IFOY Audit
Finalists undergo the three-stage IFOY Audit as part of the IFOY Audit, which takes place during the TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS. This consists of the scientific IFOY Innovation Check, the IFOY Test and the jury test.
Raymond Courier 3030 Automated Stacker
The Raymond Corporation
The Raymond Courier™ 3030 stacker, which utilizes Seegrid vision-guided technology, is an automated lift truck stacker that combines horizontal transport and vertical pallet lift. The Courier 3030 is ideal for handling and transporting products within warehouses and helps maximize warehouse productivity.
Product name and company
Raymond Courier 3030 Automated Stacker – The Raymond Corporation
Category
Mobile Robot
Description
The Courier 3030 is used to transport products between connected manufacturing and warehouse facilities. The Courier 3030 stacker automated lift truck helps maximize workforce productivity and drive down labor costs. The Courier 3030 has a vertical reach capability of 72 inches and 2,500-pound capacity, making it ideal for pickup/drop-off, end-of-aisle and end-of-line applications, as well as conveyor picking.
The Courier 3030 stacker can transport a variety of pallet sizes and types. Additionally, the reverse-motion and auto-engagement functions optimize workflow and increase productivity, helping warehouses work better and more efficiently. Through the Courier 3030 stacker, repetitive tasks can be automated to free up time for forklift operators to work on different tasks and learn additional, more engaging skill sets.
Innovations
The Raymond Courier 3030 can seamlessly automate tasks in a number of environments, including warehousing, distribution and manufacturing operations ultimately improving workflows. The Courier 3030 offers a cost-effective solution for today’s labor shortages by efficiently and reliably performing a variety of repetitive tasks, allowing operators to learn additional skill sets. The Courier 3030 utilizes Seegrid vision-guided technology to capture a 360-degree view of the surrounding locations, giving the truck the ability to map locations. Additionally, the vision-guided technology automatically controls the truck’s behavior if someone or something blocks its path.
With the integration of Raymond’s iWAREHOUSE® telematics, the Courier 3030 provides data-driven insights into a facility’s operations by gathering information from all the vehicles in a fleet regardless of truck function or brand. Autogenerated reports include short- and long-term impact data, vehicle and operator utilization reports and battery and maintenance information from the entire industrial fleet.
In addition, supervisor software allows managers to monitor the trucks from any web-enabled computer or mobile phone and relays real-time, 24/7 location and status updates. The Courier 3030 allows companies to quickly adapt to their demand needs with the ability to reprogram and transfer routes from truck to truck.
Market relevance
The Courier 3030 stacker can impact a number of markets, including distribution, food and beverage, aerospace, consumer and automotive. With the combined ability to improve employee morale and productivity, the Courier creates a more rewarding work environment while raising engagement and lowering turnover. Ideal warehouse and manufacturing uses include:
- Inbound receiving to storage
- Picking to outbound / packaging
- Long haul transfers to other storage locations
- Kitting transfers
- Parts-to-line
- End-of-line to stock or dock
- Finished goods
Inbound putaway
Consolidation warehouses / cross-dock distribution
Centers / break-bulk warehouses
Mixing / order-assembly / distribution facilities
Customer benefits
With labor accounting for 74 percent of a lift truck’s operating cost, the more streamlined labor processes can be, the more customers save. With the ability of the Courier 3030 to automate tasks, warehouses can dramatically increase customer cost savings, resulting in faster return on investment and lower total cost of ownership. Raymond makes it easy to implement Courier trucks into any operation, giving companies ongoing service and support as well as training operators on how to program routes and reprogram trucks.
The automation of repetitive tasks gives employees the freedom to grow other skill sets that involve advanced knowledge and position them for advancement through the company. In addition, the Courier 3030 reduces employees’ physical fatigue by relieving operators of long-haul applications.
Test report
The Raymond Corporation’s Courier 3030 automated stacker, which can be used in both automated and manual operation modes, combines horizontal transport and vertical pallet lift. The stacker has a lifting height of approximately 1,800 mm (72 inch) and a load capacity of over 1,1 tonnes (2,500-pound).
