Smart and flexible manufacturing systems using Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and the Internet of Things (IoT)

Ilias Vlachos, Rodrigo Martinez Pascazzi, Miltiadis Ntotis, Konstantina Spanaki, Stella Despoudi, Panagiotis Repoussis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Technologies such as Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) increasingly disrupt traditional manufacturing and production systems. However, there is a scarcity of empirical studies synthesising and evaluating the impact of disruptive technologies on existing manufacturing systems. This study examines the impact of AGVs applying IoT on Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) through a case study demonstrating the integration of AGVs with IoT in a manufacturing company. As a concept, FMS was conceived decades ago; this study uses socio-technical systems theory to elaborate the concept of FMS into the current context. Key themes uncovered from the literature review include (i) AGVs in warehouse systems, (ii) AGV scheduling and routing, (iii) Human-machine interface, and (iv) integrating and controlling AGVs/IoT. The case study demonstrates how AGVs can create smart, flexible manufacturing systems by taking the following steps: (a) problem identification, (b) performance measurement, (c) designing the proposed solution, (d) evaluate IoT systems, (e) implementation of the new solution, and (f) future improvements. The study concludes with specific recommendations to implement Industry 4.0 in manufacturing companies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Production Research
Early online date21 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 21 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in the International Journal of Production Research, 'Ilias Vlachos, Rodrigo Martinez Pascazzi, Miltiadis Ntotis, Konstantina Spanaki, Stella Despoudi & Panagiotis Repoussis (2022). "Smart and flexible manufacturing systems using Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and the Internet of Things (IoT)", International Journal of Production Research,' https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2022.2136282. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords

  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Management Science and Operations Research
  • Strategy and Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Smart and flexible manufacturing systems using Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and the Internet of Things (IoT)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this