Automated Pallet Transport & Storage
AMR, AGV and automated storage systems that move full pallets from the end of the line to the warehouse without a driver.
Position in the solution family
- 01 Secondary Packaging
- 02 Palletizing
- 03 Pallet Packaging
- 04 Transport & Storage
- 01 Secondary Packaging
- 02 Palletizing
- 03 Pallet Packaging
- 04 Transport & Storage
The job is not done when palletizing and wrapping finish: the full pallet still has to reach the warehouse or the dispatch area. In most plants that step is still a forklift trip, with all the traffic and safety load that brings.
Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) navigate the environment dynamically; AGVs run defined routes; automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) take over placing and picking pallets in high-density racking.
- Integrated with end-of-line operation; pallet discharge feeds transport directly
- Reduces forklift traffic and the safety exposure that comes with it
Machines in the Automated Pallet Transport & Storage family
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AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot)
An AMR (autonomous mobile robot) moves full pallets automatically from the end of the line to the warehouse or dispatch area. It senses its working environment and sets its route dynamically, without fixed guides, magnetic tape or special floor infrastructure.
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AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle)
An AGV (automated guided vehicle) moves full pallets automatically from the end of the line to the warehouse or dispatch area along predefined routes. It follows the same route every cycle using floor guides or reference points.
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ASRS / Automated Storage
An ASRS (automated storage and retrieval system) places pallets into racking and retrieves them automatically, for efficient pallet handling in high-density warehouse environments.
Where this family operates
- Autonomous pallet transport from line end to warehouse
- Routing to the dispatch area
- Automated put-away and retrieval in high-density racking
One job, two ways of finding the route.
When pallet transport is automated, the decision is usually between an AMR and an AGV. What separates them is how the vehicle finds its route, and the rows below show what that means on the floor.
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Navigation
AMRFree navigation: it maps the environment, locates itself and builds its route dynamically.
AGVFixed route: it follows a defined guide such as magnetic tape, a painted line or reflectors.
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Facing an obstacle
AMRRecalculates the route and carries on around the obstacle.
AGVStops on the guide and waits until the path clears.
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Floor infrastructure
AMRNeeds no work on the floor.
AGVThe route has to be laid into the floor as a guide or a tape.
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Adapting to change
AMRThe route changes in software, by updating the map.
AGVChanging the route means physically relaying the guide.
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Typical use
AMRMixed traffic, and layouts that get re-planned as the plant changes.
AGVA single fixed, dense and repeating route.
The comparison covers transport only: moving the pallet from the line to its destination. Put-away and retrieval in racking are the job of a different system. The two can also run in the same plant; the choice is a matter of route and layout, not a ranking.
AMR, AGV or ASRS?
The difference is the route. An AGV runs defined routes and gives a predictable flow while the route stays fixed; an AMR reads the environment dynamically, so it is considered where routes change, layouts are rearranged often and floor traffic is shared.
As storage density rises, putting the pallet into the rack stays manual and the bottleneck moves from transport to storage. An ASRS takes over put-away and retrieval in high-density racking and closes that step.
The point where full pallet discharge hands over to transport has to be defined in the cell design. If it is not planned from the start, re-handling appears between discharge and transport, and the time automation saved is given back there.
An AGV automates repetitive transport tasks and reduces forklift density along its route. An AMR reduces forklift waiting times and supports the continuous flow of production and logistics processes.
Every system in one document
All four solution families machine by machine, with throughput ranges and pallet dimensions. See what is inside before you download it.
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