REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift Deployed At Zhejiang Lighting Factory: 140–180 Daily Transport Tasks

REEMAN CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY | ZHEJIANG, CHINA

REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift Deployed at Zhejiang Lighting Factory: 140–180 Daily Transport Tasks

At a lighting equipment manufacturing facility in Zhejiang Province, China, the REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift has been deployed for daily warehouse material transportation.

The forklift transports palletized lighting products between a covered outdoor storage area and an indoor warehouse, reducing the need for workers to repeatedly drive a forklift along the same transportation route.

The on-site deployment was completed in approximately one day. In actual operation, the forklift handles pallet loads of up to approximately 600 kg, travels along a route of approximately 100 meters one way, and performs around 140–180 transport tasks per day.

The project also involved a practical challenge: temporarily stored goods occupied part of the originally planned transportation route. REEMAN engineers worked with the customer's warehouse team to adjust the route according to actual storage arrangements and available passage space.

This real-world application demonstrates how autonomous forklift technology can be introduced into an existing manufacturing warehouse, with engineering adjustments made to accommodate actual operating conditions.

REAL PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

1. Customer Background: Lighting Equipment Manufacturing in Zhejiang

The customer is a lighting equipment manufacturer located in Zhejiang Province, China. Its warehouse operation involves the storage and transportation of packaged lighting products between different areas of the facility.

One recurring material-handling requirement is moving palletized products between a covered outdoor storage area and an indoor warehouse.

Although the transportation distance is approximately 100 meters one way, the task must be repeated frequently throughout the working day.

Before introducing autonomous transportation, these movements required manual material-handling resources. Repeatedly moving pallets along the same route occupied time that could otherwise be used for other warehouse operations.

The customer's objective was to automate this repetitive transportation process while accommodating the warehouse's existing layout, storage arrangements, and passage conditions.

To address this requirement, REEMAN introduced its Ironhide Autonomous Forklift for automatic pallet pickup, transportation, and placement at designated handling positions.

2. Project Overview: Automating Repetitive Warehouse Transportation

The REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift was deployed to handle recurring pallet movements within the customer's warehouse operation.

Instead of requiring an operator to drive every journey, the forklift follows a configured route and performs automatic pallet pickup and placement.

Actual Project Operating Data

These figures describe the reported conditions of this specific customer deployment and should not be interpreted as guaranteed performance for every warehouse.

3. How Does the Forklift Operate at the Customer's Warehouse?

The transportation process begins at a designated pallet pickup position.

Automatic Pallet Pickup

The Ironhide approaches the pallet, identifies its position, aligns the forks, and automatically lifts the goods. In this application, the transported materials consist mainly of packaged lighting products weighing up to approximately 600 kg per load.

Autonomous Transportation

After collecting the pallet, the forklift follows its configured transportation route toward the assigned destination.

The overall project includes transportation between a covered outdoor storage area and an indoor warehouse. The reported one-way distance is approximately 100 meters, with operating passages around 2–3 meters wide.

Because the customer operates an active manufacturing warehouse, the route must accommodate stored goods and provide adequate clearance for the forklift and its load.

Automatic Pallet Placement

At the delivery position, the forklift aligns with the designated placement point and lowers the pallet to complete the transportation task.

With repeated pallet movements assigned to the autonomous forklift, warehouse personnel no longer need to manually drive every journey along the configured route.

4. Real Deployment Challenge: Temporary Storage Blocked the Planned Route

The Zhejiang project was implemented in an operating warehouse rather than an empty demonstration environment.

During deployment, REEMAN engineers discovered that some temporarily stored goods occupied sections of the originally planned transportation route.

These materials reduced the available passage space and affected the forklift's intended travel path.

This is a common challenge in manufacturing warehouses, where storage arrangements and temporary inventory may change according to daily production requirements.

How Did REEMAN Engineers Resolve the Problem?

After identifying the obstruction, REEMAN engineers communicated with the customer's on-site warehouse personnel.

