Colruyt Group and STILL have launched the first two units of their self-driving pallet trucks designed to make supply chains more efficient.
In a statement, the firms said the Self Driving Vehicles (SDV) have begun work at Colruyt Group’s Dassenveld distribution centre in Halle, Belgium where they will operate in collaboration with the facility’s employees. As well as this, the concept is being opened up to third parties as part of its continued rollout.
The new SDV recognizes and processes both euro and block pallets and was specially designed to move palettes from the reception area to the correct location in the distribution center. After this, the orders for the stores can be picked up by the order pickers.
“The main advantage with these devices is that navigation does not require modifications to the existing structure such as reflectors, and the time to get a working truck deployed is much shorter. That has been reduced from weeks to a few days, just because they adapt so easily to new situations,” said Jasper van Gool, Program Manager, STILL Belgium.
As another means of increasing productivity, the SDVs use Lithium Titan Oxide batteries that require faster and less frequent charging. In addition, the trucks recognise their environment and the objects within using LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology.
“The SDVs help us move pallets within the distribution center in Dassenveld, Halle. This allows employees to be deployed in more complex tasks or processes that require specific knowledge and skills,” said Koen De Vos, Director Supply Chain Colruyt Lowest Prices.
He added that further developments are being considered for the long term with plans to roll out the solution to distribution centres of other retail formats.
“The first step is now the introduction of the SDVs in the distribution centers of Colruyt Lowest Prices, followed by the distribution centers of other retail formats within Colruyt Group. In total, Colruyt Group will acquire 85 SDVs, of which the first 24 have been ordered. In parallel, we continue discussions with STILL about possibilities for the future.”
