AGVs & Factory Vehicles

Buying advice

Map every handover along the route

An AGV earns its keep at the points where it picks up and drops off, not in the aisles between them. Walk the route and list every handover: conveyor ends, stretch wrappers, dock doors, high-speed doors, lifts and staging lanes. For each one, decide who supplies the signal exchange between the vehicle and the fixed equipment, and who tests it. Ask makers for their standard interface options and the price of each extra station. A route with many stops can need more vehicles than its length suggests, because every transfer adds dwell time. Check that your WMS can release tasks to the fleet manager in the order the dock really needs them.

Read the IP code for yard crossings

If loads cross a yard between buildings, the word outdoor on a brochure tells you little. IEC 60529 defines the IP code, in which the first digit rates protection against solid objects and dust and the second against water. Ask for the rating of the whole vehicle, including scanners, charging contacts and the top module, not only the drive unit. Then check the conditions a rating does not cover: ice on ramps, standing water on dock aprons, low sun dazzling sensors and condensation when a vehicle leaves a chilled store. Ask what gradient and surface each maker allows, and plan covered links or heated ramps where the answers fall short.

Write the traffic plan before ordering

Our October 2026 pass found that price tags ran from the Clearpath Husky at about $20,000 to the AGILOX ODM at about $95,000, and no listing was quote-only. HSE's HSG76 guidance on warehousing covers site transport alongside handling and storage, and ISO 3691-4:2023 addresses driverless trucks together with their systems. Draw where vehicles, pedestrians and forklifts will meet, where you need marked crossings, and which doors need interlocks. Decide who on site can pause the fleet and how a stalled vehicle is moved. Ask each maker to list the scanners, signage and floor marking it expects you to supply.

What to look for

• Fixed-route guidance or natural navigation, and how often your routes change
• Top-module options: conveyor, lift, tow or custom
• Indoor and outdoor rating if loads cross between buildings

Common questions

AGV or AMR: which do I need?

AGVs follow defined routes and excel at predictable, repeated moves. AMRs plan their own paths and adapt more easily when layouts change.

Can an AGV be customised for my loads?

Most platforms accept different top modules. Share your load dimensions when you request a quote.

Sources and further reading

• IEC 60529:1989 (with AMD1:1999 and AMD2:2013) Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code) — International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
  Defines the IP code that rates how well an enclosure keeps out dust and water, useful for vehicles that go outdoors.
• ISO 3691-4:2023 Industrial trucks: safety requirements and verification, Part 4: driverless industrial trucks and their systems — International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
  Safety requirements and verification for AGVs, AMRs and other driverless trucks and the systems they work in.
• HSG76 Warehousing and storage: a guide to health and safety — Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
  Free UK guidance on manual handling, mechanical handling, site transport and work at height in warehouses.