AutoGuide’s autonomous tuggers now available in Europe

AutoGuide Mobile Robots, which provides high-payload autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for transporting material through manufacturing and warehouse facilities, announced its Max-N tuggers are now available in Europe after achieving CE mark approval.

CE marking indicates the Max-N10 and Max-N15 AMR tuggers now adhere to the European Union’s directives and standards for health, safety and environmental protection. AutoGuide’s Max-NPS pallet stacker achieved CE marking in April 2020. The Max-N10 and Max-N15 are capable of pulling more than 4500 kg and 6800 kg of materials, respectively.

AutoGuide was acquired by Teradyne late in 2019 in a deal that could be worth up to $165 million. Teradyne also owns Universal Robots (acquired in 2015 for $285 million), Mobile Industrial Robots (acquired for $272 million in April 2018), and Energid (acquired for an undisclosed amount in March 2018).

”With our autonomous Max-N15 and Max-N10 tuggers, manufacturers and warehouse managers throughout Europe can gain the same advantages as companies in North America, safely and easily moving heavy pallets of products wherever needed while letting human workers focus on more valuable tasks,” said Jan Nicolay, AutoGuide’s European sales director. “Now that both the Max-N tuggers and our pallet stacker attachment are CE marked, companies in Europe can transform our configurable robots from tuggers to pallet stackers—and back again—to accommodate ever-changing work environment and needs.”

To produce the required EC Declaration of Conformity, AutoGuide ensured it designed and manufactured the Max-N10 and Max-N15 robots to conform to the essential requirements of the directives and standards as outlined below:

Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) covers the safety aspects of machinery
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive (2014/30/EU) ensures that electrical and electronic equipment does not generate, or is not affected by, electromagnetic disturbance.
Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU) establishes a regulatory framework for placing radio equipment by setting essential requirements for safety and health, electromagnetic compatibility, and the efficient use of the radio spectrum.

Standards

Earlier in May 2020, AutoGuide named Mike Harper VP of sales and marketing. Harper will work to expand the company’s marketshare and global footprint with key integration partners. In addition, Harper will help customers improve efficiency and throughput with AutoGuide’s flexible product architecture, said the company.

Prior to joining AutoGuide, Harper served as VP of sales and application engineering at Soft Robotics. Before Soft Robotics, Harper served for 10 years as the sales director for Festo US. He has also served as the director of sales, Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan for Adept Technology.