We could tell you all about how our automated guided vehicles could help realize your vision of automated warehouse transport through flexible, reliable and elegant service solutions. But why would we do that when we could just have one of our esteemed clients tell you about their experience themselves? Aperam is a global player in stainless, electrical, specialty steel and recycling in over 40 countries. They have also a highly integrated distribution, processing and services network. With Bioenergia and its unique capability to produce charcoal made from its own FSC-certified forestry and with ELG, a global leader in collecting, trading, processing and recycling of stainless steel scrap and high performance alloys, Aperam’s places sustainability at the heart of its business, helping customers worldwide to excel in the circular economy. We had a talk with their Technical Project Manager, Guillermo Bulacio Bossio about why Aperam opted for a Movanis AGV, business case and payback.
“The logistics of the transport of steel flat products are dynamic and depend on the production schedule,” Bulacio Bossio tells us.
More than the flexibility required for the dynamic production schedule, there was also the challenge of safely dealing with this particular material and weight. “They are handled as coils that could have 30 tons of material. When the material is processed it becomes very thin, and the coil is formed on a steel sleeve to ensure its stability,” explains Bulacio Bossio. “These sleeves can weigh up to 2.6 tons and must be transported between the production lines.”
Aperam quickly realized they needed an automated system to swiftly and efficiently handle the transport of these heavy materials between two new production lines and an existing one. “This was no easy feat,” Bulacio Bossio adds.
The sum of these needs led Aperam to consider Movanis. “Although it’s a small local company up against the big players in the industry, the choice for Movanis to supply our first AGV in Aperam is the result of the trust we built up during the selection process,” says Bulacio Bossio.
Aperam has a strong focus on safety, which depends on transparent communication and trust. “Since the beginning of the selection process, Movanis was open to discussing technical aspects in depth and showed a solid knowledge of its product, which facilitates the complete process,” Bulacio Bossio recounts. “Also, the AGV can be naturally integrated in our maintenance structure with no need to stock spare parts on-site. Another advantage is that, being a local supplier, they can assure an immediate response when their support is required. Their proposal resulted in the creation of the biggest value for our business case, which made Movanis come out on top.”
Together Aperam and Movanis determined that an AGV would allow for the automation of this dynamic process through direct communication with the machines. “Compared with traditional automated solutions, the AGV does not require a dedicated transportation space, so it can share this space with other transports and human transit and it has the flexibility to adapt its routes to future destinations,” Bulacio Bossio explains.
So far, Aperam’s first experience with the AGV has been a satisfying one. At this stage, all their functional performances are met and their expectations are good.
Bulacio Bossio is already looking ahead: “We are eager to see AGV performance in the long run and could consider other development opportunities with Movanis. Our industry is in the process of adopting this technology and there will certainly be new applications to be custom-developed. We see Movanis as a competitive supplier.”
Do you want to find out how Movanis could benefit your company? Are you interested in discovering how you could save time and money by automating your logistics? Or do you simply want to hear more about what we do?
We are excited to hear your story and find out how we can meet your needs. Book your consultation today: no strings attached!
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