Yaskawa Electric / Motoman Robotics – Automated Pallet Transport Deployment in Manufacturing Plant

Yaskawa Electric / Motoman Robotics implemented automated pallet transport vehicles to replace manually driven forklifts on fixed repetitive routes inside a large manufacturing facility. The autonomous vehicles collect pallets of raw materials from receiving staging areas and deliver them to line-side buffer positions, then collect finished goods pallets for transfer to warehouse storage or shipping docks. Navigation uses a combination of natural landmark SLAM and reflector-based guidance, operating without floor markings or infrastructure modifications in most zones. Fleet management software coordinates up to 40 vehicles simultaneously, balancing tasks dynamically based on production demand signals from the ERP system. Safety systems include 360-degree LiDAR scanning, contact bumpers, and speed governed by proximity to people. The deployment reduced forklift labor requirements on routine routes by over 70% and improved material delivery timing consistency from ±30 minutes to ±5 minutes.