Expanding into North America | Beacon Robot’s Reach Truck AMR Successfully Deployed in a Smart Warehouse Project at a U.S. Manufacturing Plant

The U.S. injection molding industry has a large market scale and a highly developed industrial ecosystem, making it one of the key pillars of American manufacturing. However, the industry is facing common challenges such as labor shortages and rising labor costs. While most factories have already automated their core production processes, intralogistics operations such as finished product palletizing, wrapping, temporary storage, pallet circulation, and floor transportation still heavily rely on manual labor.

1. Customer Background

The customer is a large U.S.-based injection molding manufacturer specializing in the production of various industrial plastic products. The factory operates with a multi-product, high-volume production model and runs 24/7, requiring highly efficient and accurate material supply.

Throughout the injection molding process, internal material handling is one of the most complex and easily overlooked operations. The main challenges included:

Low manual handling efficiency and poor production coordination

From palletizing and stretch wrapping to finished pallet transfer and empty pallet return, the entire process depended on manual forklift operations. Any delay in material handling response could directly interrupt production lines and affect overall production efficiency.

Inefficient storage management and delayed information updates

Warehouse occupancy status relied on manual inspections and tablet-based updates, making it difficult to guarantee real-time accuracy. Problems such as misplaced materials and difficulties in locating goods occurred frequently, while the utilization rate of floor storage space remained far below expectations.

2. Customized High-Bay Forklift AMR Solution by Beacon Robot

(1) Customized Hardware Design for Complex Manufacturing Conditions

1. Extended Fork Design

To accommodate oversized pallet stacks within the factory, Beacon Robot customized extended forks specifically for the customer's application. The design effectively prevents pallet shifting, shaking, and tipping during transportation, ensuring safe and stable material handling.

2. Customized Vehicle Appearance

Based on the customer's factory visual management and zone management requirements, Beacon Robot customized the vehicle color scheme. This improves equipment identification, supports area management, and aligns with standardized management practices commonly adopted in overseas manufacturing facilities.

3. Optimization for Low-Level Operating Conditions

The vehicle body structure and lifting mechanism were optimized according to the customer's on-site conditions. The AMR was precisely adapted to the height requirements of low-level conveyor interfaces, enabling seamless integration with pallet conveyors and pallet dispensing/stacking machines. Pallet picking and placement operations are performed smoothly without blockage or positioning deviation.

(2) Two Core Logistics Processes Achieving 100% Automated Material Flow

Automated Finished Pallet Transfer Process

The complete process from production line output to temporary storage was fully automated.

After palletizing, finished pallets are scanned and digitally associated with product information. The stretch wrapping machine automatically completes the wrapping process, after which the AMR transports the pallets to designated storage locations.

Once the upper-level management system issues a task, the WCS (Warehouse Control System) analyzes the order and determines the destination. The RMS (Robot Management System) dispatches the AMR to execute the task.

Before reaching the production line unloading point, the AMR communicates with the conveyor system through signal interaction. After collecting the pallet, it accurately transports it to the assigned storage location, while the WCS simultaneously updates warehouse location status in real time.

Automated Empty Pallet Supply Process

The empty pallet circulation process was also fully automated.

After the pallet dispenser consumes empty pallets, it automatically sends a request to the AMR. The AMR travels to the empty pallet storage area, picks up the pallet stack, communicates with the conveyor system, and transports the pallets to the production line supply point.

Meanwhile, the WCS updates pallet storage information automatically, ensuring transparent and accurate warehouse management.

(3) Standardized System Integration for Overseas Digital Manufacturing Environments

The project established a complete three-layer intelligent logistics architecture:

1. Integration with Upper-Level Management Systems

The system receives production tasks from the customer’s management platform and supports mainstream enterprise management systems commonly used by overseas manufacturers.

Through two-way real-time data communication, production instructions and logistics tasks can be synchronized efficiently.

2. WCS Warehouse Control System

The WCS is responsible for task analysis, start/end point determination, and real-time storage status updates.

Without manual intervention, it communicates directly with onsite equipment including conveyors, pallet dispensers, pallet stackers, and wrapping machines, enabling coordinated operation across the entire logistics system.

3. RMS Robot Management System

The RMS assigns tasks to AMRs, manages traffic control and automatic charging, and supports multi-robot collaborative operations.

It automatically plans optimal routes, performs intelligent obstacle avoidance, and prioritizes tasks, meeting the requirements of continuous 24/7 manufacturing operations.

3. Customer Benefits: Beyond “Replacing Labor with Robots”

After implementing Beacon Robot’s intelligent handling solution, the U.S. injection molding manufacturer achieved comprehensive improvements:

Significant Reduction in Labor Costs

The fully automated logistics solution replaced traditional manual forklift operations, enabling unmanned handling throughout the entire process, including finished pallet transfer, empty pallet replenishment, and material storage.

Optimized Warehouse Management and Space Utilization

Through real-time warehouse status updates from the WCS system, errors and delays caused by manual recording were eliminated.

Floor storage management was upgraded from experience-based operation to data-driven management, significantly improving storage utilization efficiency.

High Cost Performance and Strong Compatibility Without Major Factory Renovation

The project required no large-scale changes to existing factory layouts. Through customized adaptation for low-level conveyor docking, the AMR seamlessly integrated with existing equipment.

The system also supports future production line expansion and additional application scenarios, providing long-term flexibility for intelligent manufacturing upgrades.

Conclusion

This intelligent logistics upgrade project for a U.S. injection molding manufacturer directly addresses key challenges faced by overseas injection molding companies, including high labor costs, low logistics automation levels, limited data visibility, and safety management difficulties.

Instead of applying standardized equipment without modification, Beacon Robot developed a customized solution based on the customer's actual operating conditions, combining hardware customization with workflow optimization.

By integrating automated equipment, intelligent scheduling, and digital data management, Beacon Robot has built a complete smart logistics system that enables more efficient, flexible, and sustainable manufacturing operations.