Description
MOVING is WIIO’s load transportation automation solution designed to optimize intralogistics flows within warehouses and industrial sites. It relies on Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) capable of automatically transporting logistics units from point A to point B. The objective is to reduce manual travel and handling operations, streamline transfers between different areas of a site, and enable operators to focus on higher value-added tasks.
The solution can be integrated into a wide range of intralogistics processes: transporting goods between storage and production areas, transferring loads between production workstations, supplying production lines, removing finished products, or transporting goods to storage areas and shipping docks. MOVING can therefore meet the needs of various sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, retail and mass distribution.
MOVING does not rely on a single robot model. WIIO selects and integrates the most suitable technology according to the flows, loads to be transported and site constraints. Several categories of AMRs can therefore be deployed: “turtle” transport robots for pallets and roll containers, autonomous forklift AMRs for pallet handling, Dolly AMRs for transporting wheeled platforms, bins, parts or shelving units, as well as platform robots for specific parts and parcel flows. This approach makes it possible to adapt the robotic architecture to operational requirements rather than adapting processes to a single technology.
MOVING relies on intelligent mission management. When a transfer requirement is generated, the starting point and destination are identified and the mission is transmitted to the control system. In architectures based on MAEVE, WIIO’s robotic software platform orchestrates flows in real time and assigns missions to the most suitable AMRs. Its algorithmic engine takes into account priorities, robot availability, transfer areas and current flow conditions to dynamically organize movements.
MAEVE’s planning and optimization algorithms can synchronize missions between AMRs and transfer areas, reduce empty runs and waiting times, and adapt routes according to workloads and operational priorities. The objective is to prevent disruptions and bottlenecks while making efficient use of available resources. The value of MOVING therefore goes beyond the physical ability of a robot to transport a load: the software layer plays a key role in coordinating operations and optimizing the overall performance of the installation.
Once a mission has been assigned, the AMR collects the load and determines the appropriate route to reach its destination. Thanks to autonomous navigation technologies, robots can operate in dynamic, mixed environments where operators, forklifts and other equipment are also present. They rely on technologies such as sensors and LiDAR systems to detect obstacles, secure their movements and adapt their trajectories. Unlike more rigid automation systems, AMRs do not require rails or extensive fixed infrastructure, making them easier to integrate into existing buildings and allowing logistics flows to evolve more easily over time.
This automation also contributes to improving working conditions. By assigning repetitive travel and load transportation tasks to robots, MOVING reduces physical effort, unnecessary movement and fatigue associated with certain handling operations. Reducing internal traffic can also contribute to safer flows and limit interactions between operators and material handling equipment.
According to data published by WIIO, robotic solutions can deliver up to 40% higher productivity in preparation and handling operations, with transfers up to twice as fast and no waiting time between two cycles. WIIO also indicates a potential return on investment of between 18 and 36 months, depending on the configuration and activity volumes. Actual performance naturally depends on the characteristics of the site, the flows being handled, the number of robots deployed and the level of automation implemented.
The project carried out for Vandemoortele provides a concrete example of this approach in an industrial environment. At its Le Fossat site in Ariège, France, which specializes in the production and packaging of bread products, Vandemoortele wanted to automate part of its production chain and ensure continuous logistics transfers 24 hours a day within a three-shift operating model. WIIO deployed three iL-1000 robots from iFollow, designed to autonomously transport heavy pallets, combined with IoT sensors to synchronize the AMRs with the site’s infrastructure. In this configuration, the IRIIS software platform coordinates and manages missions according to production priorities. This automation streamlined internal transfers and avoided the need to recruit three additional operators for this part of the operation.
Before deployment, WIIO also supports companies in analyzing and modeling their flows to determine the most appropria
