| Written by Mark Buzinkay
Table of contents:
- Intralogistics technology and manufacturing
- Intralogistics technology: Conveyor systems
- Intralogistics technology: Forklifts and pallet jacks
- Intralogistics technology: Pushcarts
- Intralogistics technology: Tuggers and trains of tow-carts
- Intralogistics technology: Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
- FAQs
- Takeaway
- Glossary
Intralogistics technology and manufacturing
Intralogistics technology has become an essential pillar of modern manufacturing, shaping the way materials, components, and finished goods flow through production systems. At its core, logistics in manufacturing is about ensuring that the right resources arrive at the right place and time, but technology has dramatically expanded what this means in practice. Digital systems now allow companies to track the movement of goods across global supply networks in real time, integrating data from suppliers, transport providers, and internal operations. Automation has also transformed intralogistics technology, with conveyors, automated guided vehicles, and robotic systems handling physical flows that once required extensive manual labour. Beyond physical handling, software solutions such as warehouse management systems and manufacturing execution systems provide visibility and control over inventories, transport routes, and production schedules. These technologies not only enhance efficiency but also increase resilience, allowing companies to adapt quickly to disruptions or shifts in demand. In today’s competitive landscape, logistics technology is no longer just a support function; it is a strategic enabler of lean operations, cost savings, and customer responsiveness. The manufacturing enterprise, once focused primarily on machinery and processes, now relies equally on the seamless orchestration of flows made possible by advanced intralogistics solutions.
Intralogistics technology: Conveyor systems
Conveyors are among the most recognisable and widely applied intralogistics technologies in manufacturing. They provide a structured way to move materials between workstations, storage areas, and shipping points. Their apparent simplicity hides a sophisticated role in orchestrating flows across the factory floor. According to Baudin and Netland (1), conveyors are not just about moving goods more quickly; they represent a backbone of material handling strategies that can determine the rhythm of an entire production system.
Unpowered versus powered conveyance
Conveyor systems can be broadly divided into unpowered and powered forms. Unpowered conveyors—such as simple roller tracks or gravity chutes—rely on gravity or manual pushes to move loads. They are inexpensive, require little maintenance, and are often used for short, straightforward transfers, like moving cartons from a packing station to a collection point. Their main limitation is control: once an item is placed on a gravity conveyor, its movement cannot easily be stopped or redirected. This makes them best suited for low-complexity operations where material flow is predictable.
Powered conveyors, by contrast, use motors to drive belts, rollers, or chains, allowing for precise and continuous movement of items. They can transport heavier loads over longer distances, handle variable speeds, and integrate with sensors and controls. Powered conveyors are essential in high-volume or automated environments, where synchronised flow is critical. Their flexibility makes them suitable for routing items across multiple destinations, merging product streams, or feeding materials into automated machinery.
Networks of conveyors
Most modern plants use not just individual conveyors but networks of interconnected lines. These networks can form the arteries of a production system, linking raw material receiving areas to assembly cells, packaging stations, and outbound docks. Designing such a network requires balancing efficiency and adaptability. Conveyors impose fixed paths, which can make layouts rigid, but they also create predictable and reliable flows. The challenge is to avoid bottlenecks: if one conveyor in the network slows or stops, it can disrupt the entire chain. This is why redundancy, buffering, and careful traffic management are necessary. Smart routing systems and control software now allow conveyor networks to adjust dynamically, ensuring that items reach the right place without unnecessary delays.
Automating palletising
A particularly impactful use of conveyors is in automating palletising, the process of stacking goods on pallets for storage or shipment. Conveyors can deliver cartons or products to robotic arms or automated palletisers, which then arrange them into stable layers. This automation reduces manual labour, improves consistency in pallet loads, and accelerates outbound logistics. In many facilities, conveyors even feed finished pallets into stretch-wrapping stations and then directly to shipping docks. The result is a seamless link between production and distribution, where human intervention is minimised, and throughput is maximised.
Best practices in conveyance
Baudin and Netland emphasise that successful conveyor use requires more than simply installing equipment. Best practices include:
- Design for flow, not just movement. Conveyors should serve the logic of production, ensuring that materials arrive where and when they are needed, without excess accumulation or waiting.
- Avoid over-conveying. Too many conveyors can lock a plant into a rigid layout, making it harder to adapt to new product mixes or workflows. Selective use ensures flexibility.
- Integrate safety and ergonomics. Conveyors must be equipped with guards, emergency stops, and accessible maintenance points. Their design should reduce strain on workers rather than create hazards.
