OTTO solves interoperability issues for large automotive OEM

A top 10 automotive OEM needed a more efficient, cost-effective way to move fenders around its body-in-white facility. Its existing automated guided vehicles (AGVs) were unable to navigate around dynamic material handling workflows, so it chose to add autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from OTTO by Rockwell Automation.

The truck and SUV manufacturer needed systems that could quickly drive long distances while independently managing interactions with other automation such as robotic cells and lineside conveyors. Traditionally, such interoperability relies on a master controller and a standardized protocol such as VDA 5050 for robot connectivity. However, this only provides a basic user interface (UI) and limited functionality across the mixed fleets of autonomous vehicles.

To address fragmented operations, the company needed a unified solution that could manage various types of mobile robots across multiple vendors. OTTO developed with Powerhouse with a central UI and middleware layer that connected the automation layers, from plant-floor programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to the in-house electronic-order system.

By integrating Powerhouse’s NEXIA middleware and Rockwell Automation’s supervisory platform, FactoryTalk Optix, OTTO said it provided traffic management and data visualization capabilities. The combination acts like a traffic supervisor in the OEM’s facility, setting the “rules of the road” and managing robot traffic at intersections.

NEXIA coordinates job sequences and oversees change management to ensure that all systems operate harmoniously without disrupting production. OTTO added that FactoryTalk Optix provides a simple, consistent, and intuitive UI for oversight of the mixed vehicle fleet.

Rockwell Automation received a 2024 RBR50 award for its acquisition of Kitchener, Canada-based OTTO Motors.

In August 2024, OTTO deployed nine AMRs in just two days in the manufacturer’s mission-critical environment. The AMRs exchange material with multiple robot cells driving in the same space that non-OTTO AGV systems also use without any conflict or congestion, three shifts per day, six days per week.

The facility has seen major improvements in data management and productivity, and the manufacturer now plans to add 75 OTTO AMRs, 10 more robot cells, and another AGV provider by summer 2025. Moreover, the companies have already initiated projects to deploy this unified system at several dozen other global facilities.

Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2025