In manufacturing, the greatest margins for improvement do not lie only in product transformation stages. Very often, the real bottlenecks are found in internal material flows: repetitive handling, waiting times between stages, inconsistent vehicle availability and operators tied up in low-value-added tasks. It is in this operational space, less visible but decisive, that a significant part of production efficiency is determined.
For companies with complex production systems, continuous rhythms and open layouts, intralogistics is not simply a support service. It is a structural component of the process. When pallet flow is not consistent, lines slow down, micro-stoppages accumulate, misalignments between departments increase and operational pressure on people grows.
This is the concrete need behind the project developed by Vibo at its Trissino plant in Italy where the company introduced the MiR1200 Pallet Jack, an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) designed for the automatic transport of pallets weighing up to 1,200 kg that travels at up to 1.5 m per sec. The goal was to solve a specific problem: Make pallet handling in the assembly area more continuous, safe and flexible without making the layout more rigid or taking operating space away from people.
“The configuration of the Pallet Jack proved to be relatively simple,” says Alessandro Boschetto, operation manager at Vibo. “During the setup, the operator only needs to set the start point and the end point. After that, the Pallet Jack’s software automatically calculates the best route within a predefined area, avoiding any obstacles and people along the way, which makes it both collaborative and safe.”
Constant coordination
Vibo has been operating for 45 years in the design and production of accessories and technical furnishing solutions. Over time, the company has built a broad and integrated production system based on the expansion of industrial capacity and the internalization of strategic processes. Wood, sheet metal, molding, turning and robotics coexist in a structure that requires constant coordination between departments, continuity of flows and the ability to adapt.
In this type of industrial organization, efficiency depends on the speed of individual processes. It also depends on the quality of the connections between one stage and the next. That is why internal logistics also become a full production factor.
Vibo had already embarked on a gradual automation journey with the installation of its first robot dating back to 2000 and the adoption of an MES in 2007. More recently, collaborative robotic solutions were introduced, including two UR20 cobots from Universal Robots used in palletizing processes. This path consolidated a technical culture oriented toward innovation but also made one critical point more evident: Internal material handling remained one of the least automated activities and one of the most exposed to inefficiencies.
At the Trissino plant dedicated to assembly operations, pallet handling represented a crucial operational node. Internal flows had to ensure the transfer of full pallets to storage areas and the return of empty pallets to assembly bays with continuity and precision. At the same time, the working environment had an important characteristic: an open layout shared by operators and vehicles where introducing traditional automation with segregated areas would have meant rigidity, additional costs and reduced flexibility.
The company already operated a fleet of electric forklifts driven by operators. However, this setup had some limitations. Charging cycles left parts of the shift uncovered making operational coverage not constant. In addition, using people for repetitive transport tasks took time away from more qualified activities that were more useful for process control. This led to the decision to look for a solution capable of operating autonomously 24/7 and being integrated safely into a dynamic environment without requiring invasive structural modifications.
A new solution
In 2025, after evaluating several suppliers, Vibo chose the MiR1200 Pallet Jack. The distinctive aspect of the solution lies in its load capacity, speed and ability to work in variable settings where pallets, spaces, obstacles and operating conditions are not perfectly standardized.
“The Pallet Jack can identify any type of pallet, regardless of size and type,” Boschetto says. “It can also retrieve pallets that are high up from storage without the need for different dispensers for all the pallet formats used.”
In Vibo’s case, this characteristic was decisive because the plant uses various pallet formats every day, from 80-cm-by-120-cm EUR pallets to 100-cm-by-120-cm EPAL pallets, and requires reliable handling of different loads within an active production area. The MiR1200 Pallet Jack uses an AI-based perception system designed to quickly recognize standard and shrink-wrapped pallets.
Alongside AI-based perception, the robot integrates a high-capacity battery and an opportunity charging system – a charging station specifically for short routine stops – that helps maintain high vehicle availability throughout the day. This element carries real weight in productivity terms because it limits operational interruptions and makes it possible to distribute charging in a way that supports flows rather than concentrating long stops at critical moments.
The robot was not implemented as a separate element isolated from the context but as part of an open ecosystem shared with operators and assembly activities. The compact dimensions of the Pallet Jack made it possible to use it in complex industrial areas while maintaining good maneuverability.
At the same time, the tiller, which allows manual driving, proved to be an important adoption factor. It made the vehicle immediately understandable to those with experience using traditional pallet trucks and forklifts, and it proved useful during the initial implementation phases for registering pallet pick-up and drop-off points.
This aspect is more important than it may seem. In the startup phase of a new automation system, the possibility of combining system autonomy with manual intervention facilitates process fine-tuning, reduces the perceived distance between people and technology, and speeds up the creation of operational familiarity.
Ergonomics and acceptance
At Vibo, the initial phase was accompanied by understandable hesitation. This is a frequent dynamic in technological transition processes: Automation is observed with caution until, in daily practice, it proves useful, reliable and consistent with people’s work.
“Just one week after acquiring the Pallet Jack,” Boschetto says, “we’d already completed the first stage of material handling and the unit was operating across two shifts without interruption.”
By automating the most routine tasks connected to the palletizing cycle, the Pallet Jack made it possible to relieve operators from repetitive and physically demanding activities, improving the overall ergonomics of internal operations while reallocating staff to higher value-added work.
Safety was also a key factor. Choosing an AMR rather than more rigid solutions enabled Vibo to preserve an open and collaborative environment, avoid the installation of costly safety barriers and safeguard the flexibility of the plant. In other words, safety was not pursued by separating automation from people, but by designing an orderly interaction consistent with the reality of the site.
Service and support
The results recorded by Vibo can be read on several levels. The first is productivity. The vehicle’s operating autonomy and battery life helped reduce the cycle times of logistics missions. Its ability to handle different pallet formats also increased system flexibility, making the solution suitable for the day-to-day flow variability.
The second level concerns operational continuity. Having an automated vehicle capable of working 24/7 made it possible to stabilize a service that, with traditional vehicles alone, was partly constrained by charging times and people’s availability.
The third level, often underestimated, concerns service. Because Vibo was the first company in Italy to implement this machine, the work of adapting it to real production requirements was particularly important.
“We were impressed by the service provided by MiR and its distributors and they stood out for their professionalism,” Boschetto says.
Vibo’s experience clearly shows a trend affecting a growing share of manufacturing: Intralogistics automation is no longer seen as an ancillary intervention, but as a structural lever for improving efficiency, reliability and quality of work. When internal flows become more regular, the entire production system works better. Waiting times are reduced, rhythms become more stable, layout flexibility is preserved and human resources are freed from repetitive tasks.
In this sense, introducing an AMR such as the MiR1200 Pallet Jack does not simply mean replacing manual transport. It means a different organization of the process consistent with the needs for continuity, adaptability and scalability that characterize industry today.
For this reason, the Vibo case is interesting not only because of the technology chosen. It is above all relevant for the way a clearly identified operational issue was addressed – with a concrete, integrated and measurable solution. And it is precisely in this ability to connect a real problem with an observable benefit that the industrial value of automation can be measured.
Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR)
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