Consolidation of load carriers, especially when the return of empty containers is required, poses significant challenges for manufacturers of conveyor technology, leading to high costs and inflexible space utilization for customers. With HERBIE, it is possible to automate this process without compromising the benefits of conventional conveyor technology.
77 AGVs, 912 transfers per minute
On nine independent system loops, 77 vehicles are deployed in uninterrupted 24/7 operation to transport tea carriers from primary packaging machines to the Gerhard Schubert case packers. HERBIE retrieves the empty tea carriers from the case packers and returns them to the primary packaging area. In total, our agv systems can handle 912 tea carriers per minute.
On-the-fly material flow adjustments
The HERBIE system is designed to allow maintenance work on the vehicles to be performed during operation without compromising the machine's performance. This represents an unprecedented advantage for many manufacturers in the food industry. By simply pressing a button, the material flow of the system can be changed to accommodate maintenance work on the packaging machines. The driverless transport systems then redirect the load carriers to other system circuits.
3D material flow simulation
For high-performance applications with multiple vehicles, we recommend conducting a simulation first. In our 3D simulation, we have analyzed various scenarios, determined the number of vehicles per system circuit, and optimized the layout for optimal performance. Behind the visual representation of the system lies a sophisticated computational model that tests different scenarios and simulates potential operational disruptions. Such simulations allow us to make binding statements about the required system size even before production begins.
The application of HERBIE in tea production is an outstanding example of how the benefits of conventional conveyor technology can be combined with the intelligence and flexibility of automated guided vehicles. Particularly in the consumer goods sector, where conveyor technology has played a crucial role due to its high performance, new opportunities arise to realign and future-proof processes.