- Balance automation with human oversight. While conveyors can automate large parts of material handling, human supervision remains necessary for exceptions, troubleshooting, and quality control.
- Maintain proactively. Preventive maintenance schedules are critical, as conveyor breakdowns can halt entire lines. Lubrication, belt tension, and sensor calibration should be part of routine practice.
In essence, conveyors represent both opportunity and constraint. They excel at moving large volumes with reliability and speed, yet they also demand careful planning to avoid locking the factory into rigid patterns. When deployed thoughtfully, with attention to flow, ergonomics, and adaptability, conveyors can transform material handling from a bottleneck into a silent enabler of efficiency.
Intralogistics technology: Forklifts and pallet jacks
While conveyors provide fixed paths for material flow, forklifts and pallet jacks deliver flexibility and mobility within the factory and warehouse. Both are designed to move palletised goods, yet they differ significantly in scale, power, and application.
A pallet jack, sometimes called a pallet truck, is the simplest form of pallet handling equipment. Typically operated manually, it consists of a handle, wheels, and forks that slide under a pallet. By pumping the handle, the operator raises the load just enough to roll it across short distances. Pallet jacks are inexpensive, easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces, and ideal for moving light to moderate loads inside warehouses, staging areas, or production cells. Their limitation lies in range and lifting capacity: they are not suited for heavy loads, stacking, or transport over long distances.
Forklifts address these limitations by combining hydraulic lifting with powered drive systems. Equipped with counterweights, masts, and forks, forklifts can raise pallets to significant heights, making them indispensable for racking systems and multi-level storage. Their engines—electric or combustion—provide the strength to move heavy loads and operate across larger facilities, including outdoor yards. Modern forklifts often include safety sensors, ergonomic controls, and energy-efficient powertrains.
The advantage of forklifts and pallet jacks lies in their adaptability. Unlike conveyors, they are not bound to fixed routes, enabling operators to respond quickly to changing production needs, reconfigurations, or irregular material flows. Together, they form the versatile, human-driven counterpart to automated logistics systems, balancing flexibility with reliability in material handling.
Intralogistics technology: Pushcarts
Pushcarts represent one of the most basic yet enduring tools in material handling. Unlike forklifts or pallet jacks, which are built specifically for palletised goods, pushcarts are versatile platforms designed to carry a wide variety of loads. They consist of a flat or tiered frame mounted on wheels, often with handles that allow operators to manually push or pull them through production areas, warehouses, or assembly lines. Their simplicity is their greatest strength: pushcarts require no power, minimal training, and can be adapted to different types of goods, from small parts bins to packaged components.
In manufacturing, pushcarts are especially useful for supplying workstations with parts and tools or for collecting finished goods in small batches. They support lean practices such as just-in-time delivery by enabling operators to move only the necessary quantities to the point of use (see also: auto identification technology). Many pushcarts are designed with modular frames or shelving, allowing companies to customise them for specific workflows. Because they rely on human force, their range and capacity are limited compared to powered vehicles, but they excel in environments where flexibility and low cost are priorities.
The advantages of pushcarts extend beyond economics. They are easy to manoeuvre in narrow aisles, produce no emissions, and contribute to a safer and quieter shop floor compared to motorised equipment. Their low maintenance needs and long service life make them a reliable complement to more advanced handling technologies. In essence, pushcarts remain a humble but effective link in the chain of factory logistics.
Intralogistics technology: Tuggers and trains of tow-carts
Tuggers and tow-cart systems extend the idea of pushcarts by introducing powered pulling and the ability to move multiple loads at once. A tugger is essentially a small tractor designed to tow carts connected in a sequence, forming what is often called a “train.” Each tow-cart carries materials, components, or bins, and together they allow large volumes to be transported efficiently along a defined route. Unlike forklifts, which handle single loads with flexibility, tuggers specialise in repetitive, loop-based delivery of multiple loads, making them well-suited for structured production environments.
In practice, tugger trains are often used in assembly plants to feed production lines with parts (see also: pick by light system). Instead of moving pallets directly to each workstation, materials are distributed in smaller, more manageable batches, reducing inventory on the shop floor. This aligns with lean manufacturing principles, as it minimises clutter, shortens travel distances for workers, and ensures that only the needed parts are supplied at the right time.
