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EK ROBOTICS

ADAPTABLE AUTONOMY ON THE MOVE Powered by Inside Sustainability

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EK ROBOTICS

I PROFILE

ek robotics, a leading German manufacturer, is revolutionising the warehouse and logistics sector with its state-of-the-art, sustainable robotics solutions. In particular, the company’s modular Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) technology framework has redefined the sector; offering operators a flexible platform that adapts to changing needs as the customers’ operation evolves. Chris Price, Managing Director at ek robotics UK, spoke with Richard Hagan about how robots are shaping the future of warehouse operations. stablished in 1980 by Mr Eilers and

available forklift trucks, to designing and

Mr Kirf (the origin of the ‘ek’ in the

building automated trucks from the

company name), ek robotics found

ground up, all of which is done in-house.

acquired by the Böttner family in 2011. This

Director at ek robotics UK, the move was

acquisition was a major turning point that

customer-centric: “We realised that the

saw an important upturn in ek robotics’

weak point of traditional commercially avail-

fortunes, including a doubling of its work-

able forklift trucks was their life expectancy

force from 155 to over 300 staff and

of five to seven years, whereas our versatile

a tripling of turnover.

transport robots, which we design, build

success over the decades, until it was

During this success story, ek robotics has

According to Chris Price, the Managing

and automate, are built to last fifteen

realised over 15,000 systems with more

to twenty years. With appropriate mainte-

than 12,000 AGVs in operation worldwide.

nance, the service life is almost unlimited. “During that lifecycle, however, the

Rethinking the forklift

customer’s needs often change as their

One of the keys to ek robotics’ turnaround

business evolves. Thanks to the modularity

was its forward-thinking pivot, which

of our multiple award-winning Vario Move

moved it from automating commercially

AGVs, one truck can be specified for many

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an a

different jobs simply by changing the

or ct re Di

forklift attachment.

“So, rather than replacing the forklift every

rice ris P

time the customer’s needs change, you simply swap out the attachment. It’s a completely modular concept. How a customer deploys the truck for first five years can be changed for the next ten to twenty.”

Moving milk in the millions ek robotics is especially proud of its AGV installation at Arla Dairies in the UK. Installed in 2014, the 90 AGVs of the CUSTOM MOVE series constitute the largest AGV installation in the UK. The fleet at Arla Dairies has worked flawlessly 24 hours a day ever since 2014, in an environment that is permanently chilled to two degrees Celsius. Over 10,000 storage spaces in the block warehouse are served by this fleet with maximum efficiency.

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EK ROBOTICS

I PROFILE

The 90 AGVs were manufactured specifically for this application and move approximately nine million litres of milk a year at Arla Dairies’ facility. The fleet has been so successful that Arla Dairies recently re-signed the service contract with ek robotics through to 2025.

Pioneering robot technologies ek robotics also boasts a number of other industry milestones, including pioneering inductive and magnetic spot guidance and laser guidance, and the first to introduce Lithium-ion battery technology. “We are probably about five years ahead of most of our competitors,” Mr Price proudly revealed. In addition to its modular AGV, ek robotics also offers Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). The X MOVE transport platform from ek robotics is the world's first AGV that can be used in an AGV or AMR system. Which transport system is used in a company’s automated

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EK ROBOTICS

I PROFILE

production depends primarily on the

Automated transport solutions.

purpose and the area of application.

With the ability to move quietly, safely

To navigate its programmed route, the

and efficiently everything from medicines

X MOVE uses orientation devices such as

and bed linen to vehicle parts, the AGVs of

laser reflectors, environmental contours or

the MEDI MOVE series are extremely pop-

barcodes. AGVs move predictably, driving

ular with customers ranging from hospitals

according to a timetable, and they are par-

to large vehicle manufacturers.

ticularly efficient, safe and reliable. Setting

For example, ek robotics has installed

up an AGV system is complex because

these Autonomous Transport Systems

the layout of the driving courses and the

in four major hospitals across Tuscany,

respective transport steps must be planned

Italy. A total of 44 transport robots supply

and programmed precisely.

1,900 hospital beds with meals, along

On the other hand, AMRs can be quickly

with transporting medicines, laundry

deployed. They do not follow a predefined

and waste according to a fixed schedule.

route, which eliminates the labour-inten-

To help customers monitor their sys-

sive setup required by AGVs. While AMRs

tems, ek robotics offers SARA, its Smart

are suitable for simple applications, AGVs

Analytics Reporting App. SARA converts

are predominantly used for complex and

the running data from an AGV system

challenging tasks.

into a reporting suite which reports on

ek robotics recently put all this together in its latest installation for BMW Mini at the new press facility in Swindon. The

the efficiency and other data of the customer’s operation. ek robotics also has an in-house

AGVs undertake repetitive tasks, enabling

academy that trains customers on how to

workers to carry out more fulfilling

care for their systems, ensuring endless,

operations, improving site efficiency. The

flawless operations.

machines perform duties such as the move-

ek robotics services customers via

ment of up to six tonnes of blank steel to

a network of facilities located across

the press, delivering tools and removing

Europe. Its manufacturing operations

to stores the freshly pressed panels.

are handled by hubs in Hamburg and

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Reutlingen in Germany, as well as in Milan

Sustainability is high on the agenda

and in the Czech Republic. It also has

for ek robotics, with its AGVs helping

a sales and servicing facility in Budapest.

customers significantly reduce their

In late 2023, ek robotics moved into

carbon footprint through increased

a state-of-the-art sales and manufac-

efficiency and – in some cases – reduced

turing facility in Hamburg.

need for human capital. Pointing to the reduced staff require-

Sustainability & operations

ment at Arla Dairies, Mr Price highlighted

AGVs are an integral part of sustainable,

the advantages of a smaller workforce:

process-optimised intralogistics.

“The benefit is not just about the effi-

“AGVs are used to optimise internal

ciency and reliability of our machines. It

material flows and a wide variety

also means fewer people commuting to

of processes in production, ware-

work to move goods around. Added to our

housing and distribution centres,”

electric, battery-powered systems, it’s

Mr Price said. “AGV users also benefit

a massive sustainability leap forward

from increased safety: replacing con-

for our customers.”

ventional forklifts with AGVs reduces

The benefits of robotic operations at

human-caused accidents. This is

Arla was evident during Covid lockdowns,

reflected in lower operating costs and

when the dairy’s operations continued

improved efficiency.”

seamlessly thanks to the robots, at a time

The transport robots follow optimised,

when the workforce was required to stay

pre-programmed routes and are

home. “AGVs just keep working,” Mr Price

equipped with state-of-the-art safety

said, in conclusion. “Arla confirmed that

technology and 3D obstacle detection

without their AGVs, milk supplies in the

for personal and object protection. AGVs

UK during Covid would have been

are becoming increasingly important due

seriously impacted.”

to the ongoing shortage of skilled

In an ever-evolving market, ek

workers. Automation enables available

robotics stays committed to the ethos

skilled workers to be deployed more effi-

of adaptability, sustainability and cus-

ciently. In addition, transport robots can

tomer-centric innovation, ensuring it

undertake heavy, dangerous and

remains at the forefront of logistics

monotonous tasks.

robotics for years to come.

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