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Enhancing warehouse efficiency: The role of AGVs in intralogistics processes

Warehouses play a crucial role in the supply chain, ensuring that products are handled safely and efficiently and are available when needed for distribution or sale. Space utilisation, inventory management, technology integration, safety and material flow control are key to ensuring optimal operations at any warehouse. 

Due to the latest trends such as the growth of the e-commerce, increase in omnichannel fulfilment, supply chain disruptions, increased SKUs, integration of advanced technologies and sustainability initiatives, warehouses must accommodate higher inventory levels to ensure efficient operations and meet the evolving demands of the market. 

Optimising space utilisation is, therefore, a priority in today’s warehouses. While it can be challenging to maximise the use of available space without compromising accessibility, poor space management can lead to clutter and inefficiencies. This hinders inventory management, resulting in inaccurate data, overstocking, or stockouts.  

Moreover, inconsistent processes can lead to errors and delays, bottlenecks and redundancy. In other words, neglecting optimal storage space use and good material flow control can lead to unexpectedly high expenses. 

Additionally, warehouses can be environments where operators, pedestrians, driver-operated vehicles, heavy machinery, and robots share a workspace. This combination opens a wide range of opportunities for growth and efficiency. However, it also poses significant risks to workers if these solutions are not integrated properly. 

Addressing these challenges requires a combination of strategic planning, investment in technology, and continuous improvement efforts to ensure that warehouses operate efficiently and safely. With our 40+ years of experience in providing optimised intralogistics solutions, we are able to analyse your processes and identify deficiencies that could be strengthened through automation. 

Why automate? 

In warehouses with shared environments, AGVs will support manual operators by handling burdensome and repetitive tasks, enabling human resources to be used for more productive purposes. 

Our flexible, modular, and durable AGVs offer solutions for any facility as they are designed to handle a variety of logistic processes, including tight aisles and multiple types of racking. Rocla AGV Solutions are easily scalable, enabling the solution to evolve with your needs over time to help you stay ahead of the curve.  

By implementing Rocla AGV Solutions you can: 

  • Reduce the number of errors in the warehouse or fulfilment centre
  • Ensure just-in-time material flow and transparency of operations
  • Better allocate resources
  • Eliminate damage to goods and equipment
  • Minimise accidents
  • Know the total cost of ownership in advance
  • Implement AGV solutions without halting daily operations
  • Maximise uptime with our diagnostics and support

How can we plan the best solution to fit your needs? 

When implementing automation, it is crucial to carefully consider the current processes. Moreover, the interaction between humans and AGVs has evolved from merely coexisting or operating separately in a shared space to collaborating on shared tasks with a common goal.  

Therefore, perhaps not even the full process needs to be automated. When implementing an AGV solution, it is essential to pay attention to existing processes, provide necessary training for staff, and understand current operations to optimise workflows where needed.  

At Rocla AGV Solutions, we assess your operations to determine the appropriate level of automation and design a tailored solution rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, and although our primary focus is on AGV solutions, we consider the bigger picture when evaluating each case and advise our customers on other aspects that could enhance efficiency or safety. Through our wide Mitsubishi Logisnext network, we can also provide a wide range of solutions for various logistics processes, eliminating the hassle of dealing with multiple providers. 

How do we help you find the best solution for your warehouse? 

Thanks to our wide range of AGVs, we can assist in a variety of processes. Rocla’s Automated Reach Truck (ART), Automated Compact Truck (ACT), Very Narrow Aisle Automated Warehouse Truck (VNA AWT) and the Counterbalance Automated Warehouse Truck (AWT) are ideal for tasks such as material transport, inventory management, order fulfilment, pallet handling, assembly line support, cross-docking or returns processing, enhancing efficiency and productivity as well as transparency and traceability. 

  • The ART and ACT offer numerous possibilities for automating existing environments, with a straightforward integration process, requiring no changes to current layouts as they enable high lifting in warehouses with limited storage space. The ACT, can lift loads up to 6 m in aisles as narrow as 2.6 m, while the new model of our ART can lift loads up to 10 m in aisles as narrow as 2.85 m, making it the first automated reach truck in the market capable of operating in such tight spaces. 
  • Rocla VNA AWT is the ideal solution for warehouses with very narrow aisles. Two different models make it possible to tailor the solution to meet your specific needs and help you improve your material flow.   
  • The Counterbalance AWT can handle loads up to 2 500 kg and lift as high as 8.4 m. It’s optimal for floor space storage or specific racking solutions. 

These AGVs can transport goods within the warehouse to several locations. For instance, moving them from receiving areas to storage locations, and from storage to shipping areas can streamline inbound and outbound logistics, reducing the need for long-term storage and handling costs and easing the workload and ergonomics of human operators by reducing repetitive load transportation needs from manual drivers. On the other hand, delivering parts and materials to specific locations on assembly lines ensures a continuous supply of components for manufacturing processes reducing downtime and driving the operations from a push to pull process and enabling other workers in the area to allocate hours to more valuable tasks. 

How is safety addressed in shared environments? 

Now that you know more about how our AGV solutions could support your warehouse logistics processes, there is only one question left. How can we ensure that your working environment not only stays safe but also improves safety when automation needs to share space with other vehicles and manual operations?  

