THE BACKGROUND


GROWING SAFETY RISK AWARENESS

Some of the world’s largest manufacturers are recognizing the high risk of forklifts operating in spaces with human movement. The rising incidents of forklift collisions with pedestrians and objects, tip-overs and other mishaps in factories and warehouses have spurred companies to look for safer alternatives for material handling. 

Safe operation of forklifts can be compromised due to several reasons, including:
– Inattentive employees on shop floor
– Inappropriate use of equipment
– Unexpected obstacles in the aisle
– Malfunctioning of equipment

FORKLIFT-RELATED SAFETY INCIDENTS

Source: WSJ

THE CUSTOMER

Forvia SE is a global Tier-1 Automotive OEM formed in 2022 through the merger of two automobile technology companies with a history spanning over 100 years, Faurecia and HELLA.

Forvia offers major automobile manufacturers worldwide a wide portfolio of solutions, including seating, interiors, lighting, electronic, clean mobility technology, and lifecycle solutions.

EXISTING MATERIAL FLOW

THE SOLUTION

Ati Motors addressed the challenges associated with material movement via forklifts and overall productivity in the manufacturing environment at Forvia through a comprehensive four-stage assessment, planning and deployment process.

Background and Key Challenges:

Stage 1 – Site Assessment
Technical experts from Ati mapped the factory layout and analyzed the workflow.

Stage 2 – Expert Consultation
Ati specialists  in manufacturing and automation consulted with the customer team.

Stage 3 – Digital Simulation
Ati created a digital twin of the layout to craft the optimum material movement.

Stage 4 – Testing & Deployment
Sherpa Tugs were tested and finally deployed in the actual factory environment.

SHERPA TUG IN ACTION

THE IMPACT

The outcome was the deployment of the Sherpa Tug, an autonomous electric tug designed to move trolley payloads safely and efficiently. This solution not only mitigated safety risks associated with forklifts by limiting their use in aisles, eliminating accidents and operational hazards in shopfloor aisles, but also significantly enhanced operational efficiency by 2X.

NEW MATERIAL FLOW

Sherpa Tugs effectively move 2X the material compared to a forklift, more safely and reliably – all without the need for continuous human supervision or intervention. Sherpa Tugs achieved the efficiency improvement by leveraging a customized twin-trolley design with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) supported by 3D Lidar technology.

THE FUTURE

Ati’s AMR solution is Industry 4.0 ready, and capable of evolving with the changing needs of Forvia. Sherpa Tugs and the Ati Fleet Management application can seamlessly adapt to revisions in the workflow, changes in the facility layout or expansion of the fleet strength. 

The solution is truly engineered for redundancy, and is fully compatible with the ongoing and future digital transformation aspirations at Forvia. 

VDA-5050 Compliance for Seamless Interoperability

At Ati Motors, we are committed to a future where AMRs operate in an open, connected, and vendor-agnostic ecosystem. We have adopted VDA-5050, the industry-standard that enables seamless interoperability between a master fleet manager and AMRs from different vendors.

KEY ADVANTAGES

• Ati Sherpa Tugs can function smoothly in a complex, multi-vendor environment
• Ati Fleet Manager solution can easily incorporate new VDA-5050 compliant AMRs
• Unified visualization and control UI minimizes time & resources for operator training