivered within a few days.

Automated transport relieves employees

What results did Item achieve by using the AMR in conjunction with the standardized superstructures? The intralogistics processes have been partially automated and the workload of employees has been significantly reduced. They now load the various levels of the mobile racking at specially configured transfer stations - all ergonomically optimized. The MiR250 then drives under the rack, docks and brings the rack and material to the designated parking position 280 meters away. There it uncouples and drives to another station to pick up an empty rack, which is transported back to the starting point and refilled there. The AMR also transports parcels that are destined for dispatch. These are moved from A to B in pallet cages or on pallets. "In the past, several employees were involved in these transportation processes, driving the forklift truck or operating pallet trucks on the side, so to speak. Now the AMR takes care of all the transportation," says Przemyslaw Krzysztyniak. "This partial automation saves us a lot of time: for example, a single trip with the forklift truck from one hall to another used to take 10 minutes. These trips took place several times a day. Now the MiR250 takes over these transport processes and our colleagues can get back to their actual work."

Reduce costs and increase process efficiency

Different transport processes can be implemented with a single AMR. The robot can be used very flexibly and can quickly adapt to changing environments and production requirements. Another plus point: using the AMR can save costs. If you look at the total cost of ownership of a forklift truck, the acquisition costs only account for a small proportion of 10 percent. Personnel costs account for around 80 percent. These are completely eliminated with AMR. The energy costs of an AMR are also relatively low. As a result, the use of an AMR in conjunction with the item superstructures offers numerous advantages. Manual material transport, on the other hand, is often inefficient and will no longer be an option in the future, especially in view of the ever worsening labor market situation. Przemyslaw Krzysztyniak and his team are currently working on the simple automation of transport processes through the use of shooters and an ergonomic solution for filling the pallet cages. "We develop our products in an iterative process," reports the system developer. "CIP methods and other lean tools help us to further optimize intralogistics processes in order to optimally meet market requirements."

This article appeared in issue 7/23