AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOT TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPPLYING ASSEMBLY LINES IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Martin Čech, Pavel Wicher, Radim Lenort, Tomáš Malčic, Jiří David, David Holman, David Staš, Jiří Záruba
Abstract
The ever-increasing customization and differentiation of the product portfolio and the shorter life cycle of products and technologies in the automotive industry lead to the development of flexible and convertible manufacturing and logistics technologies and systems at all stages of car production. In the field of supplying assembly lines in the automotive industry, such technologies are based on Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). The aim of this paper is to create a comprehensive knowledge base for design, selection and implementation of AMR technology in the form of unit load carriers for supplying assembly line in the automotive industry. The outputs of the article are based on a case study aimed at assessing the feasibility of introducing AMR technology for supplying car assembly line parts with irregular consumption. The article presents a general procedure for feasibility study of the project of AMR assembly line supply and a comprehensive set of recommendations divided into five key categories: Technology, Management, Economics, Capacity, and Vendors.