Antalis Switzerland, a leading distributor of paper, packaging solutions, visual communication materials, and customized logistics, has replaced its mobile transport robots, built in 1982, with modern AGVs from the manufacturer Safelog. The manufacturer of the previous robots had gone bankrupt – with unexpected consequences.
Antalis Switzerland employs around 260 people at its two locations in Lupfig and Meyrin, serving approximately 14,600 customers. Every day, 1,600 orders are received, requiring the warehouse to process 250 tons of material.
“Back then, we were twenty years ahead of our time when we introduced the driverless transport system,” estimates Claudio Brunner, Head of Supply Chain Management in Lupfig. “In the early 1980s, very few people even knew what a mobile transport robot was.” In 1982, the company purchased 13 models from a well-known manufacturer, designed to transport 1,200 pallets per day between goods receiving and the high-bay warehouse (HLR).
SCM CEO C. Brunner
At that time, the paper industry was a strong growth market. Antalis recognized early on the need to invest in warehouse automation and put a single-digit million-franc sum into the new system, including its implementation. The Swiss company had large warehouse areas with long transport routes that could no longer be managed solely with forklifts and pallet jacks. For Matthias Braun, Project Manager Supply Chain Management at Antalis Switzerland, the ambitious project was a technical masterpiece, the realization of a vision.
Visions sometimes have unforeseen side effects. Demand for the state-of-the-art transport vehicles was, to put it mildly, rather low in the 1980s. The manufacturer at the time filed for bankruptcy in 1994. From then on, Antalis had to take care of maintaining the fleet itself. This went so far that some vehicles were decommissioned and repurposed as spare parts depots. Eventually, only six of the original 13 robots were still in operation. "At some point, the end came, and there were no spare parts or usable support available anymore," says Brunner. In the spring of 2021, he and Matthias Braun began searching for a manufacturer confident enough to replace the obsolete vehicles with modern transport robots while operations continued and to integrate them into the existing hardware and software system.
The two identified 13 potential suppliers, eight of which were eliminated. The remaining five were presented with the specifications, and then three companies underwent detailed analysis. After final reference visits, the Swiss company chose Safelog.
The AGVs from the specialists in Markt Schwaben impressed Claudio Brunner primarily with their swarm intelligence. Each AGV is equipped with so-called agent software that allows the vehicles to communicate with each other. Positions are exchanged, tasks can be automatically distributed and processed efficiently. The system functions without an expensive control center. "Each of our robots has its own small computer on board," says Axel Buß, software developer at Safelog and PhD in nuclear physics. "Our competitors' vehicles are often equipped with a simple PLC, which significantly limits their capabilities."
A.Buß
Flexibility was another reason why the Swiss company chose Safelog. When Claudio Brunner and Matthias Braun traveled to Markt Schwaben to present the project in detail, Safelog subsequently reconsidered everything and created a new offer that better suited Antalis' process requirements.
The specialists from Markt Schwaben also demonstrated their solution-oriented approach and expertise in integrating the new technology into Antalis' existing system. The warehouse management system (WMS) and a subordinate material flow computer, internally called "Box3" at Antalis, had been running for over twenty years and undergone continuous optimization. For software, that's an eternity. "You could see the age of the programs, especially at the interfaces," says Axel Buss. "We really had to immerse ourselves in it; the software was the biggest time factor in the project and also caused delays in the planned schedule." Thanks to their meticulous work, the customer's expectation of 90 pallets per hour was met.
Antalis now has new server and database programs. The old interface of the warehouse management system (WMS) has been replaced because it was no longer compatible with the current system, and the material flow computer will be integrated into the WMS in the future. The fire alarm signal was also integrated without any problems.
Safelog is one of the few manufacturers in the industry that mass-produces its AGVs. Unlike custom-built machines, all Safelog AGVs are standardized. The new system had to be implemented at Antalis while operations continued, as ensuring the smooth running of daily business was always the top priority for the Swiss company. A daytime test run was not an option due to the ongoing operation of the existing AGVs. "We defined a time window from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in which all test scenarios could be run and any potential issues resolved," explains Matthias Braun.
For example, Antalis' conveyor systems didn't all have the same transfer height. As a result, the AGVs couldn't lift the load high enough at some transfer stations. "We had to modify our vehicles a bit," said Axel Buss. And sometimes the AGVs' contour navigation reached its limits. This was particularly true in the areas used as temporary storage when the main warehouse was full. This caused the contours to deviate too much from the normal state. Safelog's specialists solved the problem by securing these areas with an additional navigation layer. This compensated for the changing environment.
Antalis project manager M. Braun
The old transport robots were replaced by twelve Safelog AGV L1 series robots, which now move through the Antalis warehouse at a maximum speed of 1 m/s. Each day, 700 pallets with a maximum load of approximately 1000 kg are transported from goods receiving to various storage areas, including a high-bay warehouse, an AutoStore system, and three manual storage areas. The routes range from 40 to 220 m in length. For safety reasons, the speed is reduced on curves. This wasn't possible with the old models, which always traveled at 1 m/s.
Claudio Brunner is completely satisfied with the project's progress. An increase in performance through the new system was never planned, nor was it possible. Due to new safety regulations, the same process cycle times as with the 40-year-old equipment cannot be achieved. However, the stated goal—the safe operation of the existing plant together with the new AGVs—has been perfectly realized. Follow-up projects, it is said, are already in the pipeline.
