a US manufacturing plant running multiple assembly lines with packaging dunnage flows
How a US Assembly Plant Cut Dunnage Logistics Labor Costs 25% With Three AMRs
A documented US assembly plant cut dunnage logistics labor costs 25% and hit a 98% mission success rate after deploying three autonomous mobile robots with fleet control.
- 25%
- Labor cost down
- 98%
- Mission success
- 3
- AMR fleet
- 6/hr
- Trip target
Based on a documented real-world deployment. Figures are from public reporting; the organization is not named.
Dunnage Loops Slowed Every Assembly Line
A US manufacturing plant running several assembly lines received components still packed in original dunnage that had to leave the floor quickly.
Operators shuttled empty packaging to a disposal area, returned with containers, and tried to keep pace with a benchmark of about six trips per hour while sharing aisles with lift trucks and manual traffic.
Leadership needed a safer way to hit that cadence without adding headcount or letting dunnage piles interrupt line-side work.
- Retrieve dunnage from multiple assembly stations
- Return empty containers on a tight hourly trip target
- Keep aisles safe beside active production traffic
Three AMRs With Fleet Software and Call Buttons
An integration team deployed three autonomous mobile robots that split dunnage routes across facility aisles, each handling part of the retrieve-and-return loop.
A custom programmable-logic interface tied operator call buttons to the robot fleet so assemblers could request moves without leaving their stations.
Site-specific safety rules were layered onto the fleet scheduler so robots could coexist with people and industrial traffic along shared paths.
- Divide dunnage lanes across three collaborative AMRs
- Link call buttons to fleet dispatch for on-demand moves
- Apply site safety interlocks before robots enter shared aisles
Measured Cost and Reliability Gains
Published results cite about a twenty-five percent reduction in labor costs tied to the dunnage logistics workflow after the robots joined daily operations.
Missions completed successfully about ninety-eight percent of the time, indicating the handoff between operators, fleet software, and line-side requests stayed stable in production.
Teams also reported improved workplace conditions because fewer manual dunnage shuttles crossed busy aisles during peak assembly hours.
What US Manufacturers Should Ask Before Automating Dunnage
This is a documented real-world example analyzed for readers, not a Service Robot Co. customer deployment. It shows how modest AMR fleets can attack repetitive packaging loops when call-button dispatch and safety integration are designed with the line, not bolted on afterward.
Service Robot Co. stays OEM-neutral, maps dunnage routes with your production and EHS leads, and bundles buy or lease financing with nationwide RoboCare service so plants have one partner from pilot through multi-line expansion.
