The perfect match in shared environments  

In the food and beverage industry, every movement of raw materials, packaging, and finished goods must meet strict standards to prevent contamination and ensure product integrity. AGVs deliver clean, consistent, and efficient transport in environments where precision and safety are non-negotiable. 

The future of intralogistics lies in the collaboration between AGVs and human operators, as it unlocks new possibilities for efficiency and flexibility. This approach enables businesses to optimise resource allocation by automating repetitive, high-precision tasks while reserving complex, problem-solving activities for people. In hygiene-critical environments, assigning hygiene-sensitive operations to AGVs is essential. The contactless material handling significantly mitigates risks associated with manual processes, including inconsistent cleaning practices, physical contact, and other factors that can compromise safety.

  

Rocla AGVs help you meet safety and hygiene goals 

By adhering to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System standard, Rocla AGVs are designed to consistently help meet both customer expectations and respective regulatory or contractual requirements. This commitment ensures not only quality compliance but also operational efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction. By meeting high quality standards, we allow customers to focus on complying with the stringent hygiene standards of the food and beverage industry. The ISO framework drives a culture of continuous improvement, meaning our AGV solutions evolve to deliver even greater reliability, safety, and performance over time.  

The minimalistic design of our Rocla AGVs supports these needs when paired with well-defined routine cleaning protocols, providing a robust solution for environments where hygiene is essential, by supporting consistent and safe operations.  

The key to efficiency in the food and beverage industry 

Beyond hygiene, the durability and precision of AGVs also contribute to operational efficiency, as they can operate around the clock, enabling uninterrupted production and minimising downtime.  

Rocla’s FleetControlller software easily integrates with the existing Warehouse Management System (WMS) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and increases traceability by providing a more accurate and precise real-time inventory visibility while supporting the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) compliance, which is critical for perishable goods. Thanks to the FleetController, every movement can be tracked in real time, and past events are easily accessible through the history tab. 

The compact design on some of the newest Rocla AGV models allows navigation even in tight aisles, freeing up valuable floor space and enabling automation in environments previously considered unsuitable for AGVs. Moreover, because Rocla AGVs do not require major modifications to the existing infrastructure, they can often be implemented without interrupting production. This minimises downtime and allows businesses to transition to automated material handling while maintaining operational continuity, a critical advantage in high-demand environments such as food and beverage manufacturing. 

How Rocla AGV Solutions is revolutionising the industry 

Driven by labour shortages, rising hygiene standards, and Industry 4.0 adoption,  companies like Eckes-Granini, Valio or Seeberger have reported measurable improvements after deploying Rocla AGVs. These cases illustrate how AGVs deliver operational resilience and food safety compliance while freeing staff for higher-value tasks and help boost efficiency. 

• Eckes-Granini successfully streamlined pallet transport for beverages at its Finnish site, resulting in smoother material flow and increased operational efficiency. As a positive outcome of automation, the warehouse became significantly more organised, with all items assigned to clearly marked locations within the dispatch area. This structured approach not only improved space utilisation but also enhanced overall workflow. Additionally, the implementation of AGVs delivered measurable savings in logistics costs. 

• Valio automated heavy load movements in several dairy production sites in Finland, ensuring hygiene and efficiency while freeing up the human workforce to more creative tasks. 

“Previously, we worked manually with drivers operating forklifts, which was quite hard work for them. We wanted to move them to more productive and lighter work, and now they are monitoring the automated system to make sure everything works smoothly,” explains Pauli Väisänen, Production Supervisor at Valio Lapinlahti. 

Marko Palosaari, Plant Manager at Valio Haapavesi, mentions how “People are often afraid of new things, but nowadays everybody says they wouldn’t give them away” after pointing out that on their site, AGVs operate in the same areas as manual forklifts and people, and they get along with everybody. 

• Seeberger, Germany’s leading producer of dried fruit and nuts, enhanced material flow in nut and dried fruit processing, minimising contamination risk. The staff at Seeberger were soon impressed by the reliability, safety and efficiency that AGVs provide. “The system has been running very stably since the end of the optimisation phase. No major corrections were necessary,” emphasised with satisfaction Marc Eberhardt, Project Engineer at Seeberger. 

As consumer expectations rise and regulations tighten, automation will become indispensable for food and beverage manufacturers. AGVs are not just a logistics upgrade, they are a strategic investment in quality, safety, and competitiveness.