At what point does an AGV system
pay off in assembly lines?

Maximilian Michels: In the initial customer discussion, it is most important to understand the customer’s motivation. It makes a significant difference whether the goal is to reduce throughput times or to build an entirely new factory. This clarity influences all subsequent decisions.

A second key aspect is the production philosophy: How is production organized today, and how should it look in the future? Based on this, we take a closer look at the product itself. It is essential to understand how weight, dimensions, and product variants may evolve over time. A production facility – or the transport system within it – must still be suitable 10 to 20 years from now.

The production process itself is equally critical. This includes ergonomic requirements as well as stable supplier processes. Without a functioning supply chain, any production system will fail to deliver its intended value.

Maximilian Michels: From my perspective, one key characteristic of modern production systems is that they offer only as much flexibility as necessary. This may seem to contradict the trend toward maximally autonomous systems. However, excessive flexibility often creates unnecessary complexity and additional costs.

Another important aspect is data quality. A well-designed system identifies bottlenecks or recurring process errors at an early stage. This allows problems to be addressed directly at their root cause.

Fundamentally, the transport system is only one part of the overall production system, typically accounting for around 20 percent of the total investment. Our system is truly efficient when it operates as unobtrusively as possible – and therefore with minimal disruptions. The production system should always be a means to an end, enabling the company to focus on its core value creation.

Maximilian Michels: In assembly lines, the primary motivation is reducing throughput times and increasing productivity. In most cases, these goals can no longer be achieved with conventional stationary assembly. Companies therefore need to bring their production “in the flow” as stationary assembly will not provide the required productivity in the future.

In practical terms, this means increasing output per unit of floor space. If a company wants to double its production volume without doubling its manufacturing area, this is where cyclic or flow-line assembly concepts come into play – and where we add value.

Maximilian Michels: The most important decision criteria are annual production volume and the number of shifts per day. Each application must be evaluated individually. The optimal application range of our uTrack system is the transport of heavy products weighing between 5 and 200 tons in pre-assembly and final assembly.

In assembly lines – for example in the production of commercial vehicles or machine tools – an AGV system typically becomes economically viable at cycle times of less than one hour. The rule here is: the more shifts per day, the better. This is because automatic advancing to the next station and return transport are automated and increase linearly with output volume. In other words, higher output leads to a higher reduction of non-value-adding activities.

Additional relevant criteria include the number of product variants as well as the size, weight, and dimensions of the product. The complexity and layout of the assembly line are also crucial. The more complex the layout requirements, the more effectively the flexibility of an AGV system can be leveraged.

An AGV system is also economically advantageous when the share of non-value-adding activities is high – for example, when frequent crane transport requires multiple employees. Another key factor is the ratio of the number of vehicles to the length of the transport route. If this ratio is unbalanced, an AGV system is generally not economical. In practice, the minimum number of AGVs typically corresponds to the number of assembly stations.

As a general principle, we address our customers’ requirements and objectives on an individual basis. Our AGV systems are always designed specifically for the application. Based on the factors mentioned, we develop the appropriate transport solution with a vehicle tailored to both product and process requirements. We see ourselves as solution developers.

This also includes a scalable portfolio: if a fully automated AGV system does not make economic sense, we offer alternative levels of automation. These include manual systems for applications where transport is only required two or three days per week. In such cases, full automation is not economically justified.

Maximilian Michels: The overarching goal of our customers is to increase output while simultaneously reducing effort. This includes shorter transport times, lower personnel requirements for non-value-adding activities, greater flexibility, and improved monitoring.

Productivity gains become measurable when these time savings translate into tangible benefits for the end customer. Shorter delivery times for construction vehicles or machinery create a clear and verifiable competitive advantage. Another decisive factor is the sustainable reduction of non-value-adding activities. When assembly workers can focus entirely on assembly tasks, productivity increases significantly. Activities such as internal transport, material procurement, or waiting for a crane are eliminated or greatly reduced.

Overall, an AGV system offers unique characteristics that clearly distinguish it from other conveying technologies. We would be happy to demonstrate, through an application-specific analysis, the point at which an AGV system can economically enhance your assembly line.

uTrack: Optimal flexibility. Low costs.

Depending on the production process, different conveying techniques make sense. Too much or too little flexibility reduces production efficiency and, conversely, increases costs. Rigid systems can no longer keep up with current trends toward increased product variance or shorter product life cycles. Completely free-running systems, on the other hand, are very costly and this feature often cannot be implemented in practice in a meaningful way. Our experience has shown that uTrack reflects the characteristic of optimal flexibility. The production process is given only as much flexibility as necessary to achieve maximum productivity.