The team reviewed the actual goods placement, available aisles, and transportation requirements.

Based on these conditions, the engineers adjusted the configured transportation route to avoid occupied areas and maintain suitable passage clearance.

The revised route enabled the forklift to carry out its assigned transportation tasks within the existing warehouse environment.

Why Does This Matter for Other Warehouses?

For autonomous forklift applications, successful deployment requires more than navigation capability and rated load capacity.

Engineers must evaluate the actual operating environment, including:

• Available aisle width and turning clearance.
• Pallet dimensions and load positioning.
• Temporarily occupied storage areas.
• Pickup and delivery point accessibility.
• Pedestrian activity and other warehouse traffic.
• Floor surfaces and transitions between operating areas.

The Zhejiang deployment demonstrates the importance of adapting an autonomous forklift application to real warehouse conditions rather than relying only on an idealized floor plan.

5. One-Day On-Site Deployment: From Route Planning to Operation

According to the project record, REEMAN completed the on-site deployment in approximately one day.

The customer's transportation requirement was clearly defined: move palletized lighting products between designated handling positions within the warehouse operation.

The REEMAN Ironhide uses Laser SLAM navigation, allowing the forklift to navigate without requiring magnetic strips or floor-mounted QR-code markers.

This reduces the need for certain types of fixed navigation infrastructure, although route configuration and operating-condition assessment are still necessary.

In this project, the engineering team adjusted the configured route around temporarily stored goods and established a transportation path suitable for the customer's existing operating environment.

The reported one-day deployment provides a practical example of rapid commissioning for a defined warehouse transportation task.

However, the timeline should not be interpreted as a guarantee for every installation. More complex facilities may require additional preparation, traffic planning, safety validation, or integration with other warehouse systems.

6. Watch the Actual REEMAN Ironhide Warehouse Operation

The following video was recorded at one of the designated operating points within the customer's Zhejiang lighting manufacturing facility.

It shows the REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift performing an actual pallet-handling task, including automatic pickup, transportation, and placement.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/grqKh0yuaDw

Video Chapters

What Does This Video Demonstrate?

The footage provides a direct view of the forklift executing an actual material-handling sequence in the customer's warehouse.

The reported transportation distance, daily task frequency, and deployment time are based on the overall project operating data rather than being inferred from the short video.

7. Actual Operating Results: Approximately 140–180 Daily Transport Tasks

Following deployment, the REEMAN Ironhide was put into daily warehouse material transportation operation.

The reported operating frequency is approximately 140–180 transport tasks per day, with actual pallet loads reaching approximately 600 kg.

The one-way transportation distance is approximately 100 meters.

Although an individual transportation task may involve a relatively short distance, repeated pallet movements throughout the working day create a substantial material-handling workload.

By assigning this recurring task to the autonomous forklift, the customer reduces the need for workers to manually drive the vehicle on the designated route.

Three Practical Outcomes

The project record does not establish an exact percentage improvement in productivity or a measured number of labor hours eliminated. Such results would require comparison with the customer's previous manual handling process.

8. Why Was the REEMAN Ironhide Suitable for This Application?

The REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift is designed for automated pallet handling in manufacturing facilities and warehouses.

The model has a rated load capacity of 1,500 kg. In the Zhejiang lighting manufacturing project, the actual transported loads reached approximately 600 kg.

For this customer, the most relevant capabilities were those needed to support repetitive transportation along a defined warehouse route.

Automatic Pallet Recognition and Handling

The forklift supports automatic pallet pickup and placement at configured handling positions. Suitable pallet geometry and appropriate clearance remain important for reliable operation.

Laser SLAM Navigation

Laser SLAM navigation supports autonomous travel along configured routes without relying on floor-mounted QR-code markers or magnetic strips.

Obstacle Detection

Onboard sensing supports obstacle detection during transportation. The operating route must still provide suitable clearance and comply with the site's safety requirements.

Adaptation to Existing Warehouse Layouts

Route configuration can be adjusted according to actual warehouse conditions, as demonstrated by the engineering work carried out during the Zhejiang deployment.

