The metamorphosis continues.

Freed from their wire-based guide paths, automatic guided vehicles are smarter, more nimble and more versatile than ever before, vendors say.

FMC Technologies Inc., for example, is rolling out its SGV3000, a small-footprint counter-balanced fork vehicle that can be used to deliver materials “right to the point of use,” said Paul Roche, newsprint industry sales manager.

Newspapers could conceivably use the vehicle to carry FSIs and other materials slated for inserting right to the hopper station, breaking the AGV out of its traditional role as chiefly a newsprint roll transportation system, Roche said.

Photos: Newspapers & Technology
Much bulkier and larger newsprint rolls, such as these at Johnston Press’ Dinnington, United Kingdom, print site, require the use of heavy-duty transportation systems.

“The real issue is getting the right product at the right place at the right time,” he said, adding that the vehicle’s software can be meshed with popular mailroom apps from vendors such as Burt Technologies Inc. and Enternet LLC to control where the AGVs travel, and how often.

In the meantime, FMC is shipping reelroom AGVs to a variety of customers, including The New York Times and The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. The Times purchased 17 AGVs in anticipation of its new Goss International Corp. press in College Point, N.Y., and The Plain Dealer is activating nine AGVs to handle automatic reel loading.

It’s also partnered with Westfalia Technologies Inc. in an alliance to offer newspapers a package of materials handling systems that range from AGVs to ASRS design and construction.

“It will let us provide a common front to handle everything from rolls to FSIs, and that’s the intent of our collaboration,” said Al Kafka, Westfalia’s printing and publishing system specialist.

Evaluation

Papers are still evaluating how they intend to use AGVs for their postpress operations. The Toronto Star, which retrofit its Egemin Automation Inc. AGVs in a $5 million project that it capped off three years ago, earmarked 28 of its 45-vehicle fleet to support postproduction.

But the paper has no plans to route the AGVs to deliver preprints directly to inserters, said Glenn Simmonds, vice president of production.

“We could do it, but it’s not on our near-term radar,” he said, adding that introducing that level of automation on the facility floor could be counter-productive in regard to the disruption it could cause among workers.

“Many times with automation brings with it culture shock, and that’s one of the greatest challenges we face,” he said. “It’s not that we are resistant. It’s just that it’s not yet time.”

For now, the paper is using the vehicles to drop off preprints at a central area around the inserters, where the pallets are moved manually.

The Star is, however, evaluating automating some of its waste transport, using the AGVs to pick up and deliver waste to tipping machines and scales.

It’s also modifying its reelroom AGVs in anticipation of the paper’s web-width reduction to 46 inches, expected later this year. “We’ll have to make some changes at laydown and where we pick up the reels from the stripping stations,” Simmonds said.

Blended operation

Other papers, including The Kansas City (Mo.) Star and those published by the Denver Newspaper Agency, are using postpress materials handling systems to ferry preprints from ASRS and other storage systems to postpress departments. But they too still rely on workers to transfer the materials from pallets to inserters.

That probably won’t change soon, said Keith Westphal, an account executive with HK Systems Inc.

“There is interest (among publishers) to reduce labor costs where they can, but they have to balance capital costs, available space and throughput,” he said. Complicating the migration of AGVs to the mailroom: ever-more complex microzoning. “Since the preprint zones are smaller, the AGVs’ programming has to be more complex in order to tailor the deliveries (to hoppers) more specifically,” Westphal said.

HK last year purchased Charlotte, N.C-based AGV Products in a bit to diversify its materials handling portfolio. The company now has AGVs aimed at reel loading, side loading and forklift applications, and is also fine-tuning its MTC software to allow users to control warehouse and materials handling operations through a single conduit, Westphal said.

Heavier rolls

To that end, HK is installing its software at The New York Times’ College Point, N.Y., facility to manage FSIs and is also deploying the app at the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune.

The vendor, along with FMC, is also focusing its attention on handling larger-size reels, especially as 6-by-2 presses gain a toehold in U.S. newspaper plants. Transcontinental Inc., for example, is buying three triplewide presses from MAN Roland Inc. in conjunction with its new northern California plant. Reels to supply these machines can frequently be more than 6 feet wide, forcing papers to buy automatic transport equipment capable of supporting the heavier rolls.