Conveyor Systems & Material Handling Automation Guide

Q: Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)

Learn more about automated guided vehicles (agvs) for your manufacturing sourcing needs in China.

Material handling — conveyors, AGVs, AS/RS — is often the first step toward factory automation. Efficient material flow directly impacts throughput and labor requirements.

Conveyor Types

Type	Best For	Speed	Cost ¥/m
Belt Conveyor	Small-medium parts, fragile	5-60 m/min	500-2,000
Roller Conveyor	Heavy boxes, pallets	10-40 m/min	800-3,000
Chain Conveyor	Heavy loads, high temp	3-20 m/min	1,200-4,000
Screw Conveyor	Bulk materials, powders	0.5-5 m/min	600-2,500

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)

AGVs are increasingly popular in Chinese factories for intralogistics: magnetic tape guidance (¥50K-150K), laser SLAM (¥150K-400K), QR code positioning, and AI-based natural navigation.

AS/RS Solutions

Mini-load: bins, 3-15m, ¥500K-2M/aisle
Unit-load: pallets, 10-30m, ¥2M-8M/aisle
Shuttle: high throughput, ¥3M-10M
Vertical lift modules: compact, ¥200K-800K

Flow Optimization Tips

Map all movements before designing
Aim for straight-line flow
Use buffers between processes
Implement andon for shortages
Consider modular future expansion

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