Master Controller | ek robotics

AGV control system for automated intralogistics

The AGV control system “Transport Manager” is the central intelligence of all automated guided vehicles in your facility. It coordinates all transport orders, plans optimal routes, and monitors the entire vehicle fleet in real time.

Intelligent algorithms for traffic control and energy management prevent bottlenecks and maximize vehicle availability.

Thanks to open interfaces, the Transport Manager integrates seamlessly into ERP, MES, and warehouse management systems, connecting all your intralogistics processes – securely, flexibly, and scalably.

Transport Manager combines transparency, scalability, and maximum user-friendliness in a modular AGV control system. The software architecture can be expanded step by step and adapted precisely to your intralogistics processes – for maximum efficiency and future-proofing.

As an on-premise solution, Transport Manager guarantees complete data sovereignty, fast response times, and operation without ongoing license costs. This gives you a control system that integrates seamlessly with your production and logistics processes.

System integration & interface management: Transport Manager connects your AGV system with machines, conveyor technology, and IT systems. Using standardized interfaces such as OPC UA, TCP-IP, or WebSocket, it ensures secure and high-performance communication between vehicles, plant control, and ERP, MES, or WMS systems. This creates a consistent, automated material flow control system—including interaction with robot cells, racks, and conveyor technology.

Real-time order monitoring: Transport Manager precisely monitors every transport order—including location, load status, and process progress. Orders can be divided into sub-steps, prioritized, or linked to follow-up orders. Thanks to real-time visualization, users have full transparency over the material flow and current system utilization at all times.

Intelligent battery and energy management: The integrated battery management system controls charging processes automatically or manually—from full charge to intermediate charge. The user interface displays the battery status, charging cycles, and remaining capacity in real time. Intelligent charging strategies ensure that all vehicles remain ready for use at all times and that energy is used efficiently.

Fleet management & vehicle monitoring: Transport Manager offers comprehensive real-time monitoring of all vehicles. In addition to live data on location and utilization, extensive historical analyses are available to identify trends, downtime, or performance peaks. The system thus provides a solid basis for predictive maintenance and strategic fleet optimization.

Material flow control & order scheduling: Transport Manager controls the entire internal material flow – automatically, reliably, and scalably. Transport orders are generated automatically using sensors, inventory data, or time slots and distributed via ERP or MES systems. Intelligent algorithms optimize routes, avoid traffic jams, and ensure prioritized, energy-efficient order placement in real time.

Goods & inventory management: The AGV control system has integrated warehouse and location management that transparently documents the material flow. Inventories can be managed directly in Transport Manager or via the connected ERP or WMS system. The close link with material flow and fleet control creates a continuous, digital flow of goods – from goods receipt to handover to the AGV.

Workflow & process management: Transport Manager ensures stable process flows and automatic restart after system interruptions. Incoming orders from higher-level systems (ERP, WMS, MES) are validated, prioritized, and reliably processed. Consistent data management and automatic process checking ensure maximum operational reliability and minimize downtime.

Real-time visualization & system monitoring: The Transport Manager's visualization module displays vehicle positions, transport orders, and system statuses in real time. All connected components—from conveyor technology and elevators to robot cells—are clearly displayed and can be controlled directly via the user interface. Thanks to the browser-based interface and responsive design, users can maintain control over their AGV system anytime, anywhere.

The Transport Manager's integrated visualization makes complex intralogistics processes intuitively understandable and traceable in real time. The browser-based, platform-independent user interface gives you a constant overview of all transport orders, vehicle movements, and system statuses. Transport orders can be created directly via the interface, routes and vehicle positions can be tracked live, and completed processes can be analyzed in detail – without the need for additional software installation.

The history player allows you to visually track the entire system status retroactively for up to 14 days. This makes process sequences transparent, quickly identifies the causes of events, and efficiently optimizes processes. Transport Manager is a valuable tool for diagnostics, process optimization, and training – and turns your AGV control system into a central analysis and control instrument for your intralogistics.

The customizable dashboard displays all key performance indicators (KPIs) for your AGV system: from overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) to fleet utilization and mileage to charging cycles and battery status for individual vehicles. Modular widgets allow you to customize the user interface to suit your priorities. This gives you an at-a-glance view of the most important performance data for efficiency assessment, energy consumption, and process optimization.

During live operation, the AGV Transport Manager visualizes all relevant information at a glance: destination station, vehicle status, current load transport, and planned route. The Predictive Track function highlights the planned route of each vehicle directly in the plant layout—dynamically, clearly, and in real time. This allows transport flows to be identified early on and bottlenecks to be avoided in a targeted manner. A clear added value for efficient traffic control and process reliability.

A structured table overview shows all vehicles with their current tasks, statuses, and positions. At the same time, all active and planned transport orders, including their status and priority, can be viewed and filtered. The combined view of fleet and order data enables quick assessment of system utilization and supports tactical control of material flow.

Flexible, modular, scalable: Transport Manager adapts to your requirements.

The Transport Manager was developed for maximum interoperability. Its modular interface architecture allows flexible adaptation to a wide variety of production and logistics environments. The AGV control system processes driving orders, vehicle data, and process information in real time and ensures secure communication between AGVs, control, and management levels. Thanks to support for industrial standards such as Siemens S7, Modbus, OPC UA, REST web services, and SAP integration, the Transport Manager can be integrated into complex ERP, MES, and WMS systems. Additional modules such as the Blackbox analysis tool and Smart Analytics Reporting App (SARA) extend the solution with powerful functions for diagnostics, reporting, and continuous process optimization.

Full control over your intralogistics – with a system that grows with you

How does the Transport Manager control system ensure system availability?

The Transport Manager monitors the entire fleet in real time, analyzes vehicle conditions, and dynamically distributes driving assignments. This minimizes bottlenecks and empty runs, avoids downtime, and sustainably increases the overall availability of the system.

How does the Transport Manager ensure transparency?

The AGV control system provides all operating data—from vehicle status and battery condition to process progress—in real time. Users receive a clear overview of all material flows and can make informed decisions based on current key figures.

How scalable is Transport Manager?

The modular software architecture allows the driverless transport system to be flexibly expanded—from small systems to complex multi-vehicle fleets. New vehicles, zones, or interfaces can be integrated at any time.

What cost advantages does the Transport Manager offer?

The control system reduces operating costs in the long term through intelligent order scheduling, dynamic traffic control, and energy-efficient charging planning. Even small process optimizations can result in significant efficiency gains.

How does the Transport Manager ensure safety?

The AGV control system uses standardized industry protocols and encrypted communication channels. Whether operated on-premise or hybrid, sensitive data remains protected and the operational safety of the system is guaranteed at all times.

How easy is IT integration?

IT costs remain minimal: the AGV control system integrates seamlessly into existing machine and IT structures. The connection is made directly via standardized interfaces such as OPC UA, WebSocket, or TCP/IP—quickly, securely, and with low maintenance. The IT infrastructure remains entirely in the customer's hands: virtual machines, SQL servers, network access, and IT support are provided by the customer. This ensures maximum control and data sovereignty. The effort involved remains manageable and clearly calculable.

What makes Transport Manager unique?

Transport Manager combines real-time transparency, intelligent optimization, and modular expandability in a single system. The combination of technological depth and intuitive operation makes the control system unique—for future-proof systems that deliver high performance today and tomorrow.

One example of the capabilities of Transport Manager is the large-scale project at Arla Foods in the UK. There, 90 custom-built transport robots control all intralogistics processes.

In 2024, the company switched from its previous ERP-based warehouse management system to Transport Manager – with measurable success: higher performance, more stable processes, and additional capacity in material flow.