REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift: Maoming Factory Elevator Integration Case

REEMAN Ironhide Autonomous Forklift Deployed at a Maoming Wire Harness Factory for Cross-Floor Material Transport

At an electronic wire harness manufacturing factory in Maoming, Guangdong Province, China, a REEMAN Ironhide 3.0 Autonomous Forklift has been deployed to transport wire materials between warehouse storage and production workshops on different floors.

The factory's everyday logistics requirement is straightforward: move palletized materials from a designated warehouse pickup point, use the building elevator, and deliver them to the required production location. The forklift now performs these stages as a coordinated transport task rather than requiring an operator to drive the load through each stage.

According to the site's operating information, the forklift transports approximately 1,000 kg of wire materials per task, travels about 100 meters one way, and completes around 65–85 cross-floor elevator transport tasks each day. These figures describe the customer's normal operating conditions, not measurements taken from the demonstration footage.

Site footage from the REEMAN Ironhide cross-floor material handling project in Maoming.

Project Background: Connecting Warehouse Storage and Production Floors

The customer manufactures electronic wire harnesses and routinely transfers wire materials from its warehouse to production areas located on other floors. Each delivery involves ground transport as well as an elevator journey. Repeating that journey manually takes time away from other warehouse and production activities.

REEMAN deployed Ironhide to connect the warehouse pickup point, elevator, and destination workshop. The project had to accommodate the existing building layout, including a relatively narrow pickup area and an elevator with defined internal dimensions.

The 1,500 kg rating is a product specification. Approximately 1,000 kg is the customer's actual material load per task. Likewise, 65–85 daily tasks should not be described as 65–85 verified complete round trips.

Real Factory Videos: Horizontal Acceptance Footage and Vertical Site Recording

The same Maoming customer deployment was documented in two video formats. The horizontal recording presents the transport sequence and elevator coordination. The vertical recording offers another short-form view of the project.

Horizontal Video: Autonomous Forklift Elevator Operation

This horizontal video was filmed during on-site engineering acceptance after deployment. It shows forklift positioning, travel toward the elevator, elevator entry and exit, and the destination sequence. The forklift does not carry its normal production material load in this recording. The film demonstrates the workflow, not a full-load transport test.

Horizontal Video Chapters

Chapters follow the previously reviewed approximately 1-minute-20-second horizontal sequence. The edited video duration is not the actual transport cycle time.

Vertical Video: Additional View of the Maoming Project

The vertical recording provides another perspective on the installed forklift at the customer facility. The horizontal and vertical videos complement the project's operating data; neither video should be interpreted as a direct measurement of daily transport volume.

How the Forklift Moves Materials Between Warehouse and Production

1. Pallet Pickup in the Warehouse

The Ironhide forklift approaches the designated pallet pickup point, aligns its forks with the load, and begins the programmed material handling task. The pickup and departure movement must fit the working space available at this location.

2. Autonomous Travel to the Elevator

After pickup, the forklift follows its configured route using Laser SLAM navigation. It reaches a waiting position near the elevator, where the transport task must be coordinated with the elevator system rather than simply continuing through an ordinary doorway.

3. Entry, Elevator Transfer and Exit

A compatible elevator interface coordinates service requests, arrival confirmation and the required conditions for entry. The forklift enters the cabin when permitted; the elevator's control system manages travel to the destination floor. When the required exit conditions are confirmed, the forklift drives out and resumes its route.

4. Delivery to the Production Workshop

At the specified production location, the forklift aligns with the delivery position, places the pallet and withdraws its forks. In daily production, this connects the warehouse pickup operation and workshop delivery without a worker manually driving the forklift through the route.

Engineering Challenge: Limited Pickup Space in an Existing Warehouse

The warehouse pickup area was relatively narrow. This matters because an autonomous forklift needs sufficient room not only to travel in a straight line, but also to approach the pallet, align the forks, lift the load and leave the pickup point.

REEMAN engineers worked with the customer to reserve adequate pallet pickup and travel clearance. This site coordination allowed the intended route to be carried out within the available layout.

For similar factories, aisle measurements should be assessed alongside pallet dimensions, overhang, turning movements and the full handling envelope. A route that fits the forklift body alone may not provide sufficient room for a loaded pallet-handling task.

