New solutions for urban logistics: Self-driving vehicles will be a normal part of street scenes in smart cities of the future. Whether moving people or goods, autonomous vehicles promise greater efficiency, safety and smoother logistics. Particularly when it comes to delivering goods, the effects will be clearly visible. Instead of bulky vans, compact delivery robots will ensure that packages get to their destination by the quickest route possible.
TeleRetail is developing driverless delivery vehicles like these, and for thyssenkrupp Elevator they could be an optimal logistics solution for elevator servicing. Together with the software developer TeleRetail, thyssenkrupp launched a pilot project in which delivery robots will transport spare parts and other material to maintenance job sites. The cloud-based driverless systems could form complete supply and logistics networks; a promising solution with enormous development potential.
For elevator and escalator servicing, spare parts are needed quickly and a technician either has to drive back to base in his service vehicle or have it delivered by a colleague. But with increased traffic clogging up city streets, the pressure on supply chains is increasing all the time. “This is a challenge of urbanization that our service technicians are already experiencing today,” explains Ivo Siebers, Senior Vice President of Global Logistics at thyssenkrupp Elevator. “With driverless delivery robots we could fill a gap and get spare parts from our warehouses to the job site faster, more flexibly and with less impact on the environment.”
The advantages: The delivery robots are just 85 cm wide and suitable for traveling on sidewalks, thereby avoiding road congestion. They can also reach inner-city areas where vehicular transport is limited and carry payloads weighing up to 35 kg. Information on delivery status can be obtained quickly via an online Logistics Automation Platform. “We hope to improve our service delivery in this way,” adds Siebers.
“With our platform we want to optimize logistics by saving time and costs, and minimizing space requirements, energy consumption and emissions,” says Torsten Scholl, CEO of TeleRetail Mobility Automation.
