MHIA: AGVS industry group releases spring 2011 quarterly report

The Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) Industry Group of Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) has released it’s Spring 2011 Quarterly Report titled AGVs Improve Workplace Ergonomics. The report asserts that today automatic guided vehicles can reduce worker strain while increasing operational efficiency.

Improved efficiency is nearly always the primary justification for adding automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) to a manufacturing facility or warehouse. AGVs, however, can also bring considerable ergonomic benefits—benefits that will become increasingly important to employers as their workforce ages the potential for workplace injuries increases.

“I think of AGVs as inherently ergonomic,” says JBT Corp.’s Mark Longacre, chairman of the Material Handling Industry of America’s (MHIA) Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) Industry Group. In many cases, Longacre says, using an AGV to transport products removes the person from the equation.

The report notes the ergonomic application of AGVs in manufacturing assembly operations as well as in the healthcare industry and warehousing and distribution.

While assembly operations are a common application of AGVs, says Longacre, “where we’re seeing more applications now is in warehousing and distribution—even in the area of picking.” Another growing application for AGVs is in hospitals, where they’re used to transport fresh linens, food, and other items from central processing areas to patient floors.

View the complete report — AGVs Improve Workplace Ergonomics.

Quarterly Reports are a new information source from several Industry Groups of MHIA. Each report will focus on trends in the use of material handling and logistics equipment, such as guided vehicles or automated storage, to solve challenges in the plant and warehouse ranging from sustainability to productivity in the new economy.

Members of MHIA Industry Groups are suppliers of material handling and logistics equipment and systems. These industry experts make it their business to evaluate operational challenges and solve them efficiently and cost effectively. That makes them authoritative sources for solutions to challenges that end users face on a daily basis.

AGVS members are the leading suppliers of Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems. Many are supplying systems worldwide and in virtually every major manufacturing and distribution sector. AGVS member companies meet regularly to review, discuss and revise the standards for design, performance and safe operation of automatic guided vehicle systems. AGVS members are committed to the development, maintenance and publishing of industry standard specifications for these systems.