From mixed operation to fully automated inbound logistics with the AFi-M fleet

In production environments where hundreds of pallets are moved every day, smooth processes and precise coordination are essential. In a completed project at a well-known car manufacturer, 4am Robotics demonstrated how this requirement can be reliably met with autonomous AFi-M forklift trucks. The focus was on the complete automation of the internal material flow in the incoming goods department. The results speak for themselves.

From mixed to complete automation

The customer's existing plant was originally equipped with seven AFi-M from 4am and several manually operated forklift trucks. The aim of the project was to fully automate the material flow by replacing the remaining manual vehicles with autonomous ones. The technical and economic feasibility of the planned fleet expansion was checked in advance with the help of a virtual throughput simulation - carried out by the support workstream of the SCIO Digital Segment, the software division of SCIO Automation GmbH.

The simulation provided a clear answer: a total of 15 AFi-M are required to cover all logistical tasks within a 17-hour working day. The analysis took into account real process data, possible shortages and loading cycles and provided a reliable basis for making decisions on system expansion.

This is how the material flow works in practice 

The autonomous forklift fleet transports around 2390 pallets through the facility every day. The transport requirements include a wide variety of pallet types: 1989 full pallets, 277 empty pallets, 96 empty lidded racks and 23 unclear pallets, which are sent for separate inspection.

The pallets are received at a total of 20 different source stations, including four sources for full pallets, six for lidded racks and ten sources for empties. They are then distributed to a total of 20 destination stations, including five sinks for full pallets, eight for empties, seven for clearing or special pallets and additional areas for storing the lidded racks.

In the incoming goods area, the pallets are first recorded and then picked up by the AFi-Ms. These then transport them to the corresponding conveyor belt stations, where they are fed into the production flow.

As production does not always run in regular cycles in reality, a buffer concept is integrated: 180 storage locations in 20 shelves are available for temporary pallet storage. This prevents backlogs on the conveyor belts and ensures an even supply to downstream processes.

To ensure an even material flow, the simulation also took into account the transfer time of the vehicles to the conveyor system. Not every AFi-M requires the same amount of time - depending on the situation, it can vary between eight and 30 seconds. These different time spans help to compensate for potential overlaps and make the overall process more fluid.

Intelligent order management and coordinated fleet routing

The AFi-M receive their transport orders from a central fleet management system. This system controls all vehicles and calculates the optimum vehicle for each transport requirement.

A so-called quotation process is used for this: All available vehicles submit an internal offer based on parameters such as distance to the source, battery charge level and current order utilization. The vehicle with the best offer receives the order.

In addition, two stopping zones are planned for each destination station so that the next vehicle can move forward while the previous one is still busy with the handover. This form of advance planning contributes significantly to the high efficiency of the overall system.

Focus on availability and traceability

A key advantage of the AFi-M is its technical availability of 99.6%. Failures are therefore extremely rare and hardly affect continuous operation. In addition, the system ensures complete transparency in the material flow: it is always possible to see where each pallet is located.

This not only opens up opportunities for traceability and quality assurance, but also for an efficient response to changing production conditions.

Cost benefits thanks to automation

The complete automation of the material flow not only pays off in terms of process reliability, but also offers economic advantages. Standardized processes ensure stable operation and consistently high quality. At the same time, employees can be deployed more specifically for value-adding tasks, as time-consuming manual transport processes are no longer necessary. The susceptibility to errors due to manual intervention is also reduced, which significantly reduces rework and downtime costs.

Simulation as the basis for planning reliability

The key added value of the project was that all planning assumptions were checked in advance as part of a realistic simulation. The exact movement patterns, loading cycles, throughputs and traffic flows could be tested and fine-tuned in advance.

This ensured that the actual implementation had no nasty surprises in store, but was based on a solid basis!