Spanish car manufacturer SEAT has deployed a fleet of eight outdoor automated guided vehicles (AGV) to its plant in Martorell. The eight AGVs are fitted with SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) navigation, 4G connection and induction battery charging.
They are operating outside the production workshops to automate the transportation of parts, joining a fleet of 200 AGVs delivering parts inside the assembly workshops at the Martorell and Barcelona factories. Each outdoor AGV and its carriages make up a 25m convoy with a capacity of 10 tons, and cover routes of 3.5km.
The eight AGVs travel 240km a day on two routes between the press and metal shops, doing away with trucks for the deliveries.
SEAT says the AGVs make deliveries more efficient and cost-effective, and reduce stockpiling at both the starting and destination points as well as vehicle traffic inside the factory.
The project was developed in collaboration with ASTI Mobile Robotics and Telefonica.
Dr Christian Vollmer, vice president for production and logistics at SEAT, said, “The implementation of outdoor AGVs enables us to optimize production and logistics processes in an efficient, sustainable and connected way.”
SEAT has also produced a video to demonstrate the AGVs, click here to watch.