During the last 30 years virtually all the machines in the factories have been automated. At the same fully automated warehoused have been introduced. Even though both the machines and the warehouses have been automated we still se people in the factory carrying material from the warehouse to the machines and finished products from the machines back to the warehouse.
In order to continue to increase productivity and further improve flexibility in the factories it is necessary to integrate factory automation and material handling. This integration has already begun and can be seen in factories in the form of autonomous guided vehicles as well as mobile robots.