mobile robots for logistics Hipra

 In an era of short product life cycles and increasing demand for customized solutions, manufacturers must meet new demands for agility to remain competitive. For example, products of up to batches of a single unit can be manufactured simply and cost-effectively.

Because of this, automation and integration of mobile robots in various applications such as material handling, intralogistics and last mile delivery have become increasingly crucial. . For years, we have focused on how robots, machines and humans can interact seamlessly, enabling production cycles to be changed quickly and easily and reducing the need for workers to perform tasks repetitive tasks and lifting heavy loads.

The pharmaceutical sector is no exception. This is the case of Hipra, a cutting-edge biotechnology company, which radically transformed its internal logistics processes thanks to a fleet of six robots.

Hipra: a factory to revolutionize

Hipra specializes in human and animal health and operates globally in the development of animal vaccines and advanced diagnostic services. The company, headquartered in Amer, Girona, Spain, is the world's sixth largest producer of animal vaccines and has approximately 2,400 employees worldwide. Through its range of sales subsidiaries and global distribution network, Hipra provides solutions and services to customers in over 100 countries.

The company had recently decided to expand its capabilities and productivity by establishing a new manufacturing plant and major warehouse in Spain. Hipra aimed for a pioneering approach not only in the products it develops and supplies, but also in the production and processes involved. The company also wanted to streamline some of its processes, particularly those related to material transportation, which previously required manually loading products from the machine to the cart conveyor.

A key problem that the company had to address was therefore the need for greater flexibility and efficiency of internal logistics processes, a goal that Hipra wanted to achieve by migrating to an automated solution to be inserted in an absolutely collaborative and flexible environment, capable of guaranteeing high production rates .

But that's not all: another challenge was the need to move vaccine vials from the production area to the warehouse: this involved transporting more than 700 boxes of vials per day, with a load of 70 kg each, as well as the need to insert boxes. empty into the system and manage the opening of the doors, maintaining a 100% clean environment.

Mobile robots, a fleet of intelligent and autonomous vehicles

Simple tasks, like transporting materials, can be entrusted to interactive machines that can understand (and therefore avoid) people's movements . An example is a robot capable of delivering packages to a pre-established location while avoiding people or obstacles in its path. The robot identifies its location by comparing the results of a laser scanner with an onboard map . It is essential, in fact, that he can work in the same environment as the workers and that he can even collaborate with them in carrying out tasks.

Also, mobile robots must be able to adapt to different types of work . For example, a robot could be used to move items from a collection point to a delivery point. You may then need to attach it to a mobile cart and transfer it from one location to another. Likewise, if it has a collaborative arm, it could be used to pick individual objects. Or it could be used to receive items and load them onto a conveyor belt.

Considering these needs, we chose with Hipra to prepare a fleet of six LD-90 robots customized to meet the specific requirements of the company, among which the need for mobile robots to act in harmony with employees working in the same area, without forgetting the small size of the corridors, the need to manage the opening and closing of doors and the intensity of traffic during production peaks

LD-90 mobile robots are intelligent, fully autonomous vehicles (AMR), designed to increase productivity , reduce machine downtime, eliminate errors and improve material traceability. Unlike traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), they move easily within factories. Once the environment is analyzed, the platform knows where it is in a workspace and can navigate safely to any accessible point within that workspace, continuously and without human intervention.

Mobile robots for Hipra: flexible manufacturing objective

Through the use of this technology, Hipra has achieved a completely flexible solution suitable for working in ISO Class 5 environments and capable of transporting vaccine trays from production lines to the warehouse in a fully automated and system-based manner. easy to scale, modify and adapt to future production requirements.

The result, although not yet quantified, is already tangible: a new logistics environment where the use of advanced robotics makes it possible to achieve the objective of flexible manufacturing : Enabling operations in an unknown or dynamic environment with tasks that change frequently to produce highly customized products.