AMR in practice: how are mobile robots changing internal production logistics?

Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)

AMR mobile robots are increasingly appearing on production floors – not as a „technological curiosity”, but as a real tool for streamlining internal transport, improving safety and reducing task completion times. In a conversation between Piotr Oleksa, Robotics Expert at Nextomation, and Adrian Pękała, Mobile Robotics Expert at Omron, one thing is clear: AMR is no longer the future, but a direction that is happening here and now.

AMR vs AGV: why do customers confuse them and what does the „autonomous” approach change?

In conversations with manufacturing plants, the same topic often comes up: AMRs are confused with AGVs. The difference is fundamental – it concerns flexibility and how they work in a changing environment.

Adrian Pękała compares AGVs to trams: they move along a designated route, and changing their trajectory in an operating plant is difficult and costly. AMRs, on the other hand, are like „taxis” – they can avoid obstacles, choose a different route and operate in an environment that changes from day to day. Scalability and ease of integration are the most frequently cited advantages of AMRs.

The market is growing because of increasing pressure on ROI and availability of people

Interest in AMR in Poland is growing rapidly – according to OMRON’s perspective, we are talking about a 20-25% year-on-year increase. The key point is that customers are increasingly starting the conversation not with „is it worth it”, but with the question: what will be the return on investment and when?

This point is important because it shows a change in market mentality: mobile robots are no longer an „image” implementation. For many companies, they are becoming a business solution that has to add up numerically – which is why ROI comes up so often in conversations.

Step-by-step robotics implementation: how do you build trust in an AMR robot fleet?

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is a case study from the automotive industry, where the production environment was extremely volatile: frequent changeovers, machine rotations and limited space. This is a classic scenario in which „rail-based” solutions (such as AGVs) are no longer convenient because the plant requires constant adjustment.

The implementation team proposed a step-by-step approach: start with one robot to test the behaviour of the AMR in a dynamic hall layout and familiarise people with it. A very vivid term is used in the conversation: the first month is the „honeymoon period” – a time when operators learn to work with the mobile robot and build trust in its predictability and safety. The result? After the pilot, the customer finalises a contract for more units.

This is an important lesson: AMR scalability is not just a „technical advantage”. It is also a real model of adaptation – from pilot to fleet.

Safety and „clean zones”: arguments that often tip the balance

What convinces customers most often? The simple answer is savings and ROI. According to OMRON’s experience, the typical return on investment is around 1.5–2 years – after which the fleet starts to work „for profit”.

The second pillar is safety. The conversation touches on the topic of comparing incidents involving forklifts (driven by operators) to mobile robots equipped with safety sensors and scanners that comply with standards. In practice, this means less risk of collision and more predictable operation in spaces shared with people.

The third, often underestimated aspect is the handling of restricted access areas, such as clean rooms. Human entry into these areas can be time-consuming (procedures, clothing, airlocks), while a robot can deliver components and collect finished products faster, without the organisational „cost” on the part of the personnel. This, in turn, translates into process time and, consequently, costs.

VDA 5050: why will the interoperability standard become increasingly important?

In many plants, mobile robots do not come from a single manufacturer. Some companies already have competing solutions, but want to expand their fleet or improve its performance without replacing everything from scratch. This is where the VDA 5050 standard comes in.

The key point in the conversation is that VDA 5050 was created to integrate robots from different manufacturers in a single factory and coordinate their work. An example? Not only AMRs for transport, but also autonomous cleaning robots. Thanks to a common „communication layer”, devices can avoid task conflicts (e.g. a transport robot does not drive onto a freshly washed, wet surface), which is important for both safety and the protection of electronics.

This is a theme that clearly illustrates the future of internal logistics: the plant is becoming an ecosystem of many autonomous devices, and interoperability standards are no longer an „option”.

Nextomation and OMRON: from classic robots to mobile automation

As an industrial automation integrator, Nextomation has been developing its cooperation with OMRON for years – from projects with industrial robots (SCARA, six-axis, Delta) to the implementation of AMR mobile robots. From the customer’s perspective, this means one thing: the ability to move from a single application to a coherent automation concept covering both process and intralogistics – step by step, with a calculated ROI and a realistic implementation roadmap.

AMR robots: the future or the present?

The conversation concludes with a clear thesis: AMRs are already the present. Companies that implement mobile robots today build a competitive advantage faster – not only in terms of cost, but also organisationally. They learn human-robot collaboration, and subsequent implementations run more smoothly because the crew already has experience.

How to implement AMR robots in a changing production environment?

Would you like to learn how AMRs differ from AGVs in practice, how to approach implementation step by step, and when mobile robots really pay for themselves?

Watch the conversation between Piotr Oleksa, Robotics Expert at Nextomation, and Adrian Pękała, Mobile Robotics Expert at OMRON.

Watch the interview

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