INTRAC: THE NEW GENERATION OF AUTONOMOUS CARGO HANDLING
SYSTEMS
DIMOS DEVELOPS FIRST FULLY AUTOMATED
PALLET MOVER FOR EFFICIENT ULD HANDLING
DIMOS revolutionizes air cargo handling: With DIMOS INTRAC, the Petersberg-based manufacturer enables fully automated transport of ULDs in the air cargo terminal. With this, INTRAC heralds the next generation of autonomous air cargo transport vehicles, because so far there is no other pallet mover that offers a comparable level of automation in end-to-end cargo handling. The combination of the X-Way family of vehicles from DIMOS and INTRAC AGV functionalities enables completely flexible use of terminal space. This allows users to handle air cargo peaks with maximum efficiency.
In the airfreight sector, there are regularly peaks in orders, which are often handled with a lot of manpower and material. Automated vehicles are still very rarely used, although they are the most efficient way of transporting goods from airside to landside and vice versa. Even outside the peaks, fast handling is essential for the mostly time-sensitive goods. Efficiency, traceability and accuracy of cargo handling have already improved in recent years through an increasing use of smart control and IT systems. With INTRAC, DIMOS is now going one step further: now, in principle, all transport routes in the terminal can be handled by one vehicle. The pallet mover autonomously transports ULDs in the terminal, arranges storage and staging areas in advance, and stores the load carriers in a flexible area if required.
THE FUNCTIONALITY IN SYMBIOSIS WITH THE X-WAY MOVER
With its 360° steering system, INTRAC is significantly more maneuverable than conventional solutions on the market, which is particularly beneficial for warehouses with limited capacity. Overall, users gain up to 50% additional storage space with the Pallet Mover. It becomes even more spacious when the X-Way Mover is also used: While INTRAC autonomously transports the ULDs, the X-Way Mover can expand the storage capacity upwards - storage in the rack up to the third level (7.2 m high) is possible. For the transport of large ULDs or comparable load carriers, a multi-level system consisting of X-Way Mover and INTRAC is a sufficient complete solution - the need for an ETV system or a rail conveyor system is eliminated. The symbiosis of INTRAC and X-Way Mover enables a completely flexible use of the terminal space. By running multiple warehouse processes automatically and in parallel, users benefit from significant time and space savings. By gaining space, the compact AGV pallet mover enables dynamic warehouse planning, allowing users to flexibly adjust to peaks. The transport vehicle can be connected to the respective WMS and can create a block or area storage fully autonomously thanks to intelligent goods composition; large front stackers that require wide tramlines become obsolete.
INTRAC CAN ALSO BE USED MANUALLY
Even in its basic configuration, INTRAC arranges fully autonomous freight operation. But there is another way: In the basic concept of the Pallet Mover, the AGV unit can easily be temporarily replaced by a manual driver unit. "With INTRAC MOVE, we offer users the greatest possible flexibility to put together the optimum solution for their specific requirements . A mixed fleet of manually operated and fully automated vehicles is also possible," explains Pascal Schütz, responsible for sales and development at DIMOS. The decisive factor for the composition is the required capacity or the tonnage to be handled per year. If the requirements change, there is the option of upgrading or downgrading the existing vehicles. The system can be easily expanded. This enables users to plan capacity flexibly.
