Automated guided vehicle

A driverless vehicle carries goods along a set route, such as a path marked by magnets, wires, reflectors or a laser map. It stops, loads and unloads at fixed points and waits if the route is blocked. The route is chosen when the system is set up and changed only on purpose; this kind of vehicle is called an automated guided vehicle (AGV).

AGVs come as tugs that pull trolleys, as pallet movers, as forklift-style trucks that stack, and as small units that carry a tote. Some use reflectors or lasers to know where they are, which gives them a looser path than a wire in the floor.

The line between an AGV and an autonomous mobile robot has blurred, because some makers call vehicles that navigate by laser map AGVs and others call them AMRs. The practical question is not the name but how much of the route the vehicle decides for itself.

When it pays off

AGVs pay off for repetitive transport over the same route, such as moving pallets from the end of a production line to the dock all shift, every shift, where a driver's time is the cost. They pay off less where routes change often, where many people and vehicles share the same space, or where volume is too low to keep a vehicle busy. They need clear paths and fixed handover points, which suits stable processes.

What the warehouse system does with it

The WMS, or a fleet or transport control layer, creates transport orders: take this pallet from point A to point B, with a priority. The vehicle confirms pickup and delivery and reports a fault or a blocked route. Points A and B, such as a conveyor end, a rack position or a dock door, have to be agreed in advance and recorded in both systems. The vehicle's control decides route and speed; the WMS only needs to know where the load is.

Who makes it

AGVR, BALYO, E80 Group, Jungheinrich, Linde Material Handling, Safelog

In alphabetical order. Not a ranking or a recommendation.