Cost and Benefit Analysis of Unmanned Forklifts: The Core Engine of Intelligent Logistics

This paper focuses on the comparison between unmanned forklift trucks (AGV) and manual forklift trucks in terms of initial investment, operating costs, efficiency improvement, safety and security, etc.. It systematically presents its comprehensive benefits in the manufacturing and logistics industries. Analysing typical application scenarios and future development trends demonstrates the significant advantages of unmanned forklifts in terms of cost reduction, efficiency improvement, safety and flexible operation capabilities. At the same time, the AiTEN robot is used as an example to illustrate how intelligent handling equipment empowers enterprises to achieve the strategic upgrade from ‘cost centre’ to ‘efficiency centre’.

I Cost Structure Analysis

1. Initial Investment Cost

Unmanned forklift (AGV): the price of unmanned forklift varies depending on the brand, model, function and configuration, generally ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of US dollars, and high-performance models can reach hundreds of thousands of US dollars (e.g., laser navigation, multi-sensor fusion of high-end models), and the price is mainly affected by the load capacity, navigation technology (laser, vision, etc.) and the degree of intelligence.

Manual forklift trucks: the cost of a single unit of equipment is relatively low, but you need to pay additional annual driver salary (including social security and management fees).

2. Long-Term Operating Costs

Unmanned forklift:‍

• Maintenance cost: about 10% of the price of the equipment/year, its complex electronic systems and precision mechanical components require more professional maintenance
• Energy consumption: The cost of electric drive is significantly lower than that of a fuel forklift, and there is no exhaust gas pollution.
• Hidden Costs: A one-time investment is required for the scheduling system or warehouse layout modification costs, which is a one-time cost.

Manual forklift trucks:

• Recruitment and Training: Repeated recruitment and training costs due to staff turnover.
• Accident Compensation: High risk of human-operated accidents, which may result in high compensation.

II. Analysis of Benefit Advantages

1. Efficiency Enhancement‍

• 24-hour continuous operation: AiTEN unmanned forklift can operate continuously for 7 * 24 hours, the efficiency is 3-5 times higher than that of manual labour, and the average daily handling volume is more than 100 times.
• Precise operation: AiTEN  unmanned forklift trucks through LiDAR, vision navigation and other technologies, with cargo handling accuracy of ± 10mm, reducing cargo damage, warehouse throughput by more than 30%.
• Automated scheduling: 1 person can manage multiple forklifts, supporting cross-scene scheduling and seamless docking with MES and WMS systems to optimise the overall logistics beat.

2. Safety and Reliability

• Multiple safety protection: Equipped with laser radar, emergency stop button, safety protection algorithm, etc., it realises 360° safety protection and automatically adjusts the route in case of obstacles, so the accident rate is greatly reduced.
• Stable operation: Unaffected by personnel fatigue and skill fluctuations, the yield rate is increased to 99.99%.

3. Long-Term Economic Returns

• Return on investment cycle: In a typical scenario, one unmanned forklift replaces multiple drivers, assuming the equipment cost is 150,000 RMB, the annual manpower cost saving is 150,000 RMB, and the payback cycle is about 1.5-2 years, which can be shortened to 1 year if it is used in double-shift or multi-shift production.
• Additional benefits: enhance the intelligent image of the enterprise, optimise the flexibility of the warehouse layout (e.g. to adapt to special environments such as cold storage, chemical industry, etc.), and reduce the risk of supply chain disruption due to accidents.
• Significant economic benefits: relevant data show that logistics enterprises adopting unmanned forklift distribution can reduce their distribution costs by about 20%.

4. Enhanced Scenario Adaptability

Unmanned forklifts are suitable for large-scale warehousing, repetitive task scenarios, such as e-commerce logistics, but also in high-risk environments (e.g., cold storage, chemical scenarios) or in dark / poorly lit areas.

Ⅲ. The Recommended Scenarios for Using Unmanned Forklifts

1. Large-scale warehousing and repetitive tasks: e.g. e-commerce logistics, automobile manufacturing, etc., to improve efficiency through high throughput and precise handling.

2. High-risk or high-precision operations: cold storage, chemical industry, dark areas, etc., or production line distribution that requires high-precision operations to avoid the risk of human error.

3. For multi-shift production, cost recovery can be achieved by shortening the payback period to less than 1 year.

4. Multi-equipment co-operation: support for cluster scheduling (e.g. hundreds of unmanned forklifts running synchronously), suitable for semiconductor packaging and other high-precision industrial scenarios.

Ⅳ. The Future Trend

1. Modular design: promotes customised cost reduction, adapts to new energy, photovoltaic and other industry needs

2. Technology integration: AI big model and digital twin combination, improve end-to-end decision-making efficiency. 

Conclusion

Unmanned forklift trucks are driven by the dual-wheel drive of ‘cost reduction + efficiency’, which is especially suitable for large-scale enterprises, high annual warehouse throughput, rising labour costs or recruitment difficulties, and the need to improve safety and operational accuracy. Unmanned forklifts have become a core tool for the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing and logistics industries, particularly in scenarios with high annual warehouse throughput, rising manpower costs or recruitment difficulties, and the need to improve safety and operational precision. Although the initial investment is high, its long-term benefits (efficiency improvement, safety upgrade, flexible adaptation) are significantly better than artificial forklifts. Enterprises can choose the appropriate intelligent path according to their scale, scene needs and technology maturity, to achieve the transformation from ‘cost centre’ to ‘efficiency centre’. In the future, with the technology iteration and cost reduction, the unmanned forklift will accelerate the penetration of more industries, promoting logistics automation to a new stage.

As an enterprise in the field of intelligent logistics solutions, AiTEN always focuses on the ‘intelligent factory’ scenario, deeply integrates technological innovation and industry demand, and has provided comprehensive services for more than 200 manufacturing customers around the world: relying on the full series of AGV unmanned forklift product matrix to cover a variety of handling scenarios, and self-researching industry-level intelligent scheduling system to achieve efficient multi-equipment handling. Intelligent scheduling system to achieve efficient collaboration of multiple equipment, and through the full life cycle service system covering pre-sales planning, deployment and implementation to operation and maintenance optimisation, to help enterprises achieve intelligent transformation of warehousing and logistics, and continue to empower the manufacturing industry with digital upgrading and high-quality development.

If you want to explore solutions for your smart factory, please contact us, and we will provide you with free feasibility analysis based on your operational situation.