This is the first post in a series on standardizing your company's AGV/AMR fleet manager software. Read the following posts about how to write a fleet manager RFI, RFP or RFQ. Alternatively, download our free RFI/P/Q templates.
Why partner with a single AGV/AMR fleet manager supplier?
There are several challenges large companies are facing today that drive them to consider partnering with a single fleet management software supplier.
- Companies often have very different AGV and AMR projects in operation – or at the testing stage – at different plants or warehouses. These operations can feature different types and brands of automated vehicle from site to site, which are in turn controlled by different brands of fleet supervisor software. This means the technical teams at these sites have very different fleet management competencies and experience, and controlling and supporting these operations at a regional or global level is almost impossible.
- At a single site level, companies often have different brands of new and legacy AGVs/AMRs in operation, which are usually unable to function together in one interoperable fleet. These different brands of vehicle usually run on different fleet managers, meaning different vehicle paths are required on-site (creating space issues), traffic management is difficult if not impossible (with operation-stopping deadlocks common), plus on-site teams must learn several different software platforms, and fleet manager-to-ERP/WMS/MES software integrations are highly complex. In short, these diverse, complicated installations are highly inefficient.
By contrast, modern AGV/AMR fleet management software solutions - such as ANT server by BlueBotics – can manage a diverse array of vehicle brands. This software can be supported either at a single site level (e.g. by the lead vehicle supplier) or additionally at a regional, or even global, level by the software vendor directly.
The potential benefits of choosing this single supplier approach are:
- Improved knowledge retention and lower training costs: with just one fleet management software on-site there are fewer systems to learn and a lower risk of losing vital operational knowledge due to staff turnover.
- Simplified installation management and maintenance: allowing regional or global automation teams to better manage risk.
- Reduced space demands: just one set of virtual vehicle paths per site.
- Higher throughput: due to smoother handling of traffic control and different mission types.
- Reduced cyber security risk: just one fleet platform to monitor and maintain.
- Easier vehicle sourcing: ability to buy AGVs only from the most suitable vendors, with no compromise on quality.
- Interoperability made easy: operate different types and brands of vehicle, seamlessly in the same fleet, without needing high levels of custom programming.
- Simple support: One global point of contact for high-level fleet manager assistance.
- Lower short- and long-term costs: fewer interfaces and communication protocols mean simpler integration and improved operational reliability.
How to identify potential AGV/AMR fleet manager partners
Before you begin an official procurement process and start writing documents such as a basic Request for Information (RFI), a more detailed Request for Proposal (RFP), or a full Request for Quote (RFQ), it is important to first create a starter list of potential AGV/AMR fleet manager suppliers.
Broadly speaking there are three categories of fleet management software provider on the market today:
1. Standalone fleet manager software suppliers. These companies do not produce automated vehicles and usually do not produce the autonomous navigation technologies that drive AGVs and AMRs either. They produce the fleet manager software only.
2. AGV/AMR automation technology suppliers such as BlueBotics. These companies often produce a fleet management product alongside the embedded software they supply (to vehicle makers) and their related vehicle and mission configuration tools.
3. AGV and AMR vehicle suppliers. These have, in most cases, developed a fleet manager product to specifically manage their own-brand vehicle installations.
The first category are obviously potential partners. Some suppliers in the second category – such as BlueBotics – are strong contenders also, providing their fleet managers are capable of multi-brand operation (interoperability). In most cases, however, the fleet managers of single-brand vehicle suppliers are not designed to manage the operations of other brands of vehicle.
When starting your supplier research, Google (and YouTube) are obviously logical starting points. Some common search phrases might include: AGV/AMR fleet manager, fleet supervisor, fleet controller, fleet software, multi-brand fleet manager etc.
In addition, it could be useful to supplement this online research with in-person fact finding by visiting exhibitions, especially those with a logistics theme (e.g. MODEX/LogiMAT etc.) and/or those related to robotics and automation (e.g. Automate (US)/Automatica (DE).
First list completed?
Once you have a starter list of potential suppliers, it is time to reach out to these for further information. There are various established procurement processes that can help, depending on the experience and existing knowledge present in your team.
What is an RFI/RFP/RFQ?
RFIs, RFPs and RFQs are different types of procurement document – each one more detailed than the last – that you can utilize to move efficiently through the process of choosing a fleet manager partner. These documents are defined below.
Request For Information (RFI)
Think of an RFI as a fact-finding document. Its goal is to collect relatively high-level information about the vendor solutions currently available on the market.
In an RFI, a company will generally outline the business challenges it is facing, leaving potential suppliers to (slightly) customize the information they send back in response to those challenges. The level of detail expected however is low.
- Send to: 5-15 vendors
- Read: How to write an AGV/AMR fleet manager RFI
Request For Proposal (RFP)
Think of an RFP as the document you use to collect details of vendor solutions that specifically address your company’s fleet management needs. From your side, enough detail must be provided in the RFP for potential partners to propose relevant, detailed solutions. However, at this stage, pricing and exact technical specifications do not need to be included.
- Send to: 3-5 vendors
- Read: How to write an AGV/AMR fleet manager RFP
- Download: AGV/AMR Fleet Manager RFP Template
Request For Quote (RFQ)
Think of an RFQ as the document (or often documents) on which your team’s final partner choice will be based.
