AGV NETWORK

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀? 🚨 Kivnon bankruptcy raises big questions about the sector’s resilience.☠ ----- Once a leading name in AGVs and automation, Kivnon’s financial struggles highlight the economic pressures faced by many in our industry. Yes... many do not say... but some AGV/AMR companies are struggling... 😬 🙋🏽♂️ I've always found Kivnon as a reference in the market and tough competitor with many great people.... Despite generating €𝟭𝟵 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 in revenue in 2023, it seems that the company’s heavy reliance on the automotive sector, combined with broader economic challenges, has taken its toll. Here are my questions 👇🏽 🔹 What 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 are agv/amr manufacturers employing to remain competitive in these challenging times? 🔹 Do you see signs of a broader 𝗕𝗔𝗗 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱 in the mobile robot industry? 💬 Let me know your thoughts—whether you're a manufacturer, integrator, or industry observer, your perspective is valuable! 👇 More info: https://lnkd.in/dR-y_QXR

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞... 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩 (at least for safety). I’ve seen mobile robots in EU that are not safe 😱 --- Check these pictures... this a safe mobile robot CE Marked and compliant with ISO3691-4... that's good... unluckily it is not always like this. 👇🏽 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩. Just because a mobile robot (AGV or AMR) has a CE mark doesn’t automatically mean it’s safe enough for your warehouse or plant. 🤷🏽♂️ The CE mark says, “𝘏𝘪 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦!!! 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘜.” That’s fine, but when it comes to 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, your operations, and your reputation, basic isn’t enough. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐒𝐎 𝟑𝟔𝟗𝟏-𝟒( and its PLd stuff...) If you want robots that won’t fail when safety is on the line, you need to look for PLd-rated systems. 🆆🅷🅰🆃’🆂 🅿🅻🅳? It’s a safety standard that ensures the robot can detect and respond to risks – reliably, every time. The Safety Standard 3691-4:2023 says that PLd especially critical for things like: ✅ 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: These detect people and obstacles around the robot. ✅ 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬:They make sure the robot can stop safely when needed. Oh my Gxxx!!! It makes sense 😱😱😱... what a news!! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Not All Robots Are Created Equal 🤨 I’ve seen mobile robots on the market claiming, “𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙀, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚!” But when you dig deeper, the safety components – like the lasers and brakes – aren’t PLd-rated. In some cases, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨 with lower-grade sensors. ✂💲 🆃🅷🅴 🆁🅴🆂🆄🅻🆃? A robot that might miss a person or fail to stop in time. Scary, right? 🙋🏽♂️ 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬:👇🏽 ✅ Ask to comply with 3691-4 : Does the robot meet PLd standards for all critical components, like lasers, brakes, and control systems? ✅ At least... check the Lasers: High-quality, yellow-labeled laser scanners (from top-tier brands) are your best bet for reliable safety. ✅ Think Long-Term: A cheap robot might save you money today, but it could cost you big time if safety is compromised. 💗𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕣𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕥𝕤... they're amazing tools, but only if they’re built with the right safety measures. A safe robot ensures the safety of your people and the smooth operation of your business. 🙏🏽 Please... don’t just buy what’s cheap (at least for safety). Buy what’s safe and reliable. Pictures: SMART TECHNOLOGY S.A. - SMARLOGY mobile robots (safe... very safe 😉) ready for demo day in Gruppo Movincar COMPAGNIA GENERALE MACCHINE S.P.A. IN FORMA ABBREVIATA: CGM S.P.A. Safety scanners by SICK Sensor Intelligence 👉🏽 Follow me! Alfredo Pastor Tella to stay up to date on #agvs #amrs #mobilerobots #materialhandling 🤖 🤗

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗮𝗴𝘃/𝗮𝗺𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄? 🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 --- Last week I had the opportunity to witness four different brands of mobile robots, all operating together in the same workspace. No compatibility issues, no communication gaps. 😉 With a couple of great insights: 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 and 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—two essential features that add real value to any mobile robot. This is the promise of true interoperability: 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. In this case, we can see Jungheinrich AG, Toyota Material Handling Europe and Front AGV AB vehicles managed by Kollmorgen NCD8 solution. It means that dozens of mobile robot brands under the Kollmorgen – Autonomous Mobile Solutions umbrella could be installed under the same roof. But… let’s go further: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴❓ By 2025, Kollmorgen will  integrate 🆅🅳🅰5050 within their systems, bringing decades of industry knowledge to an open-source initiative. 📣 Yes, VDA 5050 is open-source, meaning more people and companies can collaborate, driving robust and reliable development forward. In this framework, the addition of expertise from key industry players like 𝐊𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧 could give a real boost to this movement. VDA 5050 is more than a protocol—it’s a collaborative effort to make “Plug & Produce” a reality. 🎯 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫: Any mobile robot, regardless of brand, can be seamlessly integrated into existing operations. But… ⭐ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ⭐... 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗗𝗔 𝟱𝟬𝟱𝟬 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱? Thanks for your kind welcome Madlen Mårdsjö Karin Green Martin Törnqvist Patrik Sjööquist, really impressive to see a team with such a commitment for innovation. 👏🏼👏🏼

 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 🅰🅶🆅🆂❓ Here's what you need to know -𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 👍🏽 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠.👎🏽 --- Over the years, I’ve had the chance to install numerous tugger AGVs. Here’s what I’ve learned about these machines—the good, the bad, and the challenges we still need to address. 🔍 👍🏽 The Pros: 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Switching from manual to tugger AGVs is almost seamless; they can directly replace manned tow tractors without a complete overhaul of existing circuits. 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Tugger robots move in loops. Setting them up is straightforward, saving time and resources. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: Compared to other mobile robots like platforms or forklifts, they can pull multiple unit loads at once, maximizing efficiency. Fewer trips mean more productivity! 🚛 ⚠ But let’s face it, they come with a bunch of drawbacks 👎🏽 The Cons: 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 Unfortunately, tugger AGVs struggle with autonomous hooking of trolleys. This usually means manual intervention is needed, which slows down the process. While there are workarounds, it often complicates the operation further. 😅 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 With manual tow tractors, the driver usually handles this. But with AGVs… there isn’t driver… so someone else has to hook/unhook the trolleys in the different stops. This task falls on assembly line workers who might not have the time, creating a bottleneck in otherwise automated processes. 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 🛡 One critical area is safety. Typically, there is not any 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆𝘀. If someone gets in between, the AGV won’t know. And that’s a problem. Addressing these issues can be expensive, but it’s necessary for safe operation. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 In the end, tugger AGVs are fantastic for simple, repetitive routes, but when it comes to complex tasks, they struggle. The key is to find the right balance between efficiency and safety. ⭐ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ⭐... What is the best Navigation System for Mobile Robot Tow tractors? Magnetic tape, SLAM, LGV? Others? Let me know in the comments🗨 Vehicles in the video by Gruppo Movincar COMPAGNIA GENERALE MACCHINE S.P.A. IN FORMA ABBREVIATA: CGM S.P.A. Supplier Synersight 👉🏽 Follow me! Alfredo Pastor Tella to stay up to date on #agvs #amrs #mobilerobots #materialhandling 🤖 🤗