Transbotics Corporation
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Transbotics Corporation is a publicly held corporation specializing in tailor-made Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) integrated into a total automation solution. It provides components, engineering, product manufacturing, installation, and aftermarket support for Automatic Guided Vehicle systems. It also supplies individual components to other suppliers of AGVs. Their Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems use the latest vehicle navigation and guidance technology as well as operations software that, when combined, create comprehensive, reliable systems to the market.
[edit] History
Transbotics was founded in 1982 as the North American affiliate of Netzler & Dahlgren Co. AB ("Netzler & Dahlgren"), a Swedish company, to acquire or license Netzler & Dahlgren control technologies and products for Automated Guided Vehicles (“AGVs”) and to enhance, modify, and otherwise adapt them for use by customers in North America. On March 28, 1990, the Company successfully completed its initial public offering. On November 30, 2000, the Company’s license agreement with Netzler & Dahlgren was modified to allow the Company to pursue end user AGV business worldwide on a nonexclusive basis. In 2001, the Company started doing business under the name Transbotics Corporation and officially changed its corporate name from NDC Automation, Inc. through charter amendment in 2002. Netzler & Dahlgren, meanwhile, became Danaher Motion Systems, and it continues to supply proprietary control technology and products to Transbotics Corporation. The Company also licenses proprietary guidance and navigation technology from Frog Navigation, robotics from KUKA, and various other companies, thereby ensuring customers access to current technology for any situation.
[edit] Product/Service
The Company's core business is a supplier of Integrated System Solutions. The Company does this mainly by being a supplier of Automatic Guided Vehicle systems ("AGV systems") and automation solutions (Robot) in the material handling industry. The Company also sells vehicle controls hardware, software, engineering services, conveyors, and other components that are incorporated by original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) into AGVs and AGV systems.
AGVs are driverless, computer-controlled vehicles that are programmed to transport materials through designated pickup and delivery routines within a particular facility (usually a manufacturing or distribution facility) and to transmit information concerning system status, inventory tracking, and system controls to a system controller. The Company's AGV system products and services have been used in a variety of industries, including textiles, automotive, entertainment, newspaper publishing, and electronics.
These control products are designed to be of such general applicability as to be incorporated into many kinds of material handling vehicles. Consequently, they are used not only in custom-designed AGV vehicles and systems, but also to automate conventional material handling equipment such as forklifts and pallet jacks.
Automatic guided vehicles can be guided between pick-up and delivery points by several methods. The traditional method is an inductive loop, called a wire guide path, which is embedded in the floor of the facility when the AGV system is installed. The vehicles in a traditional AGV system are equipped with a sensor and guidance equipment that causes them to follow the guide path. The Company promotes an advanced laser guidance technology that employs a rotating laser beam emitted from a vehicle to sweep the room and calculate angles to detected reflectors. The vehicle's computer uses the data gathered in this manner to determine its location and progress towards its destination. The vehicle can be rerouted remotely by computer. In most cases, laser guidance is superior to inductive loop technology because it permits the end user to alter the designated routines of AGVs without extensive reconfiguration of the facility.
