Pack Expo 2017: This Yale robotic lift truck would look pretty boss operating around your brewery or packaging hall

More than 30,000 attendees and 2,000 suppliers are at Pack Expo this week in Las Vegas to experience the latest packaging technology innovations and address operational challenges from SKU proliferation to labor availability. CBB writer Brad Fruhauff is also there, covering the coolest new packing products emerging in the industry. Automation caught our collective eye at booth 7379 in the upper south hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, with Yale Materials Handling Corp. demonstrating its robotic end rider lift truck Driven by Balyo.

The MPE080-VG robotic lift truck automates a variety of repetitive load transportation tasks, which can improve labor productivity and free employees to take on more value-added roles. It picks up, transports and drops off pallets anywhere on the floor using infrastructure-free navigation technology to map and guide itself by recognizing existing structural features.

Without the need for tape, wire or other additional infrastructure, the Yale robotic end rider lift truck can easily and quickly adjust to changing layout configurations in the event of expansions, peaks or other business changes. It can also switch to manual mode with the touch of a button, offering additional flexibility to help operations adapt to unexpected demands.

Robotic lift trucks can take on a variety of functions to increase operational efficiency, including:

• Pallet load transport — Pick up full pallet loads from end-of-line palletizing stations and transport them to staging areas in preparation for shipping.
• Inventory put-away — Transport loads from receiving to storage for later processes.
• Assembly sequencing — Move inventory into position for production, from empty containers in preparation for fill lines to automotive components for manufacturing.
• Cross-docking — Bypass storage and move loads directly from receiving to shipping docks to keep high-velocity distribution operations moving.
• Waste disposal — Utilize latent capacity to transport excess dunnage, packaging or other waste, keeping production areas clean and efficient.

“We understand the labor challenges faced by many of today’s operations, both big and small,” said Lou Micheletto, manager of Integrated Solutions. “Here at Pack Expo, attendees are seeing how Yale robotic lift trucks can help address labor challenges, offering reliable solutions for a variety of applications and industries.”

In addition to the MPE080-VG end rider, Yale offers two other robotic lift truck models with Driven by Balyo technology — the MO70T tow tractor and the MC10-15 counterbalanced stacker. The Balyo architecture can scale according to operational demands, offering the flexibility to manage a single truck or an entire fleet. An advanced obstacle detection feature controls truck speed and affords smooth, efficient movement, minimizing unnecessary stops and impacts to allow for up to 20,000 hours of use.