INRO has developed its leading automation technology for use on Toyota Materials Handling forklifts. A BT RRE 140 reach truck has been successfully automated and INRO is now in the process of automating the BT RRE 160 as part of a large-scale 3PL deployment deal in Australia.

For the past two months the automated BT140 has been in testing at INRO’s purpose-built warehouse in Auckland. The forklift has clocked up thousands of pallet movements in high-density Dexion racking and from floor-stacked pallet locations. With a maximum lift height of 9.5m, the unmanned BT140 has capabilities beyond traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), making it well-suited to intensively utilised warehouses where picking and putting away into high-bay racking is common.

Further benefits of the automated BT140 include the ability to deal with varying lighting conditions and recognise different pallet configurations, as well as determining rack space, rack damage, pallet damage and SKU variation.

“These functions are critical to the successful operation of an unmanned truck in a fully commercial distribution centre,” said Mark Templeton, CEO, INRO. “Traditional AGVs often impose controls and restrictions on the warehouse environment by insisting on uniform pallet configurations, for example. Our approach is to leave the warehouse as we find it and use technology to overcome the challenges that the modern warehouse imposes.”

INRO’s patented system of camera and laser technologies, called ‘Forkward-Sensing’, allows unmanned trucks to interface accurately with racking systems at heights of up to 10 metres and above. A pioneering new method of navigating, dubbed Environment-Based Navigation (EBN), uses existing features of the warehouse such as racks, walls and stored product to manoeuvre, compared to traditional AGVs that rely on artificial markers. EBN also features a 360˚ laser curtain for increased safety around pedestrians and manned forklifts.

BT lift trucks are well-suited to INRO automation because of their suite of built-in sensors which remove time and cost from the automation development cycle. INRO plans to ship the BT160 in the fourth quarter to a major 3PL customer in Australia. This is the first phase of a multi-vehicle deployment deal and follows the recent commissioning of seven Linde RX17 reach trucks for a distribution centre run by global dairy giant, Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd.

“Automating a range of OEM models for major industry players is an important step in proving our capability to potential OEM partners. An exclusive OEM partnership will unlock the true potential of this innovative technology, and we continue to make excellent progress in identifying who that partner will be,” added Templeton.