AGV vs AMR: how to choose for your plant
Navigation, infrastructure, safety, vehicle type and total cost: what to review before automating material movement in the plant.
An AGV and an AMR can carry the same load, but they do not behave the same way or demand the same plant. The decision starts with the real route, continues with the vehicle type, and ends with the integration to the system that decides what to move and where. This guide organizes that assessment without promising savings that have not been measured yet.
AGV and AMR: two ways of navigating
An AGV follows a fixed route: tape, magnet, reflector, QR or an equivalent guide. An AMR builds a map with lasers and cameras, chooses the route and avoids obstacles. The difference is not price or brand: it changes what has to be prepared on the floor, how the system reacts to a layout change and how easy it is to add a new destination.
What each one demands from the plant
The AGV usually requires a guidance installation and an orderly environment; the AMR needs an updated map, good signal, compatible aisles and traffic management for crossings and waiting. In both cases, floors, joints, ramps, doors, charging zones, lighting and the movement of people and forklifts must be reviewed.
Safety: the standard rules, not the brochure
The risk assessment defines the safety of the installation. ISO 3691-4 is the usual reference for driverless industrial vehicles: scanners, speed zones, braking, crossings, load and behavior around obstacles must be reviewed. An autonomous vehicle is not safe on its own, and a fixed route does not remove the need to protect people.
Vehicle types: load rules
There are vehicles that slide under a cart or shelf and lift it, autonomous pallet jacks, driverless forklifts, shelf bases, tuggers and platforms for mounting a robot arm. The choice depends on how the load arrives, where it is dropped, how much it weighs and whether an operator must intervene at the delivery point.
Fleet and software: movement does not end at the vehicle
A single vehicle does not solve intralogistics. A system is needed to receive missions, assign priorities, manage battery charging and communicate with WMS, ERP or PLC. The useful question is who decides what to move, under which rule, and what happens when two missions compete for the same aisle.
What makes up total cost
Cost is not just the vehicle: it includes navigation, batteries and chargers, load structure, safety, fleet software, integration with plant systems, site works or adaptations, commissioning, training, spare parts and support. Two proposals with the same vehicle can have very different scopes. Comparing prices without comparing scope says nothing.
How to assess payback with your data
Payback is calculated with routes, loading and unloading times, trips per shift, affected staff, damage, waiting and forklift hours. A generic percentage is not enough: the current operation must be measured and the indicator that will change must be defined. Without data, the first step is a scoped pilot with before-and-after measurement.
When an AGV fits and when an AMR does
An AGV usually fits stable routes, high volume and a controlled environment. An AMR wins when there are people, layout changes, several destinations or the need to add routes without site works. There is also a middle path: start with a fixed segment and expand later. The right decision is the one supported by the real route and volume, not the one that wins an abstract comparison.
Checklist before requesting a quote
Gather a layout with routes and destinations, photos of floors and access points, weights and load types, frequency per shift, number of people in the area, charging points, systems to integrate with and a success criterion for the pilot. With that data, vehicle, navigation and scope can be discussed; without it, any proposal is a guess.
Common mistakes
Buying the vehicle before defining the route, forgetting battery charging, failing to plan map and sensor maintenance, underestimating WMS/ERP/PLC integration or comparing proposals with different scopes. It is also common to promise staff savings the operation cannot absorb because the vehicle needs loading, supervision and maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What do AGV and AMR stand for?
AGV stands for automated guided vehicle, which follows a fixed route. AMR stands for autonomous mobile robot, which builds a map, chooses the route and avoids obstacles.
When is it not worth automating material movement?
When the route is very short, volume is low or the environment changes constantly without clear rules. In those cases, streamline the flow before adding a vehicle.
How is a pilot's success measured?
With an indicator agreed before starting: trips per shift, waiting, cycle time, availability, damage or people freed from the task. Without a baseline, there is nothing to compare.
What are the most common mistakes?
Buying the vehicle before defining the route, forgetting battery charging, underestimating WMS/ERP/PLC integration or comparing proposals with different scopes.
What data should be gathered before calling an integrator?
Layout with routes and destinations, photos of floors and access points, weights and load types, frequency per shift, people in the area, charging points and systems to integrate.
Does this guide replace a plant assessment?
No. The guide organizes the decision, but route, safety and integration are validated on site with photos, measurements and a risk assessment.
