Using easy-to-install kits made from off-the-shelf components, Toyota converted 22 tow tractors at one of its plants into automated guided vehicles. Plans are now in the works to bring the technology to DCs.
Contributing Editor Toby Gooley is a writer and editor specializing in supply chain, logistics, and material handling, and a lecturer at MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics. She previously was Senior Editor at DC VELOCITY and Editor of DCV's sister publication, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly. Prior to joining AGiLE Business Media in 2007, she spent 20 years at Logistics Management magazine as Managing Editor and Senior Editor covering international trade and transportation. Prior to that she was an export traffic manager for 10 years. She holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from Cornell University.
Imagine walking into a material handling equipment maintenance and repair shop, pulling standard components off the shelf, and—with relatively little time and effort—turning an ordinary industrial tow tractor or forklift into an automatic guided vehicle (AGV).
That day isn't here just yet, but it's closer than you might think. An automation project at a Toyota auto manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ky., has shown that it's possible to retrofit some types of manual equipment quickly and easily, earning a big return in terms of cost, labor, efficiency, and flexibility. Although the project involved a manufacturing environment, it may well serve as a prototype for bringing more AGVs to material handling environments, where they have yet to make major inroads due to their cost and complexity.
TOW TRACTOR TRANSFORMATION
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. (TMMK) makes the Camry, Venza, and Avalon models at the Georgetown facility, a 1,300-acre complex encompassing some 7.5 million square feet of manufacturing and assembly space. Like all Toyota operations, the Georgetown plant adheres to the Toyota Production System, also known as "just-in-time" or "lean" manufacturing.
Over the years, Toyota had honed production at the Georgetown plant to a high level of efficiency. But there was still room for improvement when it came to the internal movement of parts. The factory, built in 1988, is not as compact as newer facilities. As a result, workers delivering materials to the body-weld department had to drive long distances, navigating congested areas to drop flow racks and palletloads of parts at work cells. Sudden stops, complicated workflow paths, and the occasional traffic jam or collision led to product damage and delayed deliveries.
A team assigned to study the problem determined that automating the transportation of parts to the 1 million-square-foot body-weld area—in essence, taking human drivers out of the equation—would eliminate most of the delay and damage problems. Their conclusion may not be very surprising. What is surprising is the way TMMK accomplished that objective: Instead of purchasing new equipment, the factory chose to retrofit 22 of its Toyota 24-volt, AC-drive tow tractors with locally built automation kits that turned them into automatic guided vehicles.
To develop these "home-grown" AGVs, TMMK worked with two local business partners—AutoGuide, an automation specialist led by AGV innovator Paul J. Perry, and Industrial Concepts Inc. (ICI), a developer of custom machinery and control systems whose president, Tim Taylor, is a former TMMK mechanical whiz. (AutoGuide and ICI are closely allied; the two share a facility across the street from TMMK, and ICI's executives have an ownership stake in AutoGuide.)
Utilizing the same off-the-shelf devices already in use for other types of AGVs at TMMK, AutoGuide outfitted the 10,000-pound-capacity tow tractors with obstacle and guidance sensors, radio-frequency modems, RFID tag readers, and a touchscreen programmable logic controller (PLC) interface, among other technologies. All of the components are contained in a removable attachment designed by AutoGuide. Installation is a simple matter of drilling six holes in a tractor's chassis, and is the only physical change required, according to Tim Meyer, Toyota Production System solutions and AGV product manager for Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. Inc.
Flexibility was another reason TMMK chose to convert standard, manual equipment to AGVs. The stand-alone attachments can be installed either at the time of purchase or lease, or after the vehicles go into service, and they can be easily removed and reinstalled on other vehicles, Meyer explained during a tour of TMMK. Drivers can switch the tractors from automatic to manual mode simply by stepping on a pressure-sensitive mat in the driver's compartment.
NAVIGATING "SPAGHETTI JUNCTION"
Before the AGVs arrived in the body-weld department, manned tow tractors dropped off flow racks and pallets full of parts alongside each of the robotic welding cells, which were located on both sides of a wide aisle. Team members then picked up the parts they needed from racks and pallets on both sides of the aisle. The work and material flow for parts delivery to the robotic welding cells involved 16 stops, or actions, from pickup to placement in the welding robot load positions.
Today, the storage racks and pallets are gone. Now, a driverless tow tractor pulls as many as five dollies full of auto parts from the storage area to the cells, a distance of about 950 feet. Team members retrieve the parts they need from the dollies, which are positioned parallel to the cells just a few steps away, eliminating the need to cross the aisle. Once all the parts have been unloaded, the AGV returns to the storage area for more material, while another tractor with the next batch of parts arrives just when they're needed. Instead of 16 stops, there are only nine. And because the AGVs always travel the same route at the same speed, the time from pickup to arrival at the welding cells is consistent and predictable.
To get where they're going, the tow tractors follow over two miles of magnetic strip slotted into narrow troughs in the concrete floor. Their positions are tracked by RFID tags embedded in the floor.
