With over 600 engineers, AIUT implements and improves robotics and automation technology, driving the future of manufacturing and intralogistics around the world.
Interview with Ewa Kubisiewicz-Boba, Marketing Director at AIUT.
Easy Engineering: Price: tell us something about the costs from a ROI perspective?
Ewa Kubisiewicz-Boba: Aformic’s solution consists of Qursor – a control system, and a fleet of autonomous mobile robots from F-series that are designed to streamline production processes, significantly reduce labor costs, and enhance transportation efficiency. This optimization leads to cost savings and a favorable ROI for businesses implementing these solutions. For example, at one of our client’s facilities, we deployed our Autonomous Intralogistics Platform with 23 AMR vehicles, without interfering with the plant environment. We tailored the solution to the client’s production and Kanban system. The Aformic team provided our client with an efficient phased implementation – 6 vehicles per week for a single process, resulting in a fast and efficient delivery time (20 weeks). While our solution led to reduced operating costs and increased process efficiency, the return on investment was realized within 2 years.
E.E: What about the costs for maintenance / future upgrades etc.
E.K.B: Aformic provides clients with an Open Book Policy approach for hardware. Each of our customer, as part of the purchase, receives a one-year access to the system, ensuring continuous availability to regularly updated data and documents describing all provided vehicles, loaders, conveyors, and batteries, sets of tasks to be performed as part of service works, and instructions for procedures and communication. In addition to this, Aformic offers comprehensive support packages, each tailored to meet our client’s specific needs. Our support packages, such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold, provide various levels of technical support and priority for error reporting, ensuring minimal downtime and efficient upgrades. We offer these support packages as options for annual or three-year service plans, of course with the possibility of extending the contract.
E.E: Quality: tell us something about the quality behind your products / solutions.
E.K.B: Within the AIUT Group, Aformic is the entity dedicated to handling intralogistics systems, including a fleet of autonomous mobile robots F-series. The company’s products are crafted with a commitment to excellence, leveraging over three decades of expertise in industrial automation and robotics. Aformic AMR F series robots comply with domestic and international safety regulations such as: ISO 3691-4:2020 Industrial Trucks – Safety Requirements and Verification, ANSI/RIA R15.08-1-2020 Industrial Mobile Robots – Safety Requvirements, and ANSI/ITSDF 56.5-2019 American Standard Safety Standard for Guided Industrial Vehicles. The AMRs are controlled by the Qursor system, which significantly improves work efficiency through streamlined task management. All this while maintaining the highest safety standards by constantly monitoring the environment and operations, our advanced safety systems can immediately respond to anomalies and minimize the risk of collisions. Also, our autonomous mobile robots use advanced sensors and mapping technology to adjust real-time maps of the environment and to modify their paths in response to changes in the environment, such as obstacles or new paths. To ensure the highest quality standards and save valuable time during actual implementation at clients’ factory or warehouse, we perform system simulations and virtual commissioning before the physical deployment.
E.E: Characteristics: what important features should clients search and what features do your products / solutions offer?
E.K.B: Our Aformic Intralogistics Platform offers increased automation and reduced reliance on human labor in industrial processes. Our AMRs enable more responsive and agile production processes by moving materials and products around a factory floor, adapting to changing production needs and minimizing the need for human intervention. AFORMIC system also enhances worker safety in industrial settings by automating hazardous or repetitive tasks, minimizing the need for manual material handling, and navigating hazardous or restricted areas. Important thing is that we can customize the design of AMRs to suit specific types of material handling equipment, like racks, pallet containers, or any containers of non-standard shapes, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance. This flexibility allows us to provide tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each customer. Regarding our platform, it provides full analytics, KPIs, and reports based on metrics gathered from logistic processes, AGVs, AMRs, and factory environments.
E.E: Functionality: tell us something about ease of use, integration with other solutions or other innovative features of your products / solutions?
E.K.B: Qursor is a fleet management system that deals with task allocation, path planning, navigation assistance, or system performance and KPI check, which enables the implementation of autonomous mobile robots in smart warehousing and manufacturing environments. Aformic’s digital platform enables easy integration with existing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and other factory software systems. By utilizing VDA5050 and vendor-agnostic protocols, our clients have the flexibility to combine multiple vehicles and interfaces on their shop floor. The smooth incorporation of the Qursor system into the factory software system allows for effective management of AGVs and AMRs from multiple vendors via its workflow manager and fleet orchestrator (including other vehicles monitored by RTLS).
E.E: Comparison: what key features do your products / solutions have compared to others on the market?
E.K.B: Aformic’s Intralogistics solution offers flexibility, scalability, and safety. Our AMRs do not depend on fixed paths or expensive infrastructure such as magnetic tape, wires, or floor markers. They operate using SLAM navigation with safety laser scanners, allowing the robot to determine its location and orientation within the environment based on the map prepared during project implementation. The lack of extra infrastructure makes it easier to add new robots to the fleet or modify the workspace layout. Furthermore, we implement our robots using process simulation to test and optimize their behavior in virtual environments. The Qursor can facilitate scheduling for various types of robots, such as forklifts and underrides, within the same system. The system is double-secured with dedicated, security-certified devices to control both the AMR environment and the activities performed, and to implement appropriate emergency actions as necessary.
E.E: Feedback: what was the feedback from clients about your products / solutions?
E.K.B: “AIUT has been a key partner in providing innovative automation solutions for our production facilities in the field of intralogistics automation. Under a long-term partnership, AIUT has been responsible for the delivery, implementation and maintenance of a comprehensive, proprietary robotic intralogistics system, including autonomous mobile robots from the AMR F-series. AIUT’s expertise in engineering, automation, and technology integration has been instrumental in streamlining our processes and improving efficiency. The team has demonstrated a deep understanding of our industry’s challenges and has consistently delivered effective solutions that meet our unique requirements. AIUT’s team exhibited exceptional project management skills, ensuring the project was completed on time and within budget. Their attention to detail and commitment to quality were evidentthroughout the entire process.”
E.E: What purchasing advice do you have for clients in your fields of activity?
E.K.B: We believe that only customized solutions can truly work and provide significant benefits to our clients. Therefore, we advise the clients to seek flexible and scalable solutions that automate processes according to their specific needs. For instance, Aformic’s AMR production is designed for complete customization, tailoring devices precisely to each customer’s requirements. This commitment to customization applies even to projects involving a single AMR. Regardless of production volume, we treat each AMR as a product with comprehensive documentation and servicing. This approach allows us to fully automate and optimize our clients’ production processes, helping them reduce operational costs. Lastly, choosing a trusted and experienced technological partner with a deep understanding of the market is crucial for successful project implementation.
AFORMIC Inc.
140 Congress Blvd,
Suite G Duncan, SC 29334, USA