Covered Outdoor-to-Indoor Transportation

The project involves a covered outdoor storage area and an indoor warehouse. Similar applications require assessment of surface transitions, floor conditions, environmental exposure, and safe passage requirements.

This project does not establish unrestricted rain-weather or all-weather outdoor operating capability.

9. What Is the Potential Economic Value of This Warehouse Application?

Frequent pallet transportation is a practical activity for manufacturers to evaluate when considering warehouse automation.

The Zhejiang project provides a workload reference of approximately 140–180 transport tasks per day.

For illustration, consider a hypothetical manufacturing facility in the United States with a fully loaded labor cost of USD 30 per hour.

Illustrative ROI Assumptions

Under these assumptions, 140–180 daily tasks would represent approximately 4.7–6 hours of recoverable labor time per day.

At USD 30 per hour and 25 working days per month, the estimated monthly labor value would be approximately USD 3,500–4,500.

Is This the Verified ROI of the Zhejiang Customer?

No. The calculation is an illustrative model for manufacturers evaluating similar applications in higher-labor-cost markets.

The two-minute labor-saving assumption is not a measured result from the Zhejiang project. Actual savings depend on how much labor time can genuinely be eliminated or productively redeployed.

The calculation also excludes freight, installation, electricity, maintenance, downtime, and other project-related costs.

Manufacturers should base their final investment decisions on actual manual handling time, staffing requirements, operating schedules, and total project expenses.

10. What Can Other Manufacturing Warehouses Learn From This Case?

The Zhejiang lighting manufacturing project highlights a common opportunity in industrial material handling.

Many factories continue to rely on manually operated forklifts for repeated transportation between storage areas, production zones, and warehouse handling points.

These tasks often follow predictable routes but must be performed frequently.

Autonomous forklifts can be considered when the transportation process is clearly defined and the operating environment supports safe automated movement.

Define the Transportation Requirement

Identify the materials, actual pallet loads, pickup and delivery positions, transportation distance, and daily task frequency.

Evaluate the Actual Warehouse Layout

Assess available aisles, turning space, temporary storage areas, and the movement of workers and other vehicles.

Adapt the Route Before Regular Operation

As shown in Zhejiang, practical engineering adjustments may be required when the planned route conflicts with existing storage arrangements.

Measure the Results Using Actual Operating Data

Deployment time, actual transported load, transportation distance, and task frequency provide a clearer basis for evaluating an autonomous forklift application than generalized efficiency claims.

The Zhejiang case is particularly relevant to lighting equipment manufacturers, electronics factories, packaging facilities, and other industrial operations involving frequent pallet transportation between designated locations.

11. Frequently Asked Questions About This Autonomous Forklift Case

Conclusion: A Real Autonomous Forklift Deployment in Zhejiang

At this Zhejiang lighting equipment manufacturing facility, the REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift has been deployed to automate recurring pallet transportation between a covered outdoor storage area and an indoor warehouse.

The reported on-site deployment was completed in approximately one day.

With actual loads reaching approximately 600 kg, a one-way transportation distance of approximately 100 meters, and around 140–180 daily transport tasks, the project provides a concrete operating reference for industrial warehouse automation.

The deployment also highlights the importance of practical engineering support.

When temporary inventory occupied part of the originally planned route, REEMAN engineers adjusted the configured transportation path to accommodate the actual warehouse conditions.

The published video captures one operating point within the project, providing a direct view of automatic pallet pickup, transportation, and placement in the customer's facility.

This customer case illustrates how autonomous forklift technology can support repetitive warehouse material handling when equipment capabilities, transportation routes, and site conditions are properly matched.

Explore REEMAN Autonomous Forklift Solutions

REEMAN provides autonomous forklift solutions and engineering support for industrial pallet transportation, warehouse automation, and manufacturing material-handling applications.

1,500 kg Rated Load Capacity | Laser SLAM Navigation | Automated Pallet Handling