FEATURE PROCESS AUTOMATION AMRs TAKE A LOGICAL APPROACH TO WAREHOUSING
RARUK’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are helping to optimise logistics flow at ICM
U
se robots where it makes sense and people to do higher-value tasks.
That’s the philosophy behind the design of the entire logistics flow of ICM, a supplier of personal protective and technical equipment and work environment solutions in Scandinavia. The ICM high-tech warehouse, with its
myriad of pallet transport operations running from 07:00-22:00 hours, is located in Odense in Denmark. Every year, tonnes of goods arrive at the logistics centre on a total of 31,000 pallets and ICM staff manage 100,000 orders, most of which are next-day deliveries. Space is limited, customers are impatient and competition is fierce. This means that time, personnel and space must be utilised optimally. Thanks to an investment in three
MiR1000 AMR robots, three employees now save several hours each on daily activities. They no longer have to spend time manually moving pallets from a stacker to the aisles in the high-rise warehouse. Instead, they can place the pallets on special MiR racks, from which the AMRs collect the pallets and transport them to the aisles inside the warehouse. The pallets are collected by high-reach trucks that place them in the relevant racks. “The high-reach truck operators
automatically report when they have taken a pallet from a rack, so I can just press a button on the tablet screen and send one more MiR robot on a mission. This way the robots ensure the high-
ROBOTS CHOOSE THE MOST EFFICIENT ROUTE
The RARUK Automation AMR range has recently been expanded with the addition of the MiR250 autonomous mobile robot. The agile, rapid-charging robot can transport payloads of up 250kg around premises such as factories, warehouses and healthcare facilities. Featuring compact dimensions, the MiR250 can move under objects, navigate in narrow spaces and take corners quickly. Able to drive at 7.2km/h (2m/s) while avoiding both static and dynamic obstacles, the AMR has a shorter
(800mm) and lower (300mm) design, enabling it to navigate in limited spaces. The MiR250 is suitable for use in harsh industrial environments as several standard components have
been replaced with heavy-duty counterparts, extending life expectancy. Furthermore, the number of hours that the robot can operate per 24-hour period has been optimised, largely because the MiR250 can be charged twice as quickly as the company’s other smaller mobile robots. Like all AMRs in the company’s range, the MiR250 is designed to function in collaboration with people
without external safety measures. Ease-of-use is another advantage. The MiR250 can be programmed via the user-friendly robot interface, even by those without any previous experience. Fast and cost-efficient deployment is also assured simply by downloading CAD files of the facility to the robot or use its laser scanners to create a map. The robot always chooses the most efficient path and calculates alternative routes automatically if needed.
24 JULY/AUGUST 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL
software, MiR Fleet, also ensures that the tasks are optimally distributed between the AMRs, so that it is the robot that can carry out the task in the shortest time that is chosen. It also makes sure that the three MiR1000 automatically move to a charging station and charge up between tasks, so that downtime is optimised. Overall, the AMRs have saved
reach trucks are always supplied with pallets,” said Jesper Lorenzen, warehouse assistant and responsible for goods reception at ICM. Using a map on a tablet in the truck, the
truck operators can see where the small robots are at all times, and the AMRs can use audio signals and lights to be seen in the busiest areas. The close collaboration between the trucks and the AMRs is vital to avoid different machines blocking each other’s path. ICM has made a dedicated route for the
AMRs, freeing space for other traffic in the logistics centre. Previously, space was very cramped because of the many operations with manual stackers on the main traffic routes, which have now been replaced by the MiR robots. MiR’s fleet management
The AMRs collect the pallets from the MiR racks and transport them to the aisles in the warehouse
Logistics at the warehouse run smoothly, using a mix of employees, AMRs and trucks
approximately 40 hours a week at ICM, time that the staff previously spent on internal transport and movement of goods. These employees can now focus on higher value activities, i.e. planning and optimisation. Assessing, handling and prioritising the pallets and the contents is a complicated task that requires insight and experience. Therefore, these tasks must be solved by people. “The robots have saved time, which we
can now use to optimise the warehouse and fine-tune flow. We have become used to the new technology and have learned to work in a completely different way. The more we apply it, the more time we save through automation using AMRs,” said Lorenzen. Logistics at the warehouse now proceed
smoothly, using a mix of employees, AMRs and trucks. ICM’s setup consists of three AMRs, four manned high-reach trucks, 10 manual stackers and 26 dedicated employees. According to Brian Brandt, warehouse
manager at ICM, the AMRs have also improved the working environment: “It’s just so much fun working with AMRs. Being able to move something from A to B without even touching it, that’s really cool. The design of the MiR robots is so simple and user-friendly that I could take a new colleague in from off the street, and they would also think they’re logical to use.” Søren Jepsen, supply chain director at
ICM, said: “Our warehouse uses the chaotic storage principle, managed by a warehouse management system. We must be geared to be able to drop everything in order to be able to deliver within 24 hours to our customers in Denmark. This means it’s about using our resources shrewdly. We’re investing in new technology in order to safeguard our staff and to attract new, talented people.” At ICM, the management sees clear
potential in automating more processes. Right now, it is the flow from the goods receiving area to the storage aisles but, in the long term, ICM will also automate transport from picking to the delivery of goods and get even more benefit from the robots.
RARUK Automation
www.rarukautomation.com
/ PROCESS&CONTROL
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