How the Forklift and Elevator Systems Coordinate

Elevator integration connects the robot's navigation and task system with a compatible interface to the elevator. The forklift handles ground movement and pallet handling; the elevator's original controller remains responsible for cabin movement, door control and its own safety functions.

This is the general operating principle of robot–elevator coordination. The specific communication protocol used in the Maoming project has not been disclosed. Engineering design must also consider waiting and safe-stop behavior if elevator service, door access or status feedback is unavailable.

What Must Be Checked Before Using an Existing Elevator?

The elevator cabin at this customer facility is approximately 2.1 m long, 1.8 m wide and 2.1 m high. Those dimensions describe this installation, not a universal minimum requirement for autonomous forklifts.

• Combined load: Check the forklift, pallet, materials and any other applicable loads against elevator capacity.
• Door and cabin clearance: Measure the usable door opening separately from the internal cabin dimensions.
• Entry and exit geometry: Review waiting space, approach alignment, floor thresholds and level differences.
• Control compatibility: Confirm the available means of requesting elevator service and receiving operating status.
• Operating arrangements: Plan for other elevator users, task scheduling, blocked passages and exception handling.

A 1,000 kg material load does not mean the elevator carries only 1,000 kg: the forklift's own weight and the rest of the complete load must also be included.

Daily Operating Value: 65–85 Cross-Floor Tasks

At this factory, repeated warehouse-to-workshop deliveries are part of normal production logistics. By coordinating pickup, ground transport, elevator travel and final delivery, the autonomous forklift reduces the need for workers to repeatedly accompany material between floors.

The reported 65–85 daily tasks indicate the actual workload supported by this deployment. The figure refers to cross-floor elevator transport assignments and should not be interpreted as a verified number of full outbound-and-return journeys.

The case provides evidence of a working operational process. A quantified labor-saving percentage or payback period would require separate measurements of the factory's previous manual workflow and its total implementation costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What type of manufacturing facility uses Ironhide in this project?

A: An electronic wire harness factory in Maoming, Guangdong, China. The forklift transfers palletized wire materials between the warehouse and production workshops on different floors.

Q: How much material does the forklift carry?

A: The normal material load is approximately 1,000 kg per task. The Ironhide's rated forklift payload is 1,500 kg, which is a separate product specification.

Q: How far does the forklift travel?

A: Approximately 100 meters one way, including the cross-floor journey between the warehouse pickup point and the production delivery area.

Q: How many elevator transport tasks are completed daily?

A: The project reports approximately 65–85 cross-floor elevator transport tasks per day. This does not necessarily equal 65–85 complete round trips.

Q: Can an autonomous forklift use an elevator without a driver?

A: Yes, when the forklift and elevator have a compatible integration setup. In this application, elevator entry, floor transfer and exit are coordinated as part of the autonomous transportation workflow.

Q: Does an existing factory elevator need to be replaced?

A: Not necessarily. Suitability depends on total load capacity, cabin and door clearance, floor transitions, the available control interface and site operating requirements. Each elevator must be evaluated individually.

Q: How was the narrow warehouse pickup point addressed?

A: REEMAN engineers coordinated with the customer to reserve sufficient room for pallet approach, fork alignment, pickup and loaded departure.

Q: Why does the horizontal video show the forklift without its typical material load?

A: The horizontal recording shows the engineering acceptance sequence. It is intended to document movement and elevator coordination, while the approximately 1-ton normal load is taken from project operating information.

Q: What does the vertical video add?

A: It offers another short-form view of the same installed customer application. It does not represent a separate deployment or an independently measured throughput result.

Q: What information is needed to evaluate a similar project?

A: Manufacturers should provide pallet dimensions, material weights, warehouse and workshop layouts, route distance, elevator cabin and door dimensions, load capacity, interface availability and expected daily task frequency.

Conclusion: A Working Cross-Floor Logistics Application

The Maoming wire harness factory deployment shows how autonomous pallet handling, Laser SLAM navigation, elevator coordination and site-specific engineering can be combined into a routine manufacturing logistics workflow. It solves a practical need: moving materials from warehouse storage to production locations on different floors.

With approximately 1,000 kg transported per task, a one-way route of around 100 meters and 65–85 daily cross-floor tasks, the installation provides a concrete reference for factories evaluating elevator-connected material handling.