Manufacturers have been presenting their autonomous prototypes for years in shows dedicated to the automotive or innovation sector. Vehicles that will circulate alone and that will allow us to go from one point to another without having to move a single muscle. For many, that future is far from promising , while for others it is evolutionary and inevitable. Infrastructures, laws and the tendency (need) to conserve vehicles makes autonomous driving take longer than it should. The technology is there, many vehicles are capable of traveling long distances and avoiding any obstacle without human intervention, but the open road has too many unknowns to solve, something that does not happen in a closed circuit such as a factory. Hence, the Seat plant in Martorell has new robotized tenants , in charge of transporting the outdoor areas.
Seat is in a great moment and it is not only because of the success of its models. The innovative essence of the firm has led it to become a pioneer manufacturer in Europe, also focused on its production being sustainable, digital and intelligent. The last members of its workforce prove it, since they are non-human workers called AGVs ( automated guided vehicles ) . These autonomous vehicles circulate between workshops using simultaneous navigation, without the need for magnetic guidance or rails that give them physical support.
Factory connectivity
These convoys are not unheard of at the Seat facilities, but this is the first time they have been exposed. Until now, a total of 200 AGVs were in charge of transporting parts inside the buildings in Martorell and Barcelona . The fleet grows with 8 new AGVs, which move heavy goods outside the factory thanks to the 4G connection.
Seat has been working in the connectivity section for years, leading the project within the Volkswagen group but far beyond the vehicles themselves. Digitizing your factory is one of them. The objective of the firm was clear, to turn Martorell into the smartest plant in Europe through the Internet of Things. This very abstract concept can be seen as a reality in these AGVs that, thanks to the presence of an interconnected network , are capable of transporting parts without interfering with the tasks of the 7,900 human workers .
More weight, less consumption
Each AGV is made up of a series of cars that, together, can be up to 25 meters long. This convoy has a maximum capacity of 10 tons and covers routes of up to 3.5 kilometers. This makes them the perfect transport, easily modifiable depending on the needs of the plant. Hence, its use does not imply the development of a prior infrastructure, with the economic investment that this entails.
These AGVs travel 240 kilometers per day without emitting a single gram of CO2 , which translates into a saving of 1.5 tons of that gas compared to the truck and tractor that was used previously. The factory reports that they are being used for two very specific routes, between the press shop and sheet metal shop with supplies for the side parts of the vehicles and the moving parts of the gate and doors.
Seat’s workforce is automated and it does so in collaboration with ASTI Mobile Robotics and Telefónica , specialists in 4.0 connectivity. These electrical workers are just the beginning for Seat, which is planning to optimize its processes with the addition of all possible technology. It will not be long to see drones supplying urgent parts or the incorporation of collaborative robots that work thanks to artificial intelligence .