Tow-carts themselves can be designed in many forms: flatbeds, racks, or customised frames for specific components. Their modularity allows plants to adapt tugger-trains to diverse product mixes. The advantages include higher efficiency compared to multiple forklifts, reduced traffic congestion, and improved safety. Operators can deliver to several points in a single route, lowering both labour and equipment costs.
Tuggers and tow-cart trains therefore represent a middle ground between manual carts and fully automated guided vehicles: structured, scalable, and highly effective in repetitive material flow.
Intralogistics technology: Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
Automated Guided Vehicles, or AGVs, represent a major step toward automation in internal logistics. Unlike forklifts, pushcarts, or tugger trains, AGVs navigate the factory or warehouse floor without human drivers. They follow predefined routes, often guided by magnetic strips, embedded wires, reflectors, or, in more advanced models, laser and vision-based navigation systems. Their purpose is to move materials—whether pallets, bins, or carts—between designated points with minimal human intervention, ensuring predictable and continuous flows.
AGVs excel in environments where transport tasks are repetitive and volumes are high. For example, they can deliver raw materials to production lines, shuttle work-in-progress between assembly cells, or transfer finished goods to storage and shipping areas. By automating these tasks, companies reduce reliance on manual labour, limit the risk of accidents, and ensure greater consistency in delivery times. The vehicles themselves vary in form: some resemble small forklifts capable of lifting pallets, while others are tugger-style units pulling multiple carts.
The advantages of AGVs extend beyond labour savings. They integrate with warehouse management and manufacturing execution systems, enabling real-time tracking of material movements and coordination with production schedules. Their predictable operation also contributes to safer workplaces, as they follow programmed paths at controlled speeds. However, AGVs require careful infrastructure planning and regular maintenance to prevent disruptions, and their fixed routes can limit flexibility compared to human-operated vehicles.
In essence, AGVs provide a scalable solution for plants aiming to increase efficiency and reliability in material handling, bridging the gap between conventional equipment and fully autonomous logistics.
FAQ: Intralogistics technology
What is intralogistics technology?
Intralogistics technology refers to the systems and tools used to manage the flow of materials within a factory or warehouse. It includes equipment such as conveyors, forklifts, pushcarts, tugger trains, and automated guided vehicles, as well as digital solutions for tracking and coordinating these flows. The goal is to move goods efficiently, safely, and at the right time to support production and distribution.
How does intralogistics improve manufacturing efficiency?
By automating repetitive tasks, reducing manual handling, and providing digital visibility, intralogistics technology ensures that materials are always available where they are needed. This reduces downtime, minimises inventory buffers, and allows production lines to run more smoothly. Efficiency also comes from safer operations, better use of space, and quicker responses to disruptions.
Is full automation necessary for intralogistics success?
Not necessarily. Many manufacturers achieve strong results with semi-automation, combining human flexibility with digital support and selective automation. Systems such as tugger trains, AGVs, or smart conveyors work best when integrated with human oversight and digital tracking. This balance often provides more adaptability than a fully automated system, which can be costly and less flexible in changing production environments.
Takeaway: The potential of semi-automated intralogistics
The future of intralogistics lies not in fully replacing human effort, but in blending manual flexibility with the precision of automation. Semi-automated systems—whether conveyors feeding palletisers, tuggers supplying assembly lines, or AGVs handling repetitive transfers—demonstrate how efficiency gains can be achieved without sacrificing adaptability. The real power comes from digital visibility and identification technologies, such as barcode scanning, RFID, and integrated software platforms. These tools allow managers to monitor flows in real time, anticipate bottlenecks, and make data-driven adjustments. By combining human judgment with digital transparency and controlled automation, manufacturers create resilient systems that are both efficient and responsive. In this balance of technology and people, intralogistics evolves from a background function into a driver of competitiveness.
Delve deeper into one of our core topics: Real time location system
Pallets are standardised load carriers designed to support goods during storage and transport. Constructed from wood, plastic, or metal, they enable products to be consolidated into unit loads, which can then be moved efficiently with forklifts, pallet jacks, or automated systems. By providing stability and uniform handling dimensions, pallets reduce manual effort, streamline warehousing operations, and facilitate global trade. They are fundamental to modern logistics and supply chain management. (2)
References:
(1) Baudin, M., & Netland, T. (2022). Introduction to Manufacturing. Routledge.
(2) ASTM International. (2011). Standard Terminology Relating to Pallets, Pallet Components, and Palletized Unit Loads (ASTM D996-11). ASTM International.
Note: This article was partly created with the assistance of artificial intelligence to support drafting. The head image was generated by AI.
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