Automated systems can be difficult to modify, but significant improvement can be gained with a bit of creative thought and taking a big picture approach. Watch the video case study for some changes this factory made.

At a manufacturing site the focus is often on the production process itself. As a result, up- and down-stream activities seem to receive less attention. If the end-of-line function is in the spotlight, it’s probably because they impacted production.

This departmentalised mindset is detrimental. It neglects the fact that an entire site must function together. It’s bad for culture, degrading the inputs that a team makes to the process; it overlooks improvement opportunities, by not giving due attention to all areas; and worst of all, it can impact the overall output of the plant.

Automated guided vehicles (AGV), particularly of the laser guided variety, are designed in such a way that they require a certain level of perfection from their environment. In a brownfield project this can be very difficult to achieve, and if the proper considerations aren’t made from the beginning it can lead to ongoing issues and costs.