 AGVs operate in areas where there are also manual forklifts and people |
Valio is the leading dairy product manufacturer in Finland, and the Haapavesi plant processes and packs one of Scandinavia's favourite cheese brands Oltermanni. Inside this factory in northern Finland there are two
automated guided vehicles working as part of the team. They are bristling with the very latest navigation and sensor technology. The AGV receives its instructions by wifi and carries them out using a rotating laser which bounces off a series of discreetly placed reflective strips. The unit can calibrate its exact position to within a centimeter. And it's safe too. Sensors at both ends, in the side rails, above the AGV and in the forks themselves means that if anything comes too close it stops! These AGVs have been customised with the Oltermanni branding and have quickly become part of the team.
 Damage to vehicles, stock and site has reduced by 90% |
'Of course forklift drivers are true professionals. But these guys (AGVs), they don't have bad days', mentions Jarno Pajula, Valio's Planning Manager, Warehouse Logistics.
By replacing manual operators the amount of damage to vehicles, stock and site has reduced by 90%. The number of forklift operators Valio employs on this site has fallen from 8 to 4 and manual shifts have fallen from 3 to 2. These AGVs can run unattended through the night.
Crucially these machines don't require track installation or wholesale changes to the existing design of a warehouse. The
AGVs know their jobs and get on with them and when they are running low on power they automatically roll themselves onto floor-mounted charging contacts.
The AGVs are moving around in areas where there are also manual forklifts and people, and they get along with everybody.
 Automated floor-mounted contact charger |
|  AGVs are customised with Oltermanni branding |
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'People are often afraid of new things but nowadays everybody says they wouldn't give them away', concludes Marko Palosaari, Valio Haapavesi Plant Manager.