Global AGV driverless truck helps Fasterholt Maskinfabrik secure 30% growth

Fasterholt Maskinfabrik, an irrigator machine company located near Brande, Denmark had a problem. Whether a drought hits potatoes in Denmark, strawberries in Germany or lettuce in France, Fasterholt’s irrigator machines can ensure the crops sprout and grow.

While the company can handle the demand, a challenge arose in 2018 when Denmark experienced its worst drought in 99 years. The internal supply became a bottleneck.

As a result, Fasterholt Maskinfabrik turned to a driverless truck from Global AGV, also headquartered in Denmark.

Increased efficiency with the same number of employees

"We simply couldn’t keep up with the demand for irrigator machines,” said Danny Hansen, plant manager at Fasterholt Maskinfabrik. “That’s why we had to take a close look at our production setup to make it more efficient. It turned out we were spending 700 hours a year transporting goods from the warehouse to the assembly department, and our employees who pick components couldn’t keep up. The driverless truck from Global AGV has freed up time previously spent on transport, which can now be used for component picking - allowing us to keep up with demand."

The current setup involves a driverless truck that picks up goods from the warehouse and transports them to an internal drop-off point in the assembly department, where a warehouse worker then distributes the individual components to the various workstations.

"The result is that, with the driverless truck from Global AGV, we've become 30% more efficient - with the same staff and in the same amount of time," Hansen said.

Global AGV said Fasterholt Maskinfabrik is Scandinavia’s leading manufacturer of irrigator machines and is experiencing steadily increasing demand - not only in Denmark and Scandinavia but also throughout the rest of Europe - as farmers seek to water their crops during periods of insufficient rainfall.

Combating the labor shortage

Fasterholt Maskinfabrik has big ambitions for the driverless truck. The plan is for it to also deliver goods directly from the cutting machines and lathes to various workstations within the company. And, those routes can be programmed by Fasterholt themselves.

"The driverless truck is future-proof, and that’s important, Hansen said. “We’re in the process of building a new warehouse with a more central location in relation to our assembly department. So it will take on more tasks and be in much greater use than it is right now. We’ll have nearly 18,000 square meters under roof, where it will be able to move around and handle a wide range of assignments.”

The prospect of continued high activity at Fasterholt Maskinfabrik, combined with smaller graduating classes entering the labor market, has also contributed to the company's focus on automating work tasks.

"The labor we need is becoming harder and harder to find,” Hansen added. “So we have to automate the kinds of tasks that can be handled by, for example, a Global AGV or robots. And then we need to train the hands we do have as well as we possibly can. The goal is always to increase efficiency to remain competitive - but without working harder."