Our AGVs are all compliant with the ISO 3691-4 safety standard to facilitate mixed fleet operations where needed. Additionally, in order for the collaboration between AGVs and humans to be effective, we have developed a series of functionalities and features both on the vehicles and software to ease the management of operation allowing operators to manage the entire material flow from a single system. 

As part of Rocla AGV Solutions, customers are provided with the FleetController suite that connects with the existing WMS (Warehouse Management System) and keeps the fleet running automatically, optimising the orders and routes of the material flow.   

FleetController and its Order Optimizer plan the order of task execution according to the deadlines given by the WMS. To keep up with the schedule, FleetController can automatically and actively manage the task allocation between AGVs and forklifts. This way, the solution adapts to the amount of available transportation resources —AGVs and driver–operated forklifts— always resulting in an optimal investment. 

With AMFC (Automated Material Flow Control) in place, FleetController can allocate tasks to both AGVs and driver-operated forklifts, integrating them into a single, cohesive fleet under one solution. Here a set of rules divide the orders into two work queues: AGVs and Lift Trucks. These rules allow you to allocate tasks based on load type or a specific area, s, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted operations across different shifts. Additionally, AMFC relies on order balancing to react to sudden changes and errors during operations, improving communication between manual operators and AGVs and elevating collaboration.  

The intuitive and user-friendly FLO app serves as the communication interface between the FleetController and forklift drivers, allowing operators to receive and check transportation tasks directly from FleetController on their truck terminal or handheld computer. 

These features along with the multiple safety features integrated in the vehicles such as scanners or lights create a safe, smooth and collaborative environment at your warehouse elevating the efficiency of our Rocla AGVs and their capability to communicate with driver-operated forklifts and other operators in the area. 

Briefly, automation can provide the support your current operations need to become more efficient and boost your business. With Rocla AGV Solutions, you can achieve this goal and implement an automated solution without extensive changes to your current layout or halting production. 

Our AGVs come equipped with advanced safety features and a user-friendly interface, making it easy and safe to integrate them into environments where manual operations and other vehicles exist. 

Pekka Paavilainen

Pekka Paavilainen

Sales Manager, Warehousing and Logistics

Call +358 50 5709 206

Our answers to the most common concerns among our customers: 

Do I need to automate everything? 

Automation isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; while AGVs excel in handling repetitive and physically demanding tasks, certain activities are still best managed by humans due to their complexity and need for critical thinking. AGVs are designed to play a supporting role in warehouse operations, enhancing efficiency and productivity.  

Due to high demand, I cannot afford to stop production. How long does it take to implement an AGV Solution? 

Integrating AGVs into existing environments can be achieved seamlessly without halting production. You can continue to run your operations even during project implementation. 

What does it mean when you say the solution integrates “easily” into the existing system? 

“Easy system integration” when implementing Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) refers to the seamless and efficient incorporation of AGVs into your existing operational systems. At Rocla AGV Solutions, we ensure a smooth and worry-free integration process by offering: 

  • Compatibility: Our AGV System is designed to communicate and work seamlessly with your current Warehouse Management System (WMS), Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and other IT infrastructure, achieving operational efficiency without extensive modifications. 
  • Minimal disruptions: We integrate AGVs without causing significant downtime or disruptions to your ongoing operations. The integration with Rocla FleetController can be done without halting production. 
  • Scalability: Rocla AGV Solutions allows you to easily scale up the number of AGVs or adjust their roles as your business grows or changes. As intralogistics evolves rapidly, it’s crucial to be prepared for the future. 
  • User-friendly interfaces: Our intuitive interfaces for operators and managers make monitoring and controlling AGVs straightforward. This smooth integration reduces worker stress, minimises errors, and maintains a positive work environment. 
  • Timely technical support and training: We provide comprehensive support and training to ensure your team can effectively manage and troubleshoot AGVs in day-to-day operations. 

Do you have a solution for narrow or tight aisles? 

Different AGVs cover the needs of multiple warehouses and bring the possibility of automation to even those with tight aisles. Our offering includes vehicles like the ACT (Automated Compact Truck), ART (Automated Reach Truck) and VNA AWT (Very Narrow Aisle Automated Warehouse Truck) suitable for warehouses where storage space is at a premium. The ACT can lift loads up to 6 m in aisles as narrow as 2.6 m, while the new model of our ART can lift loads up to 10 m in aisles as narrow as 2.85 m. 

How do I know how many AGVs I need? 

Our experts will assess and guide you through the process at every step. By providing them with the necessary details, they can run a simulation to help you understand your needs and possibilities. And don’t worry, as business needs evolve, the use of AGVs can be scaled up to meet changing demands, ensuring a flexible and adaptive approach to automation. The scalability of Rocla AGVs is easy thanks to functioning on a centralised control. 

My current operations include pedestrians, operators and other vehicles in the area. Can I still consider automation? 

Thanks to the multiple ISO 3691-4 standard-compliant default and additional safety features available in all our Rocla AGVs, it is possible to include automation in existing environments, enabling collaboration between manual operations and automation. Our in-house developed software allows mixed fleet operations to be monitored and controlled from one single point. FleetController software made AGV technology available for manual operations. 

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