Labour shortage: Driverless forklift truck frees up employees for other tasks

It is no secret that human resources are in short supply these days – not least of all skilled workers with a license to drive forklifts. At Bennet Potatoes, automation became the solution to their predicament. With a Global AGV, Bennet Potatoes increased efficiency and productivity and freed up employees for other tasks, such as quality assurance.

Automation as a counterattack to labour shortage

Across industries, finding and retaining a qualified workforce is challenging. The hours can be long, especially for repetitive work. Moreover, finding the right employees with the necessary licenses and courses to work in supply chains has become increasingly difficult. But where human resources are in short supply, automation can provide the capacity needed for any production.

More and more operations managers are looking for ways to allocate workers to more demanding and rewarding tasks by handing over ‘nonvalue-adding’ tasks to automation. That way, the production uses the tools at its disposal to benefit the company’s goals and deadlines.

Global AGVs are designed to transport and store pallets without needing a driver. Automating repetitive and monotonous tasks such as simple pallet transports can free up valuable employee resources and increase efficiency.

Efficient, continuous operation 24/7

Precision, efficiency, and predictability are critical elements in supply chains – especially when working in time-sensitive or space-limited work environments. Every aspect of the production chain must work together to make it as optimal as possible.

Driverless forklift trucks offer a safe, cost-effective transport solution for workflows requiring repetitive material handling tasks to be completed in a timely manner. AGVs provide repetitive accuracy 24/7, except for short periods to recharge. The AGV can work around the clock and ensure continued workflow at night.

The AGV driverless forklift truck allows the operators to process larger volumes of goods, all while offering reliability. Global AGV ensures efficiency and a safer work environment for people and goods.

Avoiding damage to goods saves both money and time, which makes the driverless forklift truck from Global AGV a valuable addition to your production chain. The AGV increases competitiveness in a challenging market.

Global AGV increases productivity at Bennet Potatoes

The Global AGV has helped many production chains and companies improve their capacity.

At Bennett Potatoes’ packing plant, they prepare both sacks and boxes of potatoes for distribution. The process that the AGV performs today was previously done manually. This created logistical challenges as the process takes place in a relatively small area, which is why lack of space and wasted time had previously hindered an efficient flow in the packing plant.

Previously, the three employees had their own hand pallet truck to perform their tasks, and the employees found that it created a hold-up where they had to wait for each other. It was also an observation that the Managing Director of Bennett Potatoes, Ian Bennett, had made. Combined with a lack of workforce, Ian also wanted to use employee resources where it would be more beneficial. For this reason, there was a great need to automate this process.

Implementing a driverless forklift truck from Global AGV helps create a sustainable production environment that can be felt on the bottom line. The AGV also helps to free up two out of three employees to work on other more complex tasks in the factory.

At Dragsbæk in northern Denmark, they also reap the benefits of their Global AGV.

“The AGV has literally taken our production to the next level. Margarine production previously involved many heavy, straining lifts for employees. Now, the driverless forklift does the pallet lifting and driving, which has greatly improved our working environment, evidenced by the fact that we’ve reduced the sick leave rate and minimised the risk of occupational accidents”.

Dragsbæk is a manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of food products for consumers and professionals in Denmark and abroad.

Fight labour shortage with Global AGV

Global AGV is the simplest Stand-Alone logistics solution on the market. The AGV is easy to install and can be operated by anyone. It takes, on average, only a couple of days to install a Global AGV and put it into operation, thanks to the intuitive user management. Its flexibility allows it to be modulated and adapted to your requirements, making it easy to integrate into existing production environments. Global AGV solves routine tasks while eliminating bottlenecks and production stops, freeing up valuable resources for quality assurance of production.

For added flexibility, Global AGV is equipped with dual-mode technology that instantly lets you switch between automated and manual operations. All in all, the flexibility and simplicity of Global AGV accommodate the dynamic changes in the production plan.