Unique to the material handling industry is the Seegrid vision-guided technology. Thanks to this technology the stacker can navigate freely. No modifications to the infrastructure are required. Ten Stereoscopic cameras continuously monitor the environment and navigate using contrast and an algorithm. The Courier 3030 utilizes the vision-guided technology to capture a 360-degree view of its surroundings while providing the ability to map locations, identify obstructions and control vehicle behaviours. The teach-in process, using the clear display, is simple and intuitive. Within minutes new routes are learned or adjustments to existing tasks are made. It makes route training easy, fast and fun to do.
Safe operation is monitored by two Sick scanners cameras and a light curtain, which throws a 270-degree ‘safety screen’ around the front side of the truck. This light curtain can be adapted to the environment, so that possible obstacles are always recognised. The Supervisor software of the Courier 3030 acts like a kind of traffic cop. It enables the operator to simultaneously monitor and manage multiple trucks from a mobile or web-enabled computer. As standard, the automated stacker comes with the iWAREHOUSE warehouse optimization system. This system monitors the truck and prevents, for example, unauthorized use. A user configurable pre shift check can be set up, too
When integrated with the iWAREHOUSE system, any web-enabled device can deliver real-time location and status updates, providing data-driven insights into a facility’s operations. Autogenerated reports include short- and long-term impact data, vehicle and operator utilization reports and battery and maintenance information from the entire industrial fleet. In addition, the IFOY test truck is equipped with the optional real-time location tracking system, which locates the truck accurate to the meter. Based on the data, it is very easy to determine any bottlenecks or the location of possible collisions. The system can also prevent the stacker from entering a zone to which it does not have access.
The Courier 3030 helps maximize productivity and reduce labour costs. The innovative technology frees operators from repetitive, low value tasks and reduces employees’ physical fatigue by relieving operators of long-haul application.
According to Raymond, the TCO can be up to 25 percent lower than other navigation technologies. Based on the projects already completed, the average ROI is one and a half years. The more than 200 trucks in the projects that have already been completed have run more than 4.3 million kilometres and handled more than 3.6 million kilos of goods. The number of incidents is zero!.
IFOY Test Verdict:
The Courier 3030 enables lean management optimization and maximum productivity. The automated stacker offers a cost-effective solution for today’s labour shortages by efficiently and reliably performing a variety of repetitive tasks. Thanks to the unique to the industry Seegrid vision-guided technology adjustments to the infrastructure are no longer required. This is an enormous advantage in the eyes of the IFOY test team.
IFOY Innovation Check
Market relevance
Manually operated pallet-based warehouses are not only in medium-sized companies of high importance and used in large numbers. Especially for low buffer storage and simple point-to-point transport, simple automation is the best option here.
Customer benefit
The focus must be on simple automation with the most efficient commissioning possible, both during installation and when changes are made.
Novelty
Raymond offers a solution for this with the Courier 3030 Automated Stacker, which has a vision-based navigation system. This allows a simple detection of the environment, which does not require any additional installation or mounting in the infrastructure. Commissioning is carried out via teach-in, the target positions are approached and the completed layout is also transferred 1:1.
Functionality / type of implementation
The very simple teach-in is certainly the strength of the system. It is a pity that the possibilities offered by the vision system, such as relative positioning, obstacle detection and bypassing, are not used. As a result, the degree of innovation is rather low.
Conclusion
The system is an interesting solution for very simple point-to-point transports. It includes an elaborate vision-based navigation system.
Unfortunately, the capabilities of the solution are not used at all, except to determine the location. All in all it is not a very innovative solution.
| Functionality / type of implementation | Ø |
| Novelty / Innovation | – |
| Customer benefits | + |
| Market relevance | ++ |
| ++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / — not available | |
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Image/video credits: The Raymond Corporation
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Statutes
In den Statuten sind die Grundwerte und die Standards des IFOY AWARD festgelegt, nach denen die Organisation handelt. Dazu gehören unter anderem Gremien, Wahlomodus, Bewertungskriterien sowie der Code of Conduct.
Committees
The International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year has three bodies: Jury, sponsors, and advisory board.