How do I move from a manual assembly line to automated?

A question we hear a lot from our customers is: How do I move from a manual assembly line to one which is more automated? And then: How do I do this without major interruptions and/or major cost to my assembly line? Is downtime in my manufacturing, assembly plant, or warehouse unavoidable in making the switch from a manual system to an automated one?

Automatically Guided Vehicles now run along smart tape, and are no longer required to be embedded into the concrete floor of the facility, which immediately saves you time and money and the headaches of downtime while your existing building goes through renovations. AGV’s also run to a pre-determined program written during the manufacturing process in coordination with the client, so the AGV’s hit your lines running.

 

A Manually Guided Vehicle is one guided by an operator who uses a hand-held control to move the unit through its steps. This controller can either be attached to the MGV by a cord or as a wireless remote control. In choosing an MGV you will experience the freedom and ergonomic advantages to moving product from one end of the line or facility to the other.  Our MGV’s are already equipped with most of the AGV hardware so you can translate from manual to automatic for very little money and minimum effort.  

Case studies are available for both versions in multiple designs for a myriad of industries and applications. Handling Specialty has been in business since 1963 and builds AGV’s and MGV’s for some of the most demanding functions.
To better understand whether your facility could benefit from an AGV or MGV system, contact mroper@handling.com for more information and be sure to ask us about our demonstration unit.