Self-driving vehicles by OTTO Motors improved cycle times and reduced floor space at GE Healthcare’s new repair operations center in Wisconsin. The Modern Materials Handling feature [MH1] by Bob Trebilcock discussed in detail how the GE Healthcare repair center applied lean principles using the OTTO 1500 self-driving vehicle.
Just as manufacturers need to keep the line running to meet the needs of their customers, timeliness is critical in a repair facility, especially one putting medical devices back into service. “Our customers are hospitals and healthcare facilities that need consistent, reliable and fast repairs,” says Patricio Espinosa, director of GE Healthcare’s Americas Repair Operations. “If an imaging system like an MRI is down, a hospital can miss 10 or 20 life-saving diagnostics in a day. They need it back up right away.”
The GE Healthcare facility is an early adopter of the OTTO self-driving vehicles, which are used to manage the flow of work through the facility. On the front end of the process, the vehicles deliver bins of raw materials and parts to be repaired to work cells; on the back end of the process, they are used to deliver completed parts to a conveyor that services the packing and shipping areas. One key feature of the mobile robots is their ability to self-navigate and automatically re-plan a new route if the original route to a destination is blocked or unavailable.
The OTTO self-driving vehicles will be showcased at industry's most important event, Drive Manufacturing Summit, Oct 2-4, 2017. This unconventional conference will bring 350+ industry leaders together to network, inform and determine how change can be integrated back into their facilities. (Early bird tickets are available until June 30, 2017).
Modern Materials Handling reaches the largest and most highly qualified audience of executives, distribution center professionals, and engineers involved in buying/specifying materials handling equipment and services.
About Drive Manufacturing Summit
Drive Manufacturing Summit is the definitive event for future-focused manufacturing leaders. This unconventional conference is designed to improve facility operations and manufacturing strategies across North America, while addressing ways to overcome key challenges facing industry today. The summit will offer three tracks of immersive learning and offer active discussions for future planning. Drive Manufacturing Summit is held October 2-4, 2017, at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI.
About OTTO Motors
OTTO™ Motors designs, manufactures and operates self-driving vehicles to automate material movement inside busy factories and warehouses. Using self-driving technology much like the Google Car, the easy-to-use OTTO vehicles move inventory in a safe and flexible manner throughout the indoor supply chain. Customers include Fortune 100 brands like General Electric, John Deere, and Toyota.
For more information, visit www.ottomotors.com
Follow OTTO Motors on Twitter at @OTTOMotors
Media Contact
Company Name: OTTO Motors, a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc.
Contact Person: Meghan Hennessey
Email:Send Email
Phone: 519-513-2416 x833
Address:97 Randall Dr. Unit 2
City: Waterloo
State: Ontario, N2V 1C5
Country: Canada
Website: www.ottomotors.com
