Holland, MI -- (SBWire) -- 05/03/2011 -- Egemin Automation Inc. (http://www.egeminusa.com) is the leading manufacturer of AGVs and Warehouse Management Systems since 1976. Egemin is a worldwide organization operating on six continents. Egemin’s Center for AGV Excellence is located in Holland, Michigan, where it employs all disciplines as the AGV industry leader. All AGV technologies including design, software, and support, are developed and owned by Egemin. Over 5,000 AGVs have been manufactured and installed; many are being used by Fortune 500 companies.

In the current issue of Automation.com, manufacturing journalist TR Cutler noted, “Discrete manufacturers face increased global competition, market unpredictability, and demands to increase product quality while reducing production costs. These factors are forcing organizations to find ways to streamline operations and adopt lean manufacturing practices in order to become more efficient. One method in accomplishing this is the use of automated guided vehicles.”

Discrete manufacturing is often characterized by individual or separate unit production, which is typically low to moderate in volume and very high in complexity. Examples include furniture, computers, cell phones, appliances, and automotive suppliers. These manufacturers need an extremely flexible manufacturing system that can improve quality and time-to-market speed while cutting costs.

The man-a-board forklift and the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) have finally become one. Morphing manual and automatic operations onto a standard off-the-shelf forklift provides manufacturing and distribution centers the ultimate in material handling flexibility.

Mark Stevenson, Vice President discussed at ProMat 2011 how a key (yes a literal key) became the launching pad for Egemin's new Hybrid Automated Guided Vehicle. Stevenson took more than thirty years of material handling expertise and recognized that keeping automated solutions familiar was a requirement for technology adoption and use throughout a manufacturing plant or distribution center. "We needed to show how easily an operator can interrupt automatic AGV operations, drive the vehicle manually and then place the forklift back into fully automatic laser guidance mode. There is no need to discard the familiar and functional forklift," according to Stevenson.

Like discrete manufacturers, companies in the food, beverage, plastics, consumer goods and big box retail distribution markets are insisting on flexibility, familiarity, reliability and affordability. Stevenson noted that, "Organizations realize better than expected returns on investment using the Hybrid Forklift solution." There is no need to reinvent the wheel or the forklift; simple modifications allow for quantifiable automation improvements and protecting firms from the squeezed margin throughout the supply chain.

Companies in the food, beverage, plastics, consumer goods and big box retail distribution markets purchase Egemin Hybrid Automated Guided Vehicles for flexibility, familiarity, reliability, and affordability. Combined with Egemin’s Warehouse Management System (E’wms), organizations realize better than expected returns on investment.

Egemin Automation
http://www.egeminusa.com
Dave Noble
Director of Marketing and Communications
PR@egeminusa.com
1-616-393-0101