A 41-second cycle with 15% fewer operators.

The plant needed a faster link between production lines without adding trolley traffic. In-plant AMRs now keep a 41-second takt, cut operators by 15%, and reduce peak labor cost by 30–51% while tracking each delivery.

This is an automotive-parts and power-tools plant in Japan. The site produces automotive parts, service equipment, hardware, machinery and power tools, and needed a quicker way to connect one production line to the next.

Parts had to move on a 41-second takt. Manual trolley transport made that pace hard to hold. Error tolerance was low, and material could not drop out of sight between stations.

• Line-to-line moves had to stay inside a 41-second cycle.
• The handling design needed a high safety standard, not an extra layer of manual traffic.
• Replacing trolley work also had to keep every load traceable.

AMRs now run the in-plant route that used to depend on operators pushing trolleys. The vehicles connect production steps, dispatch repeatable missions and keep a record of each material move.

The layout stays open to people on the floor. The plant did not add a second, slower transport layer around the lines; the AMRs took over the repetitive transfers and left operators on value-added work.

The flow now supports the 41-second takt. Operator count fell by 15%. During peak periods, labor cost dropped by 30–51%. Material movement stays visible from pickup to drop-off.

• 41 s/pcs production takt is held by the automated route.
• 15% fewer operators are needed on the transfer job.
• Peak labor cost fell by 30–51%, with full material tracking.