Automation solutions for the pharmaceutical industry
A leading company in the pharmaceutical industry has opted for a transport solution from ek robotics to sustainably optimise intralogistics processes at a Swiss site. With the X MOVE transport platform, equipped with roller conveyors, the automated material transport of high-quality pharmaceuticals between different production buildings has been extensively modernised.
At the pharmaceutical company, the challenge in integrating the automated guided vehicle system (AGV) was to ensure an optimally timed material flow on sometimes narrow route areas and simultaneously integrate prioritized transports of refrigerated goods into the new automation process.
The solution is provided by ek robotics with its X MOVE series: in future, twelve high-performance mobile transport robots will take over the safe and efficient transportation of pallets with high-quality pharmaceuticals between the production areas in two-shift operation. Each X MOVE 1200 is equipped with a roller conveyor, handles around 90 transports per hour and is responsible for picking up and dropping off loads at 22 conveyor technology stations between the production and storage areas.
The new partner, for whom ek robotics is implementing the transport solution, is already familiar with an automated guided vehicle system from a market competitor, which previously handled the intralogistics processes involved in pharmaceutical production. The new system will now be implemented step by step over several weekends by ek robotics so that ongoing production and operations are not interrupted.
“With the new AGV, our customer is able to prioritise important refrigerated transports that were previously carried out manually. The new system is also much more flexible with a higher number of vehicles than before and communicates directly with the SAP system,” explains Ronald Kretschmer, CSO at ek robotics.
Initially, 13 transport robots were planned for this application, but with a material flow simulation, the AGV experts were able to reduce the ideal number of vehicles for the overall system from 13 to twelve X MOVE units during the project planning phase.
In Switzerland, the new partner is a major pharmaceutical manufacturer and can look back on a century-long history in the pharmaceutical industry. The driverless transport system from ek robotics’ automated guided vehicle system now enables the customer to link different production or logistics areas even more efficiently and is a key factor for sustainable profitability and site security.
Visit the ek robotics website for more information on its expertise in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
