Is your factory ready for AGVs? A step-by-step readiness audit

Before the first autonomous truck rolls onto your shop floor, it is worth answering one question: is the plant ready for it? An AGV readiness audit is a structured review of four areas — infrastructure, processes, team and IT systems — that makes it possible to distinguish a factory ready to automate internal transport from one that first needs to put the basics in order. This guide takes you through that review step by step and ends with a checklist you can complete yourself.

Why plants turn to AGVs

The decision to deploy automated guided vehicles rarely stems simply from a desire to own new technology. Most often, there are three specific drivers behind it. The first is staff shortages — the difficulty of finding enough people for repetitive, monotonous transport runs between the warehouse and the line. The second is safety, usually after incidents involving forklifts, when the company is looking for a way to separate heavy-equipment traffic from pedestrians. The third is bottlenecks in internal transport, which slow down production and create queues at workstations.

Each of these reasons is genuine, but none of them guarantees a successful deployment. Success depends on whether the factory meets the basic technical and organisational requirements. That is why, before you start talking to suppliers of AGV and AMR robots, you should carry out a thorough review of your own plant.

Area 1: Infrastructure and layout

Start with the physical side. An AGV needs room to manoeuvre — aisles that are too narrow, congested or frequently changing will make it hard for the vehicles to operate. Measure the width of the walkways and check whether clear travel routes can be set aside.

The condition of the floor is crucial. It should be level and smooth, without high thresholds or damage that disrupt the vehicle's movement and reduce the accuracy of load positioning. Unevenness, cracks and differences in level are among the most common obstacles, and they must be removed before deployment.

Also analyse the pick-up and delivery points. These are the places where the AGV collects material (loading stations at machines, pick-up racks) and sets it down (set-down areas, docks, shipping areas). Each of them must have enough space for manoeuvring and, where necessary, a buffer, so that the vehicle does not block traffic while waiting for access. A well-planned layout — dedicated lanes, floor marking and vertical signage — makes it easier for AGVs to coexist safely with people and other vehicles.

Area 2: Operational processes

AGVs perform best in a predictable, well-organised environment with a high degree of standardisation. This is the most important observation of the entire audit: high variability is a challenge for AGVs. If transport routes change from day to day, loads do not have fixed dimensions and the order of tasks depends on improvisation on the day, an autonomous truck will get lost.

Assess the maturity and repeatability of your logistics processes. Check whether material flows are stable, whether routes can be clearly laid out and whether transport volumes are predictable. Draw up a flow map — from the receipt of raw materials, through production, to shipping — and mark the places where delays, queues or unnecessary runs occur. That is exactly where an AGV brings the most value, but only if the process itself is in order. Automating chaos gives you automated chaos.

Area 3: Team and organisational culture

Automation succeeds thanks to people, not in spite of them. Check whether managers and employees understand why AGVs are being introduced and whether the team is open to new technology. The greatest organisational risk is resistance from the workforce — fear for jobs and reluctance to change established habits.

This resistance can be defused by communicating the benefits properly. Employees should know the reason for the deployment and feel part of the project rather than threatened by the machines. It is worth showing from the outset that robots take over the arduous, monotonous transport runs, while people are redeployed to more valuable tasks.

Also ensure cooperation between departments. Production, logistics, maintenance, IT and health and safety should be involved from the very beginning. The health and safety department must assess the risks and prepare new safety guidelines relating to mobile robots — the earlier you bring it into the project, the fewer surprises there will be at the commissioning stage.

Area 4: IT systems and connectivity

The last area is the digital back-end. Check whether the plant has an IT infrastructure capable of integrating with the AGV system — above all, a manufacturing execution or warehouse management system (MES/WMS) that allows transport tasks to be assigned automatically. If logistics is currently managed manually, on paper and in spreadsheets, it is worth considering implementing digital management before the AGVs, so as to make full use of the potential of automation.

The second thing is wireless connectivity. Most modern AGVs communicate with the fleet management system via Wi-Fi, so the network must cover the whole of the planned travel routes. Gaps in coverage mean loss of connection and vehicle stoppages. If the current network does not reach all the aisles, include its expansion in the plan.

The AGV readiness audit and the go / no-go decision

Having gone through the four areas, you have a basis for an informed decision. If the readiness audit reveals serious shortcomings — poor floor condition, lack of space for manoeuvring, disorganised processes or strong resistance from the workforce — first remove these obstacles, and only then launch the implementation project. Deployment only makes sense when the plant is genuinely prepared for such a change; otherwise, the investment may not deliver the expected benefits.

This is not a permanent "pass / fail" result. Most barriers can be removed: the floor can be levelled, aisles cleared, processes standardised and the workforce won over through honest communication. If the factory meets the basic requirements, or will do so after minor improvements, you can move on to the next stage — a detailed needs analysis and a conceptual design of the system.

AGV readiness audit checklist to complete yourself

Go through the points below in your plant. Every "no" indicates an area to put in order before deployment.

• The floor is level and smooth, without high thresholds or damage on the planned routes.
• Aisles and walkways are wide enough for the vehicle to manoeuvre.
• The surroundings of the routes are reasonably stable, without passages frequently being blocked by materials.
• Load pick-up and delivery points have enough room for manoeuvring and a buffer.
• Clear routes can be laid out with floor marking and vertical signage.
• Internal transport processes are repeatable and predictable, with low variability.
• Material flows are documented, and transport volumes and frequencies are known.
• Bottlenecks, queues and unnecessary runs worth improving have been identified.
• The plant has an MES or WMS capable of assigning transport tasks.
• The Wi-Fi network covers all planned travel routes.
• Managers and employees understand the purpose of the deployment; the level of resistance can be defused.
• The production, logistics, maintenance, IT and health and safety departments are ready to cooperate from the outset.

How long does such an audit take?

An initial review of the four areas can be carried out in-house in a few days — all you need is a team that knows the shop floor and the processes. An in-depth analysis of the layout, floor measurements and flow mapping usually takes weeks, depending on the size of the plant and the number of routes to be analysed.

What if the audit comes out negative?

A negative result is information, not a verdict. Treat it as a list of preparatory tasks: levelling the floor, clearing aisles, standardising processes, introducing digital logistics management or a communication programme for the workforce. Once these have been completed, it is worth repeating the audit — and then the AGV deployment starts from a solid foundation.