Autonomous vehicles are transforming the world of food and beverage manufacturing. Food and beverage companies stand to increase margins by incorporating Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles (AIVs) into their warehouse operations to eliminate labor costs.

A major food and beverage client of Pacific Blue Engineering (PBE) wanted to stay competitive in the marketplace by adopting the latest technology. However, as the client had learned from previous experience, machine safety risk is involved with implementing any new technology.

The problem:

The client had previously integrated AGVs and AIVs into their warehouse operations, but unfortunately, team members sustained injuries due to machine safety malfunctions. AGV and AIV operations stopped immediately to prevent future injuries, and ensure a safe work environment for their staff.

Still, the client wanted to get to the bottom of safe AGV implementation given the lucrative potential ROI:

• Eliminating workplace injuries would save the client, on average, $100,000 per injury of direct costs, up to $20 million dollars a year in indirect costs (including lost production, downtime, new employee acquisition), and 10% to 25% reduction in insurance premiums due to strong safety records. (Source: National Safety Council)
• Potential ROI from AGV implementation could be toward $15 million/year when taking into account boosted productivity, savings on labor costs, and maintenance and labor savings. (Sources: Internal client communications, IFR and McKinsey)

The Solution:

The operations team reached out to the machine safety specialists at Pacific Blue Engineering to discover what had gone wrong and how to ensure the safety of their personnel moving forward. The PBE team found settings in the AGVs that needed adjusting to ensure that the machines would stop when objects or personnel were in the vehicle’s pathway during normal operations and maintenance.  PBE drew upon its experience in trackless vehicles and vehicle safety systems to ensure future validations included all modes of operations.  In some cases, OEMs disable certain safety functions in specific modes of operation, which can greatly increase the risk for users.  PBE ensures that all scenarios are properly analyzed and collaborates with OEMs to ensure all safety risks are mitigated. 

Additionally, PBE provided training resources and information for the warehouse teams so they were all on the same page about how to prevent further injuries.

The Result:

While the client has plenty of expertise in the beverage and food industry, they understood that reaching out to reputable machine safety specialists would ensure they could continue outperforming their highly competitive industry by implementing the latest AI technology. Through gaining a deeper understanding of these new tools, including the risks and potential malfunctions, they were able to confidently integrate them into everyday warehouse operations.

The result is a safer workplace with estimated increased margins projected to reach tens of millions of dollars in the next five years.

Looking to stay competitive in manufacturing with today’s latest AI technology? Hire the machine safety specialists to ensure a smooth and safe integration process. Contact the machine safety specialists at Pacific Blue Engineering today to request a consultation.