APPLICATION OF AUTONOMOUS FORKLIFT FOR UNLOADING OF TRUCK IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

This article presents the study of the current state of art in the field of application of technology of an autonomous forklift for loading and unloading trucks. The ever increasing need for automatization and robotization of logistics processes in the automotive industry exceeds from inhouse manipulation to various areas of logistics. Recently, the emphasis in terms of automatization in logistics of the automotive industry was placed on the process of loading and unloading trucks, which is crucial for inbound logistics of every automotive company. There are a number of automated systems for unloading and loading trucks on the market. AGV or autonomous forklifts are also one of these technologies. The first part of the article will introduce existing technological solutions, including their advantages, disadvantages and limitations. The second part of the article will be devoted to the assessment of the feasibility of a model case of side unloading of a truck with AGV forklifts in the conditions of the automotive industry. The main goal of this study is to prove if the target logistics process can be done with chosen technology. Also, preconditions which must be met and limitations that must be overcome will be defined.