An RFQ requires potential partners to submit a highly detailed proposal, with related pricing, based on your company’s predetermined specifications. A vendor should mention any custom development required, and how much this costs, along with explaining how they will support their product across different regions and providing details of any related third-party partners.
The process of a vendor responding to an RFP can involve several emails and calls as a vendor looks to fully understand your requirements, and your team the vendor’s proposal.
- Send to: 2-3 vendors
- Read: How to write an AGV/AMR fleet manager RFQ
- Download: AGV/AMR Fleet Manager RFQ Template
Which type of request document should you use for your fleet manager procurement?
The choice of which document type to use depends on a few key factors:
- Your and your team’s knowledge of fleet manager technology and how it works.
- Your knowledge of the suppliers on the market, and the differences between them and their respective technologies.
- The status of your AGV/AMR and fleet manager strategy: do you already know your technical requirements, what sites are potential candidates for the roll-out of this tech, what vehicles and supervisory software these sites use today, any potential software integrations required and so on?
It is not necessary to go through the entire process of collecting RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs; the more advanced your team’s fleet supervisor knowledge and research, the further along in the process of RFI, RFP, RFQ you can begin.
In the context of your company choosing an AGV/AMR fleet manager partner, here are some recommendations:
- If you and your team have limited fleet manager knowledge and are truly at the learning stage with this technology, a Request for Information (RFI) could be the right approach.
- If, however, you or your team already have some knowledge of fleet manager technology and providers, a Request for Proposal (RFP) is probably the most logical starting point.
- If you have deep knowledge of how fleet managers work, you have existing contacts within what are already preferred fleet manager partners, and you know both the scope of your likely project and your company’s detailed technical requirements, it could make sense to start working directly on a Request for Quote (RFQ) approach.
6 things to do before starting an AGV/AMR fleet manager procurement process
It is important to clearly define your company’s fleet management needs with your team before embarking on any procurement process and the writing of RFI/P/Qs. This will avoid inefficient back and forth with vendors later and reduce frustration all round.
Specifically, here are six key factors to nail down before your team begins reaching out to potential fleet manager partners:
1. Define your project team: who is the leader, their backup, supporting subject matter experts etc.?
2. Define your project phases and timeline.
3. Clarify objectives: if the procurement is successful, what will that look like? Pinpoint a specific business case, whether it is a specific return on investment, throughput increase, fewer incidents, or the mitigation of risk. If required, do some initial market research to strengthen your understanding before defining objectives, to ensure they are realistic.
4. Define processes: detail each process slated for automation, including the type of payload being transported, its weight, pick and drop logic, storage heights, etc. This breakdown will enable fruitful discussions with vendors and help you identify suitable vehicles for your application needs.
5. Agree key steps: define internal processes and stakeholders, then confirm your preferred engagement milestones (such as when you will send any RFI/P/Q documents, review these, hold vendor calls etc.) which can be used to pace your interactions with fleet manager vendors.
6. Define your first pilot project: Identify the project’s starting point, key learning objectives, the minimum scope of work, essential benefits to be delivered, additional advantages, and a project timeline. This level of detailed planning will greatly aid the collaboration between your team and fleet manager vendor(s).
4 mistakes to avoid when selecting an AGV/AMR fleet manager supplier
It can help to be aware of the most common mistakes companies make when researching fleet manager suppliers. This way you can avoid making the same errors and embark on the most efficient process possible.
1. Ignoring vendor questions and feedback
It is important to answer vendor questions promptly and comprehensively. If vendors need to wait to have their questions answered, or they receive confusing, partial responses, this can lead to both delayed RFI/P/Q submissions and frustration on their part; not a great start to any potential partnership. Equally, when vendors give you feedback on the information you provide, or question your requirements, be sure to take this on board – especially if multiple vendors give you the same feedback. They likely have deep industry experience, which merits consideration.
2. Writing complicated, unclear RFI/P/Q documents
When writing request documents on such a high-tech topic – especially at the most detailed RFQ stage – it is easy to fall into the trap of generating complicated and unclear information that only you and your team understand. Therefore, it is essential to keep things as simple as possible, so: use clear language; check what you write carefully yourself (reading out loud is the best proofreading method); and – crucially – have others read any documents you produce ‘with the eyes of an outsider’, such as a colleague from outside your department. Anything you can do to escape ‘the curse of knowledge’ (that is, your insider knowledge, which only you know) leaking onto the page is a benefit. The more unclear the information you produce now (acronyms included), the more back and forth clarification emails and calls with vendors this is likely to generate.
3. Overemphasizing price
Price is obviously an important factor, however it should not be your team’s primary focus. Product functionality, quality, and partner expertise are all equally important, and all of these can lead to problems and unforeseen costs later if not in line with expectations.
4. Having no clear business case in mind
The procurement process will involve lengthy discussions and plenty of internal and vendor meetings, so you’ll want to ensure the process yields tangible business benefits. Therefore, it's crucial to engage team members and vendors alike with a well-defined business case, outlining objectives in terms of time, risk, cost, and health benefits.
Meet ANT server
ANT server is BlueBotics' powerful AGV & AMR mission and fleet management software. This proven tool is used to control and manage interoperable fleets of ‘ANT driven’ and/or VDA 5050-based vehicles.
