Toyota launches automated horizontal carrier AGV

Toyota Material Handling UK has unveiled its latest frontier in warehouse automation: CDI120, an AGV designed specifically as a pallet carrier.

CDI120 is a powerful, compact and intuitive solution for horizontal goods transport, capable of adding a new dimension to any warehouse operation. And it slots seamlessly into Toyota Material Handling UK’s Autopilot vehicle range, joining its tow tractors, low lifters, stackers, counterbalance trucks and reach trucks to form a comprehensive line-up that can meet virtually every customer need.

Compact and cost-efficient

CDI120 was designed as an Autopilot vehicle from the ground up, rather than simply altering a conventional manually operated vehicle. This has enabled a total rethink of many aspects of the carrier, ranging from form factor to navigation and safety features, to enable industrial users to get the most out of AGV technology.

The first thing many users will notice is that CDI120 lacks forks. Instead, it loads a pallet by driving underneath it and lifting it from below, using a run-through station to ensure precise and efficient loading of pallets up to 1200kg every time.

CDI120’s exceedingly compact design – with built-in scanner and sensors in the chassis, in combination with a differential drive design – enables efficient loading with a run-through station, tight turn-on-point manoeuvres, and swift operation even in low-ceiling areas.

When on the move, CDI120 can ‘see’ objects at up to 30 metres. Odometry and feature-based localisation are then used to precisely navigate through warehouse space. The localisation algorithm is sophisticated enough that it can interpret additional features dynamically added to the environment. Meanwhile, Toyota-standard safety features ensure safe transport, including front and side detection fields, blue LED warning light and E-stops.

Grows as your operation does

But CDI120 functions as more than a stand-alone vehicle: it also works seamlessly as part of an automated vehicle fleet, communicating with other AGVs from Toyota and management systems using the T-ONE software. Developed in-house by Toyota, T-ONE can integrate and supervise all warehouse equipment to optimise efficiency and processing time.

This gives operators maximum flexibility: they can initiate CDI120 transport jobs manually (via a warehouse management system or call buttons), or through automated software. Trucks can be configured for various pre-set routes (A-to-B, loop or part of a multi-leg journey) and priorities, which can be adjusted on the fly to maintain a continuous material flow – avoiding disruptions and maximising cost-efficiency.

“CDI120 was designed to be more than just cutting-edge. An important aim in its development was to provide a cost-efficient pallet transporter that seamlessly co-works with our stacker and reach trucks – optimising ROI for our customers in their transport and stacking applications,” explained Paul Freeman, Head of Logistics Solutions at Toyota Material Handling UK  “With automated route planning and execution in T-ONE, it is possible to divide A-to-B transport into a multi-leg task involving different vehicle types – for example, using the cost-efficient CDI120 for transport and the powerful RAE to stack. This will not only pay managers back in ROI, but also in space and energy savings.

“Furthermore, as T-ONE is easily configurable for different flows and operation sizes, CDI120 fleets can be deployed flexibly, changing and scaling up over time. Company owners or warehouse managers can take a ‘big bang’ approach to automation, or they effect a more gradual transition – in both cases receiving the benefits of automation without disruption, and in line with their needs and business priorities.”