Using Creative Problem Solving to Maximize Efficiency and Reduce Costs
For nearly 7 years, Pete Jadwinski has been working with the leadership team at America in Motion. Currently the VP of Sales, Jadwinski works hands-on at the beginning of the buying process to help determine what solutions are ideal for each customer. There is a lot of problem-solving and creativity that goes into custom AGV solutions since each application is tailored specifically to the customer.
Today we discuss the innovative solutions pitched to a customer facing inconsistent production rates designed to maximize the efficiency of the AGV system and reduce costs.
Gregory: How do you initially determine what AGV solution is going to be best for a customer?
Jadwinski: When a customer is interested in talking to us about their application, we first set a call so we can understand their workflow and determine if custom AGVs are a good fit. We then start collecting information like their throughput rate per hour, maximum travel distance, number of pick-up/drop-off locations, layout of their facility, etc. All of this information is very important so we can put together a time study to determine how their fleet will operate and how many vehicles will be needed to meet their production rate.
Gregory: Given the information you collected, what challenge was this particular customer facing?
Jadwinski: The customer had an inconsistent production queue. The first three weeks of every month were consistently slow and the last week of the month they always saw a production boom. As much product shipped in the last week of the month as the first three combined! This meant that if we designed an AGV system for the volume of the last week of the month, the AGVs are gathering dust and not doing work the first three weeks of the month. And if we design an AGV system for the volume of the first three weeks of the month then the AGVs won’t be able to keep up with production the last week of the month. The customer obviously didn’t want the AGV just sitting around, and they couldn’t slow production by not having enough AGVs the last week of the month.
Gregory: What did you recommend to maximize efficiency with their inconsistent production rate?
Jadwinski: The customer needed very large AGVs with a large weight capacity given the product they needed to move. The vehicle weighed 1,700 lbs empty with a 6,600 lb load totaling 8,300 lbs. This meant the vehicles had to stay on the charger about 20% of the time. We figured if we could somehow minimize charge time then that 20% of saved time could be used for the heavier production times. We proposed a generator backpack concept as the solution. If we added an onboard generator to power the AGV, then we could take charging out of the equation. Then the customer wouldn’t need as many vehicles to cover the surplus shipping volume at the end of the month.
The whole idea of the generator backpack was a way to bridge the gap between the slow production at the beginning of the month and the boom of production at the end of the month. It’s a very different concept but since we are a custom company, we are used to thinking outside the box.
Another concept we thought about for a different application that had a larger surface to work with, was adding solar panels to the vehicle. Though solar panels wouldn’t eliminate charge time completely like the generator backpack would, solar would help cut down on charge time. So, for instance, when we do a customer’s analysis, if we determine 4.2 AGVs are needed to get the job done, then solar could bridge the gap and get the recommended vehicle rate down to 4 or below. If the customer needs 4.5 AGVs, then the generator would be a better choice so 5 vehicles wouldn’t be necessary.
Deep discharge is another potential option. Deep discharge allows the battery to charge longer and last longer which works well for 2 shift operations so the battery can charge overnight.
All three of these options are designed to reduce the time needed to charge. A quick note to keep in mind when it comes to battery charge time. All batteries onboard an AGV can be equated to the size of a gas tank in a car. There’s nothing stopping us from putting a super large gas tank in a car or, in AGV terms, a super large battery rack in our vehicles. Keep in mind that though it does extend run time, you also need to spend more time on a charger just like you’d spend longer at the gas pump filling up a larger tank. So just giving you a bigger capacity doesn’t necessarily mean you can just work longer, you’ll have to spend more time on the charger.
There are so many different variables we can play with to make adjustments to each vehicle. Aside from the batteries, we could look at this in a completely different way and focus on creating a solution to better utilize the vehicles during slow production time.
Gregory: What solutions are there to better utilize vehicles during slow production periods?
Jadwinski: Let’s say the customer needs 4.2 vehicles. If they buy 5, they will have times when the 5th AGV is not being utilized. I say let’s put the AGV to work. We can add an automatic trash hopper or floor sweeper to any of the vehicles. Or even have the vehicle rotate stock or stage loads in front of the dock. Let’s add work to the AGV system to fill in the gap because no one wants to pay extra for a system that is just sitting idle in the corner.
Gregory: How do custom AGVs maximize resources?
Jadwinski: Since our bread and butter is designing and building custom AGV systems, we are able to get creative with how we help our customers. Our team is always thinking of ways to maximize resources and efficiency which is what makes us unique from most other AGV companies.
There are so many options and possible solutions, this is why it is so beneficial to speak with our team of experts. We have a lot of experience in helping select the best tools out of the toolbox to help our customers overcome production challenges.
To set up a call to speak with one of our experts, click here. If your production is simple and straightforward, try our new Build & Price tool to get an idea of cost. This tool walks you through a series of questions allowing you to price out a modular AGV system.
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