Transforming material handling: Saving time and costs for a global automotive supplier

Use case background

German global automotive supplier.

Specialized in producing cogwheels.

Transport production samples from the production station to QA for tolerance testing.

Problem

The production specialist manually transports the samples, leading to inefficiencies in the production process.

The company purchased two AMRs of EUR 40k each to do the work to save time and costs.

Both AMRs broke, leading to multiple weeks of downtime and going back to manual labor.
• The robots required an external technician for the repair.
• Some repairs failed, requiring a robot replacement, involving a large pallet shipment and long lead time.

Solution

The company replaced the AMRs with wheel.me robots for a third of the price.

The deployment and onsite training of this use case took < 1 day.

The company uses existing carts to mount the robots onto.

wheel.me provided an onsite swap pool and technical training for quick hardware replacements to minimize downtime.

Results

• No manual transportation.
• Saving 120 minutes per day.
• More efficiency in other areas.
• Repairs and service done independently by customer.
• More control over the production process.

Transforming manufacturing: Collaborating with a global automotive manufacturer

In 2021, wheel.me forged a partnership with a prominent global automotive manufacturer. The company operates over 50 plants worldwide, using manual labor as the primary method for material handling. Facing challenges such as a volatile job market, soaring labor costs, and industry demands for enhanced speed and efficiency, they had been investigating alternatives such as AGVs and AMRs for years.

After wheel.me conducted a successful proof of concept on-site in early 2022, the company committed to deploying 300 robots across two of its facilities in the US and Europe. The initial phase, launched in November 2022, already boasts 24 robots efficiently moving materials to the assembly line.

The eagerly anticipated second phase of the project is scheduled to commence later in 2023.

Revolutionizing logistics: A strategic partnership with a global industry leader

In early 2022 wheel.me partnered with one of the world’s leading global logistics providers, operating in approximately 2100 locations.

With their active innovation team and a high demand for automation to decrease costs and increase efficiency and reliability, the company committed to approximately 440 robots in 2 warehouses in Europe. As of 2023, 28 robots have been commissioned and are operating in one of their sites.

Within Q3 and Q4 of 2023, the remaining robots are being deployed. The scope of this endeavor is considerable, encompassing seamless integration with other AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and automated machinery at both locations, a testament to the determined pursuit of logistic excellence.