In a first for its Löhne logistics centre, Hermes Fulfilment has implemented Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for its logistics processes.
The deployment of the AMRs is part of the company’s broader strategy to automate its intra-logistics processes.
A total of 25 battery-powered AMRs will be responsible for transporting large pallets of picked goods throughout the 100,000 square metre facility in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region, which specialises in the logistical handling of large-volume goods weighing more than 31.5 kilograms.
The goods carried by the AMRs are primarily furniture, large electrical appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as upholstered furniture and mattresses. These large items are mostly stored on shelves up to 12.4 metres off the ground.
“This will reduce the workload on our employees and raise the efficiency of our logistics processes to a new level,” said Hermes Fulfilment Löhne Operations Manager, Thomas Saltenbrock.
The AMRs can easily accommodate orders comprised of several packages, which are usually picked up by hand near the floor onto large pallets.
These loading aids are delivered to Hermes Einrichtungs Service at the logistics centre, using low-lift trucks, which then delivers the ordered goods using two-person handling.
In the future, these vehicles will be supplemented by self-driving mobile robots from the Austrian manufacturer Melkus Mechatronic.
The devices weigh 222 kilograms and can transport payloads of up to 1,200 kilograms, with a lifting height of 240 millimetres.
As a result, they have been named ‘Ants’ at Hermes Fulfilment, capable of carrying many times their own weight.
Although coordinated by a control centre, the vehicles move autonomously at an average speed of 1.5 metres per second and navigate using laser scanners mounted in the mast, as well as on the skids and sides.
The AMRs will complete approximately 1,000 transport movements daily, covering a total distance of approximately 30 kilometres.
About 20 per cent of the company’s transport tasks will continue to be handled by conventional low-lift trucks.
To enable the AMRs to orient themselves using environmental features, the logistics centre’s infrastructure was surveyed, mapped, and stored in a cloud-based control platform.
Sensors ensure that the vehicles detect obstacles and evade them in a timely manner or brake if there is insufficient space to avoid them.
Saltenbrock said that as safety in the logistics centre was a top priority for the company, employees are fully trained in how to interact with the mobile robots, including always giving the self-driving load carriers priority.
“There is less manual transport; the automated material flow ensures smoother logistics processes because the robots travel at a constant, low speed,” said Saltenbrock.
Use of the AMRs also means an up-skilling of workers and greater efficiencies, as employees who previously drove the internal transporters will take on other, more complex tasks in the logistics centre.
“By using AMR, we are creating a modern, motivating work environment with future prospects in the logistics sector,” said Saltenbrock.
“This is an important factor in light of demographic change, the noticeable labor shortage, and the rising retirement age.”
Following the completion of the pilot phase at the Löhne logistics centre, the AMRs will also be introduced at Hermes Fulfilment’s other two-person handling location in Ansbach, Franconia.
Hermes Fulfilment GmbH is headquartered in Hamburg and has locations in Haldensleben, Löhne, Ohrdruf, Ansbach, and Langenselbold, as well as in Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Italy.
It manages the entire shipping process chain for retail companies within the Otto Group and their platform partners.
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