On Tuesday, logistics companies Hy-Tek Intralogistics and K.Hartwell announced they had partnered to increase efficiency and reduce costs across the supply chain logistics sector.
The companies said they would be combining Hy-Tek’s enterprise logistics platform and K.Hartwell’s laser-navigated Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) A-MATE solutions to give customers new supply chain logistics processes.
“We are excited to start our partnership with K.Hartwall and be able to open the North American markets to them,” Zac Boehm, vice president of Robotic Solutions at Hy-Tek Intralogistics, said. “By formalizing our partnership, it allows Hy-Tek to add to its existing solutions with a technology that focuses on eliminating non-value added material movements in today’s demanding and ever-changing environment, further enforcing our goal to meet our customers where they are in their automation journey.”
Leaders within the companies said the partnership would apply mobile robotic technologies to transportation of units and eliminate the need for an on-board operators or the use of specialized transfer stands.
“K.Hartwall’s A-MATE solutions offer flexible, autonomous transport and elevation of various loads including GMA-style pallets, which are commonly used in the U.S. market,” Collette Henn, senior manager of R&D at Hy-Tek Intralogistics, said. “The agility, ease of maintenance, and safety features that include continuous safety scanning, speed adjustment, and obstacle avoidance make it an excellent choice for our customers’ pallet and cage transfer needs.”
Officials said the A-MATE FreeLift technology is compatible with many cages and pallets, while offering omnidirectional drive systems for maneuverability in tight spaces. Additionally, the technology can stack loads and has the functionality to adjust to skewed pallets.
“The partnership with Hy-Tek is an important step for K.Hartwall to establish a local presence with the A-MATE mobile robots in the US market in addition to our already successful solutions like our roll cages, foldable cages, and Lean equipment,” Eero Heinonen, K.Hartwell’s head of automation, said. “Hy-Tek has many years of experience in the field of logistics automation and has a nationwide commissioning and after-sales service. Now, in combination with K.Hartwall’s A-MATE mobile robots, which have already been proven successful in the European market, our U.S. customers are getting the best possible entry into the world of efficient and flexible automated intralogistics.”