Erik van den Nieuwelaar about automation at Huijbregts:
“A predictable machine is more important than a machine that is superintelligent”
How do you automate internal logistics in a manufacturing environment where machines need to be rugged and operational continuity is essential? Erik van den Nieuwelaar, speaking on behalf of Huijbregts Groep, discusses their vision for automation, past experiences with AGVs and AMRs, and their decision to choose KUMATECH.
At Huijbregts Groep, KUMATECH AGVs are used for the automated transport of packaging. The result: fewer ad hoc transport movements, greater continuity, and a predictable logistics flow.
Innovating to keep growing
Automation has been an integral part of Huijbregts’ business operations for many years.
“Innovation is in our blood. It’s part of the Huijbregts Group’s DNA.”
The company has extensive experience automating production processes and also develops its own solutions. Continual innovation is essential to maintaining flexibility, expanding capacity, and enabling further growth.
At the same time, that experience provides a practical perspective on technology: automation must have a clear purpose and, above all, function reliably in day-to-day practice.
From manual transport to a predictable flow
In its internal logistics operations, Huijbregts uses KUMATECH AGVs to automatically move packaging. Whereas transport operations used to depend on the availability of a forklift operator and ad-hoc requests, there is now a consistent and predictable logistics flow. “An automated process doesn’t get sick, doesn’t have a ‘Monday morning,’ doesn’t have a ‘Blue Monday,’ or anything like that.”
Less ad hoc. Less dependent on individuals. More continuity.
Furthermore, for Huijbregts, automation is not intended to replace employees. Rather, it helps increase capacity and automate repetitive logistics tasks, so growth no longer automatically puts pressure on employees.
“We’ve never automated anyone out of a job (…). Of course we invest [in automation], but that’s often for expansion and to increase capacity.”
Rugged AGVs for demanding production environments
It was precisely on this point that Huijbregts’s previous experience with AGVs and AMRs played a key role. A solution may seem smart and advanced on paper, but a production environment has different requirements. An AGV navigates daily among people, machines, and other internal transport vehicles. In such a setting, robustness, reliability, and maintainability are just as important as intelligence.
Huijbregts therefore did not look a fragile technological solution, but rather an industrial machine built for daily use on the production floor. That is where the KUMATECH AGV stands out. The machine is deliberately built to be robust, the technology remains easy to understand, and the focus is on reliably performing the transport task.
In the interview, that robustness is described in very concrete terms:
“You could, for example, drive a forklift into it, and it would just keep going.”
A statement that makes it perfectly clear what matters in a production environment: the machine must continue to do its job.
Parts that are readily available
Ruggedness isn’t just about how an AGV is built, but also about what happens when something needs to be replaced. With earlier systems, Huijbregts learned just how costly that can be: a defective circuit board could easily cost 4,000 to 5,000 euros.
KUMATECH deliberately chooses components from Europe because of their quality and availability. Whenever possible, standard parts are used that are available from any wholesaler. This keeps the technology straightforward, allowing anyone to operate the machines and perform basic maintenance on the AGV to a certain extent, without having to wait for special parts.
Erik confirms this in the interview:
“The parts are really easy to get (…). You can get them at any wholesaler.”
No smarter than necessary
The same philosophy is reflected in the software and control systems. Automation doesn’t have to be unnecessarily complex to add value. For Huijbregts, predictable behavior is, in fact, a key characteristic of an industrial AGV:
“A predictable machine is more important than a machine that’s super intelligent.”
This aligns with the way KUMATECH develops its AGVs: practical automation in which technology serves a specific purpose. An AGV must safely and reliably move goods from point A to point B while remaining easy to understand for the people who work with it every day.
From ad hoc transport to a streamlined flow
Whereas internal transport used to depend on a forklift operator who happened to be available at the time, some of these movements now take place automatically. The ad hoc nature of responding to immediate needs and the “shopping” around for options are giving way to a streamlined process.
This not only brings more structure to the material flow, but also creates a sense of calm within the organization. “That same forklift operator is still there, but he’s driving around with less stress.”
An AGV must be suited to the conditions on the production floor
Ultimately, an AGV doesn’t have to prove itself during a demonstration, but day in and day out on the production floor. There was initial skepticism at Huijbregts as well.
“I have to say when I started out, I was a bit more skeptical. (…) And he’s already proven himself more than the previous one.”
Practical experience with the KUMATECH AGV subsequently demonstrated that the solution operates reliably, even in an environment where conditions are not always consistent.
That is precisely KUMATECH’s guiding principle: practical, robust, and reliable automation for internal logistics in manufacturing environments.
Want to automate your internal transportation as well?
Every production environment is different. That’s why a good AGV solution doesn’t start with the technology, but with the logistics flow: what needs to be moved, where, how often, and under what conditions?
Based on those logistical needs, we determine what solution is required to automate the flow of goods in a practical, reliable, and predictable manner. KUMATECH develops robust AGV solutions for automating internal transport flows in production environments.