In each AGV(Automated Guided Vehicle) project, customers want to quickly understand the budget cost of the AGV system in order to determine the return on investment or expected return of the AGV project. One of the important factors affecting the cost is how many AGVs are needed to accomplish this task.

  When we analyze the logistics accurately, we should first understand the attributes of the transported materials, as well as the location of material loading and unloading, time and frequency required, which will affect the key factors of whether the AGV material handling system can fully meet your needs.

  In the case of simple material handling, we can only know a few pick-up points and unloading points, which need to be carried several times per hour. In very complex situations, traffic must be metered carefully to maximize traffic. In either case, a detailed CAD electronic drawing is important to ensure that we fully understand the AGV transport distance and the width of the aisle.

  In simple applications, we build a flow chart to represent all the movements that AGV will perform. Then, we develop a spreadsheet calculation to estimate the number of AGVs that will need to be done. The factors that enter the spreadsheet include load transfer time (pick-up and drop), travel time, battery charging/transmission time, flow metering/control time, and, of course, the number of transmission times that must be carried out per hour. Factory must be taken to ensure the daily or seasonal peaks are correctly calculated to ensure that the system does not trouble.
In more complex applications, the input information required is similar; however, a computer model is established to fully simulate logistics. These simulation models have proved to be very accurate and clearly show how to improve logistics by making relatively minor changes to facilities. Similarly, simulation models are very useful in analyzing how changes in production or operation will change logistics demand.
  In order to obtain accurate logistics from spreadsheet calculations or simulations, baseline assumptions about AGV systems and operations must be accurate. That's why it's extremely important to have experienced AGV experts to build these analysis tools.