Implementing an AGV System

Types of AGV Companies

AGV companies come is a variety of types and sizes. Today the market has developed beyond just general application types and into specific niches. One company does not cover all niches equally well. Therefore, it is wise to evaluate AGV companies based on a number of factors. Those factors should range from not only what they currently offer, but also what has been their history and do they have the resources to provide you with what you specifically require and have the ability to support your system in the long-term.

Single Product
These are AGV system suppliers that are generally small companies with less than $10M in sales and 15-50 employees. Typically, these companies operate in a niche market such as textiles, paper, light assembly, custom design, etc. They tend to offer simpler type AGVs. Most single product AGV companies confine their sales only to the US market. A single product type AGV company will usually be focused on providing AGV systems that operate as an stand-alone system. That is, the system is not integrated with other automated systems under a common controls platform/network. Stand-alone systems provided dedicated AGV service without directly linking to other automated systems. Typically, these systems require less complex controls because they provide dedicated and self-contained functionality.

Multi-Product
Multi-product AGV companies are those that offer products other than just AGVs. These companies are generally much larger than a single product company and can have total product sales ranging from 50 million to many billions of dollars. Companies in this category operate in the domestic market as well as internationally. Multi-product companies have a further characterization. They may provide either ‘stand-alone’ AGV systems and/or ‘integrated’ AGV systems.

Stand-alone System – Even though a multi-product company is typically a large corporation, that does not mean that they will undertake any type of AGV project. Some will more or less exclusively concentrate on ‘stand-alone’ AGV type systems. Those systems would either directly interface with people or with conveyor load transfer locations.

Integrated System – In addition to supplying stand-alone systems, some companies in the multi-product category also provide ‘integrated’ systems. AGVs operating in an integrated system environment typically interface with automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), conveyor systems or other automated systems. In these cases, the AGV system controller is networked as part of an overall, integrated material handling system. Product can therefore be tracked throughout the integrated system and since there is a common control system, it is easier to optimize the total system performance.

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