Holland, MI -- (SBWire) --05/13/2011 --In the current issue of DC Velocity, in a feature article titled, “Lift trucks a sci-fi buff would love,” staff reporters suggest that the line between lift trucks and robots is quickly blurring noting the the futuristic products of Egemin.

Egemin Automation Inc. (http://www.egeminusa.com) is the leading manufacturer of AGVs and Warehouse Management Systems since 1976. Egemin is a worldwide organization operating on six continents. Egemin’s Center for AGV Excellence is located in Holland, Michigan, where it employs all disciplines as the AGV industry leader. All AGV technologies including design, software, and support, are developed and owned by Egemin. Over 5,000 AGVs have been manufactured and installed; many are being used by Fortune 500 companies.

The man-a-board forklift and the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) have finally become one. Morphing manual and automatic operations onto a standard off-the-shelf forklift provides manufacturing and distribution centers the ultimate in material handling flexibility.

Companies in the food, beverage, plastics, consumer goods and big box retail distribution markets purchase Egemin Hybrid Automated Guided Vehicles for flexibility, familiarity, reliability, and affordability. Combined with Egemin’s Warehouse Management System (E’wms), organizations realize better than expected returns on investment.

DC Velocity Staff posits the question, “What happens when you cross a lift truck with a robot? You get some pretty creative vehicles that operate autonomously—which allows operators to spend less time driving and more time picking orders.”

Egemin Automation's Hybrid Automated Guided Vehicle lets users operate a standard forklift either in manual mode or as an AGV. At any time, a driver can interrupt the automatic operations, take over the controls, and then return the truck to fully automatic laser-guided mode as needed. Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA) is the primary supplier of components for the system.

Egemin Automation
http://www.egeminusa.com
Dave Noble
Director of Marketing and Communications
PR@egeminusa.com
1-616-393-0101