Each year, a number of solutions are tested as part of the selection of the IFOY Award winners, and because editor Allan Leibowitz is on the jury, Forkliftaction gets access to the expert reviews. We continue our reviews of the finalists, this week looking at the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV/AMR) finalists.           

Jungheinrich EKS 215a

The "a" in the product name of the EKS 215a stands for autonomous. As Jungheinrich states, its latest product, the high-lift AGV EKS 215a, is the first autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) in its class that has been developed exclusively for automatic operation. However, the truck is not completely helpless if a malfunction should ever bring it to a halt: the truck can be switched to manual operation through an emergency control panel by means of a key switch. In this way, all functions are basically possible, only somewhat slower.

The test installation of the first "real" autonomous high-lift truck from Jungheinrich in the Dortmund exhibition hall was completed within a few hours. The EKS 215a autonomous high-lift truck, which was made to run without any problems, can store and retrieve pallets up to 6 m with a residual load capacity of up to 700 Kg. In the lower racking area, up to about 2 m, the AGV can handle pallets or special load carriers weighing 1,500 Kg. As a true autonomous truck, it is designed to be very small: At 3.5 m, it can be turned and the racking can be served from both sides. This makes the self-supporting automatic order picker, which went on sale at the end of 2021, small, compact, fast and maneuverable.

If the vehicle, which is equipped with a mobile laser personal protection scanner from Sick, does not have a driving job and the lithium-ion battery is not full, it is temporarily charged via a green overhead contact plate. This option is particularly interesting in work situations where you don't know exactly when the truck will next have to drive. The 24 v concept with automatic loading ensures efficient multi-shift operation. The user-friendly touch display ensures intuitive operation.

The AGV is controlled by a higher-level system: depending on the connection to the customer's warehouse management system (WMS) or as a stand-alone system from Jungheinrich using sensor-monitored bays. Then the charger chases 300 amps into the battery. This way, the battery is charged from 25 to 50% in about 10 minutes; pushing it up to 80% takes about 30 minutes.

Without a connection to a customer WMS such as SAP, the customer is provided with a Jungheinrich user interface with a drop-down menu. This interface with a web browser is also available for mobile phones or tablets. However, for product liability reasons, the customer cannot program around in it.

In contrast to the reach truck, the EKS 215a with its cantilever forks can also be used to approach and automate stations that are not accessible from below. The new truck masters the in-house transport of loading aids in mixed operation with manually controlled vehicles or persons with flying colours thanks to its small footprint. Depending on the application, a wide range of mast types is available. By the way: the high-lift AGV can also be easily connected to ERP systems via the Jungheinrich logistics interface.

IFOY Test Verdict
It is becoming increasingly important to automate manual logistics processes. With the new EKS 215a, processes in existing infrastructures can be automated, even in mixed operation with manual trucks or people. Thanks to its lithium-ion power supply and automatic charging, the device, which is first-class in Jungheinrich style, promises economical 24/7 operation - even in the smallest of spaces. The integrated scanner and the adaptive protective field concept do the rest to make the EKS 215a a recommendation from the tester.

Locus Robotics AMR Solution

The US provider Locus Robotics offers its autonomous robots, which work collaboratively with warehouse staff, exclusively in a packaged rental model. After the set-up with a one-time "start-up fee", a "core fleet" is available to the customer for his /her tasks. This averages between 45 and 50 vehicles per customer. The robot manufacturer from Wilmington in the Greater Boston metropolitan region (Massachusetts/USA) has been active in Europe since 2019. 

At the moment, Locus serves around 80 customers in about 200 warehouses with its picking system. The customers come not only from retail, but also from pharmaceuticals and industry (ABB). Picking into the 45 Kg moving robot is extremely easy: the type and quantity of the products to be picked at the location and placed into the small load carrier on the Locus robot are very clearly displayed on the clear touchscreen. Picked, confirmed, and the fast journey continues. The tester has never found this so easy, intuitive and without a single second of "learning the ropes".

Locus does not replace the customer's inventory management system, but obtains its information about the product and the number of units to be picked from it. The Locus software clusters the orders for the optimal picking route - of the roving units, mind you, not of the individual pickers - and which orders are connected on a container. In the field, the system works with high-quality Lidar sensors ("Light Detection and Ranging"). Irrespective of the time saved by short distances for the pickers: the picking system also increases productivity by the fact that the human at a single picking position, for example, spends only 8 instead of 12 seconds - that adds up. When picking, both hands are free for the products to be picked.

If necessary, a seasonal fleet can easily be added to the core fleet, for example, for two to three months for the Christmas business. The robots themselves are produced between May and November and are maintained quickly and leanly. A total of around 8,000 of these robots are currently in use, 2,000 of them in Europe. When the going gets tough, 100 to 500 of the robots can easily be produced each week. The "package" consists of the no-quibble replacement of the robots during maintenance; in the event of malfunctions, the customer does not incur any additional costs. Every three months, the so-called "field service" comes to the customer's premises to check on things. 

It also takes three months for the customer to implement the system.

IFOY Test Verdict
With collaborative AMR, retailers, 3PLs, but also operators of special warehouses or manufacturers can greatly improve their effectiveness with an ROI of six to eight months. In doing so, an integrated execution platform uses proprietary optimisation algorithms and operational performance data to coordinate "man and machine". On the subject of innovation, Locus has 33 patents in the US and seven in Europe. An additional 23 patents have been filed in Europe!.