Three driverless transport vehicles from ek robotics at GGP Media

More and more companies are turning to driverless transport systems in intralogistics to increase efficiency and meet challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers. GGP Media GmbH in Pößneck, Thuringia, is no exception.

GGP Media has stood for high-quality print and digital publications since 1891. The company is part of the Bertelsmann Group and is one of the leading full-service providers in the print and digital printing industry. The company produces over 1 million print products every day at its headquarters in Pößneck. In view of the shortage of skilled workers and rising costs, GGP Media decided in March 2024 to use an driverless transport system, which has been in 24-hour operation ever since. An interim report:

AGVs as a solution for skills shortages and increased efficiency

Previously, material transport in production was carried out manually, which led to a bottleneck when several forklift drivers retired: “We had increasing problems finding skilled workers and therefore had to look for future-proof alternatives,” reports Matthias Stumpf, Head of Intralogistics at GGP Media. “Rising wage costs and the shortage of skilled workers made the use of an AGV increasingly attractive in order to find a reliable and efficient solution without additional personnel costs.” This led to contact with ek robotics, a Hamburg-based manufacturer and system integrator of automated guided vehicles. The aim was to automate the transport processes between the printing presses and the high-bay warehouse. 

Tailor-made solution for use at GGP Media

To meet the requirements of GGP Media, ek robotics developed a concept with three driverless transport vehicles from the modular VARIO MOVE series. These vehicles are equipped with shortened forks and counterweights to pick up the finished goods on Euro pallets and transport them safely to the transfer stations of the high-bay warehouse. The vehicles navigate through the production areas, some of which have narrow routes that are difficult to see. The transport orders are automatically triggered by occupancy detectors at the pick-up stations. The warehouse management system determines a suitable storage location, while the automated guided vehicles (AGV) deliver the loads of up to 1,000 kg to the defined transfer points. From there, they are further processed by a manual storage and retrieval machine.

For further information visit: ek-robotics.com