ODENSE, Denmark — Nord Modules, launched by Bruno Hansen, a co-founder of Mobile Industrial Robots ApS (MiR), today announced its entry into the U.S. market. The company is offering a new series of flexible material-moving modules that efficiently connect production lines and internal logistics using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

Nord Modules‘ safe, ready-to-use, and industrial-quality modules enhance automated heavy-payload transportation between production lines and storage systems. They can also increase the flexibility of production lines by enabling companies to easily use the same AMR for multiple tasks.

Staff is freed from this load-and-lift activity to conduct higher-value activities, saving time and money, while reducing the risk of injuries and subsequent compensation claims.

“As companies recognize the advantages of mobile robots—automating monotonous, repetitive, and injury-prone manual material transportation—they look for new ways to optimize applications to reduce costs and increase productivity,” said Hansen, founder and CEO of Nord Modules. “With our high-quality gates and top modules, they can easily create fully automated systems, with material flowing effortlessly from production lines to the AMR to the warehouse. And standard, off-the-shelf modules make it easy to update lines and flexibly redeploy these mobile platforms for even greater use and faster ROI.”

Portfolio and product launch

The Nord Modules product line includes the Top Mover (Figure 1, below) that mounts on MiR100 and MiR200 robots to deliver material to and from Nord Modules’ gates installed at production lines, storage systems, or conveyors.

Integrated software and an intelligent touchscreen enable users to adapt the complete system for specialized work processes, forming an efficient automation of internal transportation tasks. Nord Modules offers three types of gate modules, each with different benefits:

• Solid Gate (SG): Basic standard module that can receive or hold items and can serve as a flexible pick-up point for autonomous mobile robots (Figure 2).
• Wheel Gate (WG): Integrated stop function and manually controlled wheels enable the mobile robot to push items to a pick-up point or further into production.
• Roll Gate (RG): Integrated motor creates a fully automated gate with rolls that can receive and deliver objects from a 90-degree angle.

“With multiple industries embracing the increased automation of AMRs, manufacturers are beginning to demand the additional functionality from value-add providers like Nord Modules that build top modules for our MiR fleet to enable multiple applications within a single facility,” said Ed Mullen, vice president of sales for the Americas at MiR. “These flexible customizations are key differentiators for MiR and its integrators. We welcome Nord Modules into our partner ecosystem and look forward to how more of our customers will be able to implement our AMRs straight out of the box, speeding the overall integration process for plant needs.”

Nord Modules’ products comply with the safety requirements in the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/CE.

Nord Modules signs new distributor, will be at Automate

U.S. distributor Hermitage Automation is the first distributor Nord Modules has signed to take its modules into the U.S. market. According to Hansen, the company expects to grow its distribution network extensively within the next months.

Hansen and Kenneth B. Henriksen, Nord Module’s new chief commercial officer, will attend Automate 2019 in Chicago on April 8-11. They will show off how the company’s modules enable easy customization as MiR displays several Nord Modules’ products in its booth (7368).

To schedule a meeting to see how their products add value to the MiR robots, please contact Henriksen or Kelly Wanlass of Hughes Communications Inc.

“Increasing awareness for our value-added product portfolio and building a strong global distribution network are our current priorities,” confirmed Hansen. “As a result, we signed with Hermitage and hired Henriksen, an established name in the robotics industry. Kenneth brings an extensive engineering background and experience in technical sales and sales management, most recently with robotics companies like Purple Robotics and OnRobot.”

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