Navigating the high-traffic body-weld department requires care and precision. The weld stations are positioned along a 300-foot "highway" with nine routes branching off and merging into it—an area known as "spaghetti junction." In addition, the tow tractors have to share the road, so to speak, with other Toyota AGVs (such as L-cart material transporters and low-profile "Mouse" tug-carts) that motor along the same magnetic guide paths. The tow tractors also cross paths with the manned vehicles that deliver partial loads and those destined for multiple drop-off sites. Drivers are required to yield to the AGVs.
To manage the movements of the automatic vehicles, TMMK's AGV implementation team worked with ICI to develop traffic-control technology that would be compatible with the guidance systems and control devices already in place for other types of AGVs. The resulting Automated Vehicle Intersection Navigational Utility (AVINU) is "the link between the AGVs and everything else that's automated," said ICI President Tim Taylor.
The wireless system communicates with the different types of AGVs, reporting each one's location, status, and performance data—information that can be viewed on any authorized computer in the facility. AVINU assigns loads to vehicles and regulates traffic at intersections; arrival at certain RFID tags triggers wireless transmission of instructions to the AGVs. The system also monitors battery status and tells the vehicles when to head over to an opportunity charger.
REACHING A BROADER AUDIENCE
Changing the way parts are delivered and reconfiguring the robotic welding cells has cut walking distances by 978 miles a year, saving five hours of walking time per shift—the equivalent of 317 work days annually, said Paul Stafford, specialist production engineering and AGV implementation lead. Furthermore, eliminating the storage pallets and flow racks opened up nearly 37 square feet of work space adjacent to each cell, freeing up space for other activities.
Because the AGVs travel the same paths at a consistent speed without so much as an inch of variation, they can safely navigate turns that would challenge human drivers—in some places, with less than six inches of clearance, according to Stafford. Congestion, collisions, sudden stops, and in-transit product damage have all been eliminated.
The labor savings have been equally impressive. The body-weld department has been able to reassign 42 people to other, more value-adding positions—including to the AGV implementation team—and nobody has been let go.
So far, the Toyota AutoGuide/AVINU project has saved TMMK more than $1 million annually, and ROI was achieved in just over one year. The payback has been substantial enough that the AGV implementation team will roll out the system elsewhere at Georgetown and will help to implement it at other Toyota auto plants.
The project foretells wider adoption of automation, not only in manufacturing but also in warehousing and distribution. In fact, AutoGuide attachments for Toyota pallet trucks and forklifts are already in the works. "I believe the automation market is limitless, although there will be challenges," Meyer said.
One of those challenges will be to convince warehouse and DC operators that automatic vehicles are not as complicated and expensive to purchase, install, and operate as they might think. That may not prove particularly difficult, however: Meyer estimates that the cost of a new, mass-produced vehicle plus the AutoGuide automation kit would be approximately one-fourth that of a custom-built traditional AGV. The fact that the AGVs are created from standard industrial vehicles and widely available, off-the-shelf components rather than proprietary controls will keep the cost down, he added.
Potential buyers will also want assurances of ready access to maintenance services for this new breed of AGVs, said Martin Boyd, vice president of product planning, marketing, and training for Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. Inc. That makes it critical to provide service for both the truck and the AGV components through the existing dealer network with its established relationships, he said.
Boyd agrees that lower-cost AGVs are poised for rapid growth. The economic downturn forced companies to look for waste, cut costs, and introduce more process efficiencies while considering how to better prepare for rapid change, he said in an interview at TMMK. Automation can help in all of those areas, and lift truck manufacturers will play a leading role in bringing it to a wider audience, he said. "We want to develop broader solutions around the customer to help them save money. We don't see automation as a competitor. We see it as an enabler."
Nearly one-third of American consumers have increased their secondhand purchases in the past year, revealing a jump in “recommerce” according to a buyer survey from ShipStation, a provider of web-based shipping and order fulfillment solutions.
The number comes from a survey of 500 U.S. consumers showing that nearly one in four (23%) Americans lack confidence in making purchases over $200 in the next six months. Due to economic uncertainty, savvy shoppers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality or style, the research found.
Younger shoppers are leading the charge in that trend, with 59% of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials buying pre-owned items weekly or monthly. That rate makes Gen Z nearly twice as likely to buy second hand compared to older generations.
The primary reason that shoppers say they have increased their recommerce habits is lower prices (74%), followed by the thrill of finding unique or rare items (38%) and getting higher quality for a lower price (28%). Only 14% of Americans cite environmental concerns as a primary reason they shop second-hand.
Despite the challenge of adjusting to the new pattern, recommerce represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to capture today’s budget-minded shoppers and foster long-term loyalty, Austin, Texas-based ShipStation said.
For example, retailers don’t have to sell used goods to capitalize on the secondhand boom. Instead, they can offer trade-in programs swapping discounts or store credit for shoppers’ old items. And they can improve product discoverability to help customers—particularly older generations—find what they’re looking for.
Other ways for retailers to connect with recommerce shoppers are to improve shipping practices. According to ShipStation:
70% of shoppers won’t return to a brand if shipping is too expensive.
51% of consumers are turned off by late deliveries
40% of shoppers won’t return to a retailer again if the packaging is bad.
