The A-GATE® system is designed with user-friendliness at its core, offering a multi-connective experience that ensures you can get started in no time. Say goodbye to complicated setups and hello to intuitive functionality that makes your tasks easier and more efficient.
The successful integration and operation of AMR fleets requires a comprehensive IT infrastructure. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) must not only communicate seamlessly with a higher-level fleet manager but also interact with customized software and third-party systems. We rely on innovative software solutions for our A MATE® product family to master this complex challenge and make vehicle operation as simple and intuitive as possible for our end users.
AMRs make internal material transport more flexible and scalable, allowing for quick responses to production fluctuations. To fully exploit this potential, factory processes must be digitalized. Successful integration of AMR fleets requires ensuring that all vehicles communicate with the fleet manager and other components, such as customized software (WMS and ERP systems) or third-party systems (wireless sensors). Each system or device usually uses its own communication language, resulting in a complex overall system with different communication protocols. Processing and translating these protocols can be complex and costly, presenting significant challenges for both users and manufacturers.
Our aim is to provide turnkey AMR solutions that easily connect all hardware and software components via interfaces and can be implemented as simply as possible in the respective customer environment.
Holistic IT infrastructure for easier AMR handling
An elementary software module for representing the complexity of such an overall system is our in-house developed gateway “A-GATE®”. It processes and translates communication protocols from various components and network participants, such as fire alarm systems, lifts, or sensors, and forwards them to higher-level systems in the desired communication protocol. A-GATE® is provided as a Docker container, fulfilling our requirements for portability, consistent operating processes, and high efficiency in application development and delivery. A-GATE® supports a wide range of communication protocols, such as REST, TCP/IP, or MQTT, allowing various hardware and software components to be easily integrated into the overall system. For more information about our A-GATE®, read this article.
With the introduction of new software modules, K.Hartwall is clearly positioning itself as a solution provider for Automated Guided Vehicles and Mobile Robots, offering customers easy-to-use and intuitive turnkey solutions.
