Interroll AG last week announced an expansion to its light conveyor platform, or LCP, designed to facilitate the handling of lightweight goods with autonomous mobile robots from Mobile Industrial Robots ApS, or MiR AMRs. The companies said the integrated offering will serve as a flexible bridge between fixed conveyor systems and production lines, empowering customers worldwide to streamline internal logistics.
“Selecting MiR as a partner for the LCP AMR top module was a strategic choice,” stated Jens Strüwing, executive vice president for product and technology at Interroll Group. “Like Interoll, MiR is a global market leader in material handling.”
“After testing the MiR robots in our own facility, we are confident in their ability to optimize our internal processes,” he added. “The seamless compatibility of MiR’s AMRs with our production logistics, precise navigation capabilities in dynamic environments, the adaptability to layout changes and workflows, along with enhanced workplace safety, makes them an ideal fit for us.”
Interroll looks for multi-floor automation
Founded in 1959, the Interroll Group has decades of experience in traditional conveyor systems. The Sant'Antonino, Switzerland-based company supplies systems integrators and plant engineers with conveyor rollers, motors and drives for conveyor systems, conveyors and sorters, and pallet handling and storage systems.
Interroll counts leading brands such as Amazon, Bosch, Coca-Cola, DHL, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Walmart, and Zalando are among its users. It had a global network of 35 companies with sales of CHF 664.4 million ($720.75 million U.S.) and 2,500 employees as of 2022.
Interroll's two-floor facility in Ticino, Switzerland, specialized in techno-polymer injection-molded parts, presented a logistical challenge. Materials handling between production and the logistics area required manual labor because existing systems couldn't provide the necessary flexibility for multi-floor operations in a dynamic environment with people and other equipment moving around.
Interroll wanted to increase productivity while enhancing safety through autonomy. The company tested and implemented the new LCP AMR top module with a MiR250 robot in its Center of Excellence in Sant'Antonino.
Mobile robots easily move between floors
MiR noted that its AMRs can easily navigate Interroll's multi-floor environment autonomously and even use elevators to move between floors.
“Our customers seek proven solutions with the same quality of our robots to easily integrate into their core production processes, and that’s surely what a respective leader like Interroll offers,” said Rasmus Smet Jensen, vice president of marketing and strategy at MiR. “This compact robot and connected conveyor solution will undoubtedly enhance material handling processes worldwide, even under highly dynamic conditions.”
Founded in 2013, Mobile Industrial Robots offers AMRs that it claimed can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively automate internal logistics. The Odense, Denmark-based company has nearly 220 distributors and certified systems integrators in 60 countries serving enterprises of all sizes.
Teradyne acquired MiR in 2018 and combined it with AutoGuide Mobile Robots in 2022 to create a mobile robot line that can handle a range of payloads. MiR said Interroll’s LCP AMR top module is the newest certified application in the MIR Go partner program, an ecosystem of AMR applications with more than 160 top modules.
MiR Insights enables full-shift operations
To further optimize processes, Interroll is using MiR Insights to visualize key performance indicators (KPIs) such as distance driven, completed missions, and robot utilization rates. The cloud-based software also provides insights into high-traffic areas, enabling Interroll to make data-driven decisions to optimize the robot fleet's performance and minimize downtime.
Interroll also cited the following benefits:
- Optimized operations: Interroll's facility now operates efficiently across multiple floors, thanks to MiR's AMRs and the LCP AMR top module, reducing the need for manual labor.
- Enhanced safety: The integration improves workplace safety through precise navigation in dynamic environments.
- Streamlined processes: MiR Insights provides KPIs, enabling Interroll to enhance robot workflows and throughput.
- Increased efficiency: Since June 2023, the MiR250 operates an average of 22.3 hours per day, covering 106 km (65 mi.) within the factory.
- Cost savings: Interroll said it expects that reduced manual handling and transportation times will lead to labor cost savings and a positive return on investment (ROI).
Interroll reported that the combination of the MiR250 with the LCP AMR top module has allowed its skilled workforce to focus on tasks requiring human expertise, creativity, and decision-making.
Mobile Industrial Robots featured the LCP AMR top module at its virtual AMR Expo, which is viewable on demand.
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