Safety and internal logistics optimised at Priess:
Global AGV takes over the “dead work”
Employees at Priess A/S no longer have to do what they like to call “dead work”. An AGV from Global AGV has taken over a dull but important route that must be driven at least four times an hour. At the same time, the production aisles have been cleared, improving safety.
“Our employees no longer have to drive the short and boring 340-metre route from the punching and bending machine to the warehouse at least four times an hour. Our new AGV does it both faster and more safely. We are pleased that we do not have to hire forklift drivers for what we call “dead work” – uninteresting tasks that do not create value,” explains Warehouse and Logistics Manager Karl Gustav Bruzen from Priess in Denmark.
Cleared aisles improve safety
Before Priess introduced its AGV, the aisles around the punching and bending machine were filled with finished bent parts on pallets waiting to be moved on. With the new AGV, the pallets are quickly collected and placed in the warehouse. The warehouse is full of parts for large modular building kits: walls, doors and roof panels in many sizes. In the company’s large hall, the parts are assembled into customised army-green buildings for transformer stations and water and energy applications.
Pre-project ensured a successful solution
When Karl Gustav Bruzen began looking for Priess’ first AGV, he had two non-negotiable requirements. The new autonomous truck had to be able to handle very large items, as Priess’ pallets can be up to 2,600 mm long for wall sections. This requires longer forks than the market usually offers. In addition, the AGV had to be able to measure the size of the load itself, ensuring that safety requirements were always met without unnecessarily blocking the transport routes with an oversized safety zone when the load was smaller.
These two requirements led several suppliers to step away. Global AGV, however, was ready to take on the challenge. Priess sent a selection of its largest items for a pre-project, after which Global AGV extended the 1,150 mm forks on its standard model by more than 50% to 1,800 mm. With the extended forks, the AGV now handles even the largest pallets carrying complete wall sections.
Global AGV solved both challenges
At the same time, the new AGV was equipped with a load sensor. It is mounted at the inner part of the carriage and detects all items, after which it adjusts the safety zone according to the widest or longest measurement plus 100 mm.
Karl Gustav Bruzen is very satisfied with both the new AGV and the two adaptations:
“Global AGV listened to our requirements and found a solution that met our needs. The two adaptations work really well in daily operations and help us avoid damage. At the same time, it is easy for us to program and control the AGV ourselves, both from the production hall and from the office.”
The load sensor has since been added to Global AGV’s standard options.
Easy to program
One of the employees who is particularly pleased with the new AGV is warehouse worker Jeppe K. S. Svendsen. He is clearly enthusiastic when he talks about how easy the new AGV is to program:
“You get a good feeling when you realise you can make it work. I think anyone would be able to figure it out. I only spend between 30 minutes and an hour adding a new route. So, we have already expanded our route network at both ends.”
A good investment
When asked about payback, Karl Gustav Bruzen replies with a twinkle in his eye:
“We never disclose specific figures for that sort of thing. But you can be sure that if it had not paid off, we would not have done it.”
Stepping out in front of the truck
Priess’ employees have all welcomed their new “colleague”. At first, however, they were a little nervous about being hit by it.
“But then I demonstrated in front of everyone how I could calmly walk in front of it – and it stopped. Today, everyone has got used to it. They are simply pleased that they no longer have to do the “dead work”,” concludes Karl Gustav Bruzen.
