Automated guided vehicle (AGV)

Concept

A driverless vehicle that moves material along set routes in a factory or warehouse, guided for example by markers, wires, lasers or maps. Fleet size and routes are classic planning questions.

Opis

An automated guided vehicle, or AGV, carries material between places in a factory or warehouse without a driver. In German it is called a fahrerloses Transportsystem, FTS. Vehicles follow set routes and are guided by markers, wires, laser scanners or digital maps. Newer vehicles that plan their own path are often called autonomous mobile robots.

A key planning question is how many vehicles are needed. Too few cause waiting parts and idle lines, too many block each other at crossings and charging points. The answer depends on transport orders, distances, speeds, loading times, traffic rules and battery charging, which interact in ways that are hard to see by hand. That is why plants often use simulation to size the fleet and test the layout before buying.

Słownik

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• Mirko Peters · Microsoft MVP

Maintained by Mirko Peters (Microsoft MVP) · Last updated: 2026-11-11