Asset category
Conveying and Handling Technology
Intralogistics with IoT connects conveying and handling technology such as automated guided vehicles, forklifts, conveyor belts and robots. Operators know where materials and vehicles are, control fleets centrally and detect faults before the material flow stalls.
Assets in “Conveying and Handling Technology”
Used in 42 projects
Automated guided vehicle (AGV)
An AGV system brings material automatically from the warehouse to the line when a central fleet controller coordinates the automated guided vehicles (AGV). With IoT, sensors trigger transport orders and vehicles from different manufacturers run in one system.
Autonomous mobile robot (AMR)
An AMR robot, or autonomous mobile robot, needs a wireless link in the factory that is as reliable as a cable. Over a private 5G network it exchanges data with controllers and equipment in real time.
Chain conveyor
Chain conveyor maintenance in power plants relies on IoT sensors that record heavy thermal and mechanical load during ash removal continuously, so operators can plan chain replacement before the conveyor fails and the plant stops.
Conveyor belt
Conveyor belt maintenance with IoT relies on sensors that capture vibration, temperature and the condition of the belt and belt cleaners. Operators detect damage such as a torn belt early, plan maintenance as needed and avoid costly line stoppages.
Crane
Predictive crane maintenance with IoT focuses on the cable carrier, which guides power and data cables to the trolley. Sensors report overload or breakage before the crane comes to a standstill and give maintenance and replacement recommendations.
Forklift truck
Forklift tracking with IoT shows where every forklift truck is, which pallet it carries and where that pallet belongs. RFID, UWB and cameras replace manual scanning and document putaway, retrieval and loading automatically.
Handling robot
An industrial handling robot such as a pick and place robot grips parts using image data and sorts out defective ones. With an AI camera, it recognises the position and quality of loose parts; commissioning can be organised digitally.
High-bay warehouse
In a high-bay warehouse, IoT links storage locations, forklifts and warehouse management through real-time data. Staff see on large screens which orders are due next, and pallets are put away and retrieved without manual scanning.
Industrial robot
Predictive robot maintenance with IoT brings the condition and performance data of industrial robots together on one platform. Operators detect faults and wear before a robot comes to a standstill, and manufacturers identify maintenance cases remotely.
Connected intralogistics for conveying and handling technology
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are the most common subcategory in the solution examples, followed by industrial robots, cranes, conveyor belts, forklift trucks and high-bay warehouses. A central fleet control system such as the SYNAOS Intralogistics Platform coordinates AGVs from different manufacturers via the VDA 5050 interface. Systems from SICK and INTRANAV locate forklifts and materials using ultra-wideband and RFID, with SICK LOCU accurate to less than one metre. On conveyor belts, sensors measure vibration and send it via Bluetooth to a platform, while for robots KUKA iiQoT brings together the condition and operating parameters of entire fleets in one dashboard. On cranes, igus monitors the cable carriers for tensile and push forces and breakage.
The examples come mainly from automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics and electronics, as route optimisation, order management, object localisation and early damage detection. With SYNAOS, ZF coordinates AGVs from different suppliers at several sites in a vendor-neutral way and supplements the milk run principle with demand-driven, short transport routes. With the RFID solution from INTRANAV, TB International increased efficiency in full-carton handling by almost 40 percent. Using the SmaRTLog localisation solution between warehouse and production, SICK cut lead time by 20 percent and the search time for missing materials from 45 to 15 minutes.
Intralogistics with IoT: frequently asked questions
What does IoT bring to intralogistics?
IoT shows where materials, load carriers and vehicles are in intralogistics at any moment and automates bookings and transport orders. At SICK, this reduced the search time for missing materials from 45 to 15 minutes. At TB International, a forklift equipped with RFID and UWB recognises which pallet it is picking up, and the storage is booked in the ERP system without scanning.
How does a real time location system work in intralogistics?
A real time location system locates objects using radio tags whose signals are received by permanently installed antennas. The SICK LOCU system uses ultra-wideband in the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz frequency band with a range of around 20 to 50 metres. Every tagged asset is located to within less than one metre, with up to 1,000 updates per second. INTRANAV combines UWB and RFID into a platform for forklift fleets.
How can real-time data improve milk run logistics?
With real-time data, milk run tours are planned according to actual demand instead of fixed routes. According to Bosch Connected Industry, statically defined routes and unnecessary stops cost time and money, so software plans the flow of goods in real time. With the SYNAOS platform, ZF supplements the milk run principle with utilisation-based supply over many short transport routes, with the software calculating and prioritising the routes.
Which IoT solutions are available for intralogistics?
The solution examples show four groups: fleet control for AGVs, real-time location of materials and forklifts, condition monitoring of conveying technology and dashboards for the material flow. With Cumulocity, Dexion turns its MOVO mobile pallet racks into connected assets for predictive service. GlobalFoundries uses Smart Systems Hub to detect downtime on overhead conveyors earlier. PistenBully keeps assembly and logistics in sync with an OPC UA andon visualisation from Peakboard.
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