CTC and ROBO-HI Partner to Automate Ultra-Heavy Material Transportation
Accelerating Digital Transformation in Heavy Manufacturing
Heavy industries such as shipbuilding, steel production, heavy machinery, and construction equipment manufacturing continue to rely heavily on manual transportation for products and components weighing tens or even hundreds of tons.
To address labor shortages and improve operational efficiency, Itochu Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ROBO-HI Corportation have announced a strategic partnership to promote the automation and labor-saving of ultra-heavy material transportation across large-scale manufacturing facilities.
Challenges in Ultra-Heavy Material Transportation
Although autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) have become increasingly common in manufacturing, deploying them in heavy industries remains challenging.
Products weighing tens or hundreds of tons exceed the capacity of conventional AGVs, leaving many transportation processes dependent on manual operations.
In addition, poor coordination between transportation and downstream production processes often results in unnecessary waiting time, reducing overall production efficiency.
A Joint Solution from CTC and ROBO-HI
Through this partnership, the two companies will jointly support manufacturers in planning and implementing autonomous transportation systems.
The solution combines:
- ROBO-HI’s ultra-heavy AGVs with payload capacities ranging from 50 to 200 tons
- ROBO-HI® OS, a centralized platform for managing multiple robots and autonomous vehicles
- CTC’s expertise in system integration, cloud technologies, and IT infrastructure
Together, the companies will optimize transportation routes, factory layouts, workflow design, and system integration to improve material flow throughout manufacturing facilities.
Roles of Each Company
CTC
CTC will contribute its expertise in manufacturing IT by:
- Analyzing operational requirements
- Designing system architectures
- Integrating AGVs with production management systems and factory equipment
- Supporting cloud-based infrastructure and system implementation
ROBO-HI
ROBO-HI will provide:
- Ultra-heavy AGVs with payload capacities of 50–200 tons
- ROBO-HI® OS for centralized robot fleet management
- Vehicle selection based on transportation requirements
- Technical support for route planning and workflow design
Leveraging more than 20 years of experience in robotics and autonomous vehicle development, ROBO-HI will help customers deploy reliable and efficient autonomous transportation solutions.
Driving the Future of Smart Manufacturing
The two companies will continue advancing ongoing implementation projects across industries including:
- Heavy manufacturing
- Shipbuilding
- Steel production
- Construction machinery
By applying the knowledge gained from these projects, CTC and ROBO-HI plan to expand their robotics solution portfolio, strengthen operation and maintenance services, and accelerate the adoption of autonomous transportation technologies across a broader range of manufacturing facilities.
