New technology helps Yanmar improve production capacity

Yanmar America Corp., Adairsville, Ga., has introduced an advanced automated guided vehicle (AGV) solution to its Adairsville manufacturing facility. The modular system has boosted the production capacity of its Powerpack series generator tenfold and increased the quality of the products delivered to customers, the company says.

“We brought Powerpack assembly inhouse to our Adairsville facility as a way to offer more solutions and maintain high levels of product quality reaching the end user,” said Zach Morgan, a Yanmar America production engineer. “Demand began to quickly increase, far outstripping the ability of the small cell that was originally constructed to support the effort.”

The team considered implementing conveyor systems, assorted carts and overhead cranes, but found the AGV solution to best fit the company’s needs. The system also does not require in-depth programming knowledge or an automation engineer for implementation and can be controlled through an app from the Google Play store. In addition, the AGV solution can grow with the business by changing the production path as well as extending, shrinking or changing shape, and adding additional stops or stations to meet demand and market requirements.