AGV sales, installations set growth record in 2013

For automatic guided vehicle (AGV) suppliers, 2013 was a record-breaking year, according to the Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) industry group of Modex sponsor MHI.

“Sales hit $140 million, an increase of more than 39% over 2012,” said Sarah Carlson, AGVS spokesperson and Daifuku Webb marketing director in a press conference on Monday. “That total comprises 1,047 vehicles installed in 182 systems—an increase of 47% and 42% respectively from 2012. All of these numbers set new records for our industry.”

Manufacturing operations accounted for 156 (85%) of all systems installed in 2013, a 10-percentage point gain in just two years.

The average number of vehicles applied per system was 5.7 in 2013, Carlson added: “That figure is slightly higher than what we saw in 2012, but down from seven vehicles in 2011. So systems are, on average, somewhat smaller than they were two years ago.”

She attributed the reduction in vehicles per installation points to the latest advancements in AGV technology. “Today’s units are faster and more programmable, allowing completion of more tasks with fewer vehicles,” she said. “They also support opportunity charging, which lets them recharge during brief windows of downtime and increases overall productivity by enabling 24/7 runtime.”

On Tuesday at noon as part of Modex’s on-floor seminar program, there will be a session on “Interesting New AGV Applications: Where to Start,” in Theatre C,  offering attendees an opportunity to learn about growing AGV use cases.

Modex 2014 is scheduled to be held March 17-20, 2014 in Atlanta’s Georgia World Conference Center. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete Modex 2014 coverage.