Client Situation
The client manufactures suspension components using a highly reactive adhesive. This substance crystallizes rapidly upon contact with air, which significantly complicates its storage and transport.
The company consistently invests in cost-saving projects, particularly those that enable the reallocation of operators to more value-added tasks. The expected return on investment must not exceed two years.
Challenges
- The production machines were located far from the feed tanks where the adhesive was stored. Due to the risk of crystallization, pipeline transport was not an option—any failure would require cutting and replacing the entire installation.
- As a result, the adhesive was transported using heated mobile tanks with a capacity of several hundred liters. Dozens of trips were made daily between the tanks and machines, requiring a full-time operator.
- The operator manually handled the entire process: connecting the mobile tank to the feed station, filling it, cleaning the valves, transporting the tank to the machine, docking it again, and leaving it to empty.
Solution
The implemented solution was based on autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which:
- independently navigate routes and avoid obstacles,
- move along shared communication pathways,
- dock tanks at feed and receiving stations with high precision,
- enable full automation of connections: electrical, adhesive medium, compressed nitrogen, and heater power supply.
The docking stations on both ends of the process—at the feed tanks and at the production machines—were also automated.
Results
- One operator freed up per shift—equivalent to saving 3 full-time positions annually.
- Return on investment achieved in under 2 years.
- Significant improvement in working conditions and reduced employee exposure to hazardous substances.
- Improved valve cleanliness, leading to reduced replacement frequency and lower maintenance costs.
„This is one of the few projects that met all our operational, technological, and financial requirements. Reassigning operators to more critical tasks allowed us to increase production flexibility without hiring additional staff.”
Client Testimonial
Potential for Your Company
Are your employees still manually transporting materials or liquids between workstations?
This is a process that can be successfully automated using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).
