With the expansion of production and logistics scale, and the advancement of logistics automation, the application and importance of logistics machinery and equipment in modern production and logistics have increased significantly; conversely, modern production and logistics demand higher standards for logistics machinery and equipment. The enhancement of modern machinery and equipment design capabilities, coupled with the rapid progress of science and technology, has led to a sharp increase in the technical, knowledge, and cultural content of logistics machinery and equipment. A tremendous transformation is underway in the logistics machinery and equipment sector. In the new century, the technological performance of logistics machinery and equipment will enter a new stage of development, and significant progress is inevitable.
The current development of logistics equipment and machinery indicates that to meet the demands of modern logistics, the following trends are emerging:
1. Large-scale and high-speed
Large-scale refers to the increasing capacity, size, and capability of equipment, while high-speed denotes a significant acceleration in the operating, recognition, and computational speeds of the equipment. With the rapid development of modern society and economy, the scale of production and logistics continues to expand. To enhance operational efficiency and scale benefits, there is a growing demand for large and high-speed logistics machinery. The lifting capacity, load capacity, productivity, and operational capabilities of logistics equipment are increasing, and their working speeds are accelerating.
2. Practicalization and Light-weighting
Logistics equipment is a crucial material and technological foundation for modern, automated logistics. It is required to be user-friendly, easy to maintain and operate, with excellent durability, fault-free performance, and cost-effectiveness, as well as high safety and reliability. As a result, the focus will be on developing logistics equipment with superior performance, low cost, and high reliability in the future. Some logistics equipment is used in general applications where the workload is not heavy. These devices are produced in large quantities with wide applications. By considering comprehensive benefits, it is possible to reduce the height, simplify the structure, and lower the cost of these equipment, while also decreasing their operating costs. This lightweight equipment is expected to see faster development in the future.
3. Specialization and Generalization
Logistics is a byproduct of social and economic development, inevitably exhibiting diverse characteristics as society progresses. These diverse features reflect the varied demands for logistics equipment, leading to a multitude of different types that are continually updated. The systematic nature, consistency, and the rapid, flexible transport and distribution of logistics activities necessitate that some equipment evolve towards specialization, while others must move towards generalization and standardization. Specialized equipment caters to specific needs with unique functions and can be highly effective. For instance, the functions of specialized cranes like those for rail, ships, and containers will continue to expand, enhance performance, and improve adaptability; vessels like container ships, bulk carriers, concrete transport vehicles, and tankers are versatile and cost-effective. Some generalized equipment can also facilitate rapid transitions in logistics operations, significantly boosting efficiency, such as large container trailers that can transport all sizes of containers by sea, air, and rail. In the future, generalized equipment will also see further development.
4. Automation and Intelligence
Integrating mechanical and electronic technologies, applying advanced microelectronics, power electronics, fiber optic, hydraulic, and fuzzy control technologies to the drive and control systems of mechanical equipment will realize the automation and intelligence of logistics machinery, which will be the direction of future development. For instance, the new-generation electrical control devices for large, efficient cranes have evolved into fully electronic digital control systems, consisting of fully digital control drives, programmable logic controllers, fault diagnosis and data management systems, and digital operation and given detection devices. The application of advanced technologies has enhanced the flexibility of cranes, thereby improving the overall automation level of individual machines. The operation of transportation equipment is increasingly relying on instruments, signals, and increasingly intelligent auxiliary driving systems. The development and application of autonomous driving systems in maritime and air transport, automated guided vehicles in automated storage and retrieval systems, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in road transportation will attract widespread attention from countries around the world. Moreover, with the help of satellite communication technology, transportation equipment can be tracked and controlled throughout its journey, allowing for rapid responses to market changes. By the end of 2000, North West International Telecommunications Co., Ltd. established a cargo vehicle dispatching management system for Yiqi Storage and Transportation Co., Ltd. This system integrates GPS, GIS, GSM, and other technologies, enabling the full tracking and monitoring of goods. The system effectively avoids vehicle idling, rationally arranges loading and unloading times, greatly improves vehicle utilization, saves transportation costs, and allows enterprises or consignors to understand the entire situation of goods in transit, greatly satisfying customers' needs for vehicle safety services, management scheduling, and information services. Since its establishment, the system has been operating smoothly, demonstrating excellent effects, and providing a foundation for effective logistics management, which will see broader applications in the future.
The intelligent Autonomous Handling Vehicle (AHV) will also see widespread application. Similar in shape to the currently used Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), the AHV is equipped with two universal mechanical arms. It operates by relying on industrial cameras for visual identification of goods' positions and sizes, allowing it to freely handle loads up to 200-300 kilograms, just like a human. The AHV features collaborative operation capabilities; when handling oversized or heavy loads, multiple AHVs can work together, significantly reducing the variety of AHV models needed for management. The combined operation of multiple AHVs of the same specification greatly enhances their operational capacity.
5. Integrated and systematic
Based on the single-machine automation of logistics equipment, various types of logistics equipment are integrated into a logistics equipment integration system through computers, which is coordinated with the logistics system under the control of a central control room. This type of logistics equipment automation has a high degree of information processing capabilities, enabling the storage, computation, logical judgment, and transformation of various information detected by sensors, subsequently issuing control instructions to the executing units. The logistics equipment also features excellent input/output interfaces for information, ensuring the complete, accurate, and reliable transmission of information throughout the integrated system. Through system integration, the logistics equipment can achieve optimal matching and combination of different machine types, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses, and delivering excellent performance.
