Good news for industrial logisticians ! An innovative French SME markets a forklift that goes all alone in the maze of a warehouse, without driver. BALYO has developed an automation kit that fits on the truck market and responds to a remote driver software, coordinating their movements by géoguidage .
To implement this technology and enable its deployment on an industrial scale, two founders, Thomas Duval and Raul Bravo, spent seven years of research and development. The company, which has 43 employees and expects 4 million euros turnover in 2014 (against 1.6 million in 2013), aims to profitability in 2015. “Knowing one million forklifts are sold worldwide each year and a significant portion is intended to be automated , the prospects are substantial , “said Fabien Bardinet.
The cost will not be an obstacle, as the solution ensures a return on investment in twelve to eighteen months. For now, BALYO , which already exports 40 % of its production to Europe, has opened a subsidiary in the United States, a market that represents a huge potential, and where competition is embryonic.
Source: Les Echos
