AMR solutions by industry
Tire and rubber manufacturing
Driverless handling of heavy materials and finished tires across every shift.
Tire and rubber plants move heavy loads all day: compound and material pallets, rolls between processes, and finished tires to the warehouse. Much of this work is done by manual forklifts running three shifts. Tire factory AMRs take over the repetitive moves. Autonomous forklifts handle pallets for inbound, line feeding and finished goods, and roller-top AMRs carry rolls between storage and equipment, with every robot on one dispatch system.
Common challenges
- Heavy pallets and rolls keep many manual forklifts and drivers busy on every shift
- Three-shift operation makes driver staffing and overtime a constant cost
- Mixed traffic of people and forklifts in busy aisles raises safety concerns
- Finished goods must move to storage fast enough to keep curing and inspection flowing
- Material moves are often not recorded, which makes stock and WIP hard to track
Flows we automate
- 01
Material roll handling
Roller-top AMRs carry material rolls from storage to line-side and dock with conveyors, removing manual loading.
- 02
Line feeding with pallets
Autonomous forklifts bring compound and material pallets from the store to production when the MES or an operator calls for them.
- 03
Finished tires to the warehouse
Autonomous forklifts move finished tire pallets from the end of line to storage and shipping, driven by the WMS.
How autonomous forklifts fit a tire plant
Robots navigate by laser SLAM using existing walls, columns and racks, so the floor usually stays as it is. They slow down and stop for people and obstacles, share aisles with manual forklifts, and busy zones can have their own speed limits.
The dispatch system takes tasks from your WMS, MES, PLC signals or call buttons and manages traffic and charging across the fleet. During the site survey we check floor condition, aisle widths, pallet types and Wi-Fi before recommending pallet stacker or counterbalanced forklifts.
Typical results
In typical finished-goods projects, autonomous forklifts integrated with the WMS reduced manual forklifts by about 50%, ran three shifts non-stop and paid back in about 14 months. In comparable roll-handling projects, roller-top AMRs docked with conveyors at ±10 mm and removed manual loading. Your proposal gives an estimate for your plant.
Frequently asked questions
Can autonomous forklifts work alongside manual forklifts in a tire plant?
Yes. They slow down and stop for people, vehicles and obstacles, and you can set lower speed limits in busy areas.
Which flows should a tire plant automate first?
Usually repetitive pallet moves with fixed pick-up and drop points, such as finished goods to the warehouse. We rank the options by payback in the proposal.
Do we need to change the floor for tire factory AMRs?
Usually not. Navigation uses existing walls, columns and racks, and floor condition is checked during the survey.
Will autonomous forklifts connect to our WMS and MES?
Yes. The dispatch system has standard interfaces for WMS, MES and ERP, and also accepts PLC signals and call buttons from the lines.
How long until a first area is running?
A pilot usually goes live in 6 to 10 weeks, including site survey, mapping, integration and operator training.
Related cases
- Roll handlingStraight from storage to line-sideA typical plant handling battery electrode rolls, film or tire materials uses AMRs with a roller top module to carry rolls from storage and dock directly with line-side conveyors. Rolls transfer between robot and conveyor with no manual loading.View case
- Finished goods in/outFinished pallets in and out of storageA typical tire plant or warehouse uses autonomous forklifts, driven by tasks from the WMS, to move finished pallets from the end of the line into storage and out to shipping. Half the manual forklift fleet is freed up while the operation runs three shifts non-stop.View case
AMR solutions by industry
- PCB and SMT manufacturingAMRs that keep SMT lines supplied and work in progress moving between processes.Learn more
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- Electronics assemblyAMRs that supply lines, move work in progress and handle parts at stations.Learn more
- Warehousing and logisticsAutonomous forklifts and tote robots for pallet and goods-to-person flows.Learn more
Get a plan for your site
Send a floor plan or a phone video. Within 48 hours you get routes, a robot count and a payback estimate, free.