The “CMA CGM Startup Awards”—created in collaboration with BFM Business and La Tribune—will identify the best innovations to accelerate its transformation, the French company said.
Specifically, the company will select the best startup among the applicants, with clear industry transformation objectives focused on environmental performance, competitiveness, and quality of life at work in each of the three areas:
Shipping: Enabling safer, more efficient, and sustainable navigation through innovative technological solutions.
Logistics: Reinventing the global supply chain with smart and sustainable logistics solutions.
Media: Transform content creation, and customer engagement with innovative media technologies and strategies.
Three winners will be selected during a final event organized on November 15 at the Orange Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille, during the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Marseille (AIM) forum organized by La Tribune and BFM Business. The selection will be made by a jury chaired by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the Group, and including members of the executive committee representing the various sectors of CMA CGM.
The global air cargo market’s hot summer of double-digit demand growth continued in August with average spot rates showing their largest year-on-year jump with a 24% increase, according to the latest weekly analysis by Xeneta.
Xeneta cited two reasons to explain the increase. First, Global average air cargo spot rates reached $2.68 per kg in August due to continuing supply and demand imbalance. That came as August's global cargo supply grew at its slowest ratio in 2024 to-date at 2% year-on-year, while global cargo demand continued its double-digit growth, rising +11%.
The second reason for higher rates was an ocean-to-air shift in freight volumes due to Red Sea disruptions and e-commerce demand.
Those factors could soon be amplified as e-commerce shows continued strong growth approaching the hotly anticipated winter peak season. E-commerce and low-value goods exports from China in the first seven months of 2024 increased 30% year-on-year, including shipments to Europe and the US rising 38% and 30% growth respectively, Xeneta said.
“Typically, air cargo market performance in August tends to follow the July trend. But another month of double-digit demand growth and the strongest rate growths of the year means there was definitely no summer slack season in 2024,” Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s chief airfreight officer, said in a release.
“Rates we saw bottoming out in late July started picking up again in mid-August. This is too short a period to call a season. This has been a busy summer, and now we’re at the threshold of Q4, it will be interesting to see what will happen and if all the anticipation of a red-hot peak season materializes,” van de Wouw said.
The report cites data showing that there are approximately 1.7 million workers missing from the post-pandemic workforce and that 38% of small firms are unable to fill open positions. At the same time, the “skills gap” in the workforce is accelerating as automation and AI create significant shifts in how work is performed.
That information comes from the “2024 Labor Day Report” released by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.
“We continue to see a labor shortage and an urgent need to upskill the current workforce to adapt to the new world of work,” said Michael Lotito, Littler shareholder and co-chair of WPI. “As corporate executives and business leaders look to the future, they are focused on realizing the many benefits of AI to streamline operations and guide strategic decision-making, while cultivating a talent pipeline that can support this growth.”
But while the need is clear, solutions may be complicated by public policy changes such as the upcoming U.S. general election and the proliferation of employment-related legislation at the state and local levels amid Congressional gridlock.
“We are heading into a contentious election that has already proven to be unpredictable and is poised to create even more uncertainty for employers, no matter the outcome,” Shannon Meade, WPI’s executive director, said in a release. “At the same time, the growing patchwork of state and local requirements across the U.S. is exacerbating compliance challenges for companies. That, coupled with looming changes following several Supreme Court decisions that have the potential to upend rulemaking, gives C-suite executives much to contend with in planning their workforce-related strategies.”
Stax Engineering, the venture-backed startup that provides smokestack emissions reduction services for maritime ships, will service all vessels from Toyota Motor North America Inc. visiting the Toyota Berth at the Port of Long Beach, according to a new five-year deal announced today.
Beginning in 2025 to coincide with new California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards, STAX will become the first and only emissions control provider to service roll-on/roll-off (ro-ros) vessels in the state of California, the company said.
Stax has rapidly grown since its launch in the first quarter of this year, supported in part by a $40 million funding round from investors, announced in July. It now holds exclusive service agreements at California ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme, Benicia, Richmond, and Oakland. The firm has also partnered with individual companies like NYK Line, Hyundai GLOVIS, Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (Shell), and now Toyota.
Stax says it offers an alternative to shore power with land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology for shipping terminal and fleet operators without the need for retrofits.
In the case of this latest deal, the Toyota Long Beach Vehicle Distribution Center imports about 200,000 vehicles each year on ro-ro vessels. Stax will keep those ships green with its flexible exhaust capture system, which attaches to all vessel classes without modification to remove 99% of emitted particulate matter (PM) and 95% of emitted oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Over the lifetime of this new agreement with Toyota, Stax estimated the service will account for approximately 3,700 hours and more than 47 tons of emissions controlled.
“We set out to provide an emissions capture and control solution that was reliable, easily accessible, and cost-effective. As we begin to service Toyota, we’re confident that we can meet the needs of the full breadth of the maritime industry, furthering our impact on the local air quality, public health, and environment,” Mike Walker, CEO of Stax, said in a release. “Continuing to establish strong partnerships will help build momentum for and trust in our technology as we expand beyond the state of California.”