VisionNav Robotics is bringing its range of fully automated, vision-guided forklift trucks and intelligent operating systems to the European market, according to an announcement made today.
The VisionNav range includes driverless counterbalanced forklift trucks, reach trucks, stackers and tow tractors and the company is looking to appoint distribution partners throughout Europe.
Nestlé, DHL and Walmart are among the high-profile businesses to have already adopted the VisionNav driverless truck system, while countless small- and medium-sized forklift users are also benefiting from the solution.
Capable of operating outside and inside in even the most dimly lit buildings, VisionNav driverless forklifts undertake every type of task that would be expected of a traditional manually operated forklift – including vehicle loading and unloading, pallet put-away and retrieval in both standard and very narrow aisle racking configurations, as well as pallet and stillage movements throughout the warehouse.
In addition to the obvious savings in labour costs that driverless forklifts bring, other benefits delivered by VisionNav automated lift trucks include: reduced damage to goods, racking and trucks; greater picking accuracy; and more efficient use of the available storage space.
“When it comes to running a lift-truck fleet, the forklift driver is often the biggest cost,” commented Jason Zang, VisionNav Robotics’ Head of Sales – Europe. “Salaries, bonuses, training and myriad other expenses combined with hidden extras such as the damage to goods or a building’s infrastructure caused by a carelessly driven truck or, worse still, injuries to personnel, all add up to a considerable sum.
“In addition, across the world, there is a shortage of forklift drivers, so it is not surprising that more and more companies are adopting automated materials handling equipment to optimise the efficiency of their warehouse intralogistics processes.”