Evesham, UK: Primafruit, a fresh produce importer, has introduced fully automated counterbalanced trucks at its Evesham warehouse. Toyota Material Handling supplied its Autopilot range of automated guided vehicles for the storing and packing operation.
Fresh fruit arrives at the 41,000sq metre site from Europe and South America and is taken by the automated trucks from the goods-in bay to the chilled, very narrow aisle, store.
The automated guided vehicles then transfer palletised loads of fruit from the chilled store to the packhouse where two production lines – one for packing citrus fruits and another dedicated to processing berries, such as grapes, strawberries, operate.
From the packhouse the automated trucks take palletised loads to the despatch bay where orders are loaded into vehicles by manual trucks for onward delivery.
Primafruit operate seven Toyota Autopilot OAE120CB counterbalanced trucks at the Evesham site. The models specified have a 1.2-tonne load capacity and a lift height of 4.15-metres.
All models in the Toyota Autopilot range are programmed to complete tasks and work alongside manual operators in safety. The trucks use built-in safety scanners and obstacle detection units to negotiate obstructions, while load sensors and multiple sensor devices ensure accurate and safe load handling.
The trucks are controlled by Toyota’s in-house T-One automation software which is capable of working as a standalone system or as a communications layer in tandem with the client’s warehouse management and production systems.
Primafruit says that since switching to automated forklifts, the Evesham site has become a more pleasant working environment. Jordan Beckley, general manager, Primafruit, said: “The implementation of the Toyota Autopilot AGVs has certainly had a calming effect on our operational areas due to the controlled manner in which they complete the work.”
“We have also seen the system reduce a huge amount of manual pallet movements around the site, which has allowed our teams to focus on other more profitable tasks.”
Automated pallet handling equipment uses energy than driver-operated forklifts which contributes to a typical return-on-investment time of less than two years, Toyota said.
Toyota provided the automated counterbalanced trucks on a rental package with service back-up and technical support included in the monthly fee.
“We chose to work with Toyota because of their reputation in the industry and the comprehensive package they offered to us,” Beckley said.
“The Toyota team worked closely with us to implement a flexible solution which can adapt to the constantly changing challenges that our industry presents,” adds Jordan Beckley.
A video showing the system in operation at Primafruit is availabe here.
