Custom upgrade and refurbishment

A striking example of how MLR System GmbH, specialists in automated guided vehicles (AGVs), upgraded and refurbished an out-of-date hospital transport system supplied by another manufacturer: The automated material transport system (AMT) in the Leopoldina hospital in Schweinfurt, Germany, installed in 1981, was no longer economic to operate. Upgrading and refurbishing the hospital’s AMT system involved replacing the 17 vehicles, renewing the control systems of four cable lifts and one hydraulic lift, replacing many of the motors driving the friction roller conveyors, and installing a new-generation MLR-LogOS central controller system. MLR-LogOS includes a complete goods identification package. The hospital uses the AMT system to transport materials to and from all the diagnostic, treatment and nursing areas of the Leopoldina hospital. The materials transported food, medication, sterile instruments and materials, clean and dirty laundry and refuse. Because of the AMT system’s essential role in the day-to-day running of the hospital, the upgrade was carried out and system components replaced and refurbished, tested and commissioned without interfering with the smooth operation of the hospital.
The replacement automated guided vehicles were MLR’s freely navigable CAESAR vehicles. The CAESAR AGVs transport the stainless steel, roller-mounted containers, weighing up to 350 kg, commonly used in hospitals. The containers are not carried, but towed in order to save energy. The underride AGVs are only 250 mm high. The AGV drives under a container and positions itself between the four rollers. The AGV and the container are automatically coupled for towing by two bolts that extend and lock into the container.
The new-generation MLR control system used in the Leopoldina hospital handles an extensive range of control and logistics management tasks. The control system, LogOS-Hospital, not only carries out conventional functions such as tasking, traffic regulation and capturing data from the picking and delivery stations, but also delivers new additional functions. These include planning and simulation, schedule and container management, communications management, transport optimization, and energy and service management.

We're a German-based company group specializing in automating material flows and logistics in facilities ranging from factories to hospitals. With an international approach and many years' experience, we've installed successful systems in many parts of the world. We've built up outstanding expertise over several decades, especially in control systems (software and hardware) and the design of automated guided vehicles (AGV). We offer highly-customized single-vendor systems based on standard components and modules. The MLR Group has the core resources to deliver end-to-end solutions for efficient and highly-customized materials flow and logistics. You profit from all the time-savings and efficiency gains of a single-vendor solution. You can choose a package deal – from the control software to the automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems and any special machines – or go for individual modules as required. We're looking forward to a future where synergies and expanded competence let us cut the cost of moving materials in your plant.

MLR System GmbH
für Materialfluss- und Logistiksysteme
Voithstrasse 15
71640 Ludwigsburg/Germany
Phone +49 7141 9748 0
Fax +49 7141 9748 113
mlr-system@mlr.de
www.mlr.de
Angela Kaufmann-Krause
kaufmann-krause@mlr.de
Phone +49 8458 3904 0

This release was published on openPR.