Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS)

CIOP sessions are conducted by a pool of faculties who also offer the other international certification programs. The typical faculties are having experience between 20 to 30 years in the domains of procurement and supply chain and have a wealth of industry and teaching experience. All of them have great passion for teaching and believes in continuous learning and sharing those learnings. The faculties also go through periodic trainings titled “Faculty Development Programs” to keep them abreast with the latest developments in supply chain and teaching methodologies. Basically, all the faculties are practitioners or consultants who work for the industry and teach supply chain during their spare time or execute this as a project.

An Automated Guided Vehicle System, sometimes also called a Warehouse Management System, is simply a group of automated units linked by a quality control system. These units are normally basic and they only interact in response to some pre-set objectives. However, the key components of an AGV Robot System would be the AGV Vehicles, the AGV Management System plus the various interfaces and accessories. In this article, we will talk about some of the methods used for Warehouse Management.

Warehouse automation has evolved with the use of modern technology. In the past, automated guided vehicle systems are still used and the term is used interchangeably with automated conveyor systems. Basically, an AGV system is composed of a series of vehicles that are linked together either electrically or manually using an electric, mechanical or hydraulic system. Conveyors are used to transport materials and products from one area to another area and they can either be fixed, movable or free-flowing.

Fixed conveyors are used in factories while movable conveyors are used in warehouses and distribution hubs. Free-flowing conveyors are not common in warehouses since they are very expensive and take up a lot of space, but they are more ideal for large manufacturing plants since they allow for flexibility in storing materials as well as the movement of items in bulk. Therefore, depending on the needs of your manufacturing plant, you should decide whether or not you need to have an AGV system as part of your manufacturing process. Based on my experiences as a manufacturing consultant, all types of automated guided vehicles are beneficial for your operation; however, the type of system that you need for your warehouse should depend on various factors including your traffic patterns, the distance that you need to transport your items, and the volume of your items.

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