01
Cut waste
Eliminate the non-value-adding tasks that placed a physical burden on logistics staff.
Case study · Automated intralogistics
12 AMRs for 100% automated put-away.
At the CEM plant in Quistello, Italy, the Kärcher Group’s European hub for high-pressure washers, an AMR fleet managed by ROBOLOGISTIX links the moulding departments to the new automated warehouse.
The customer
CEM · Kärcher Group
Cleaning equipment
Cleaning equipment
12
AMRs in the fleet
Hikrobot LMR Q3-600 vehicles, installed in two phases.
100%
Automated flows
Put-away of semi-finished parts produced in-house.
−60%
Energy per shift
Approximately, for the same number of load units moved.
24h
Non-stop moulding
5 days a week, with no stoppages caused by material supply.
01 · The customer
Kärcher’s European hub for high-pressure washers
CEM is the Kärcher Group plant that builds high-pressure washers for the European market. R&D, process engineering, quality and purchasing are all in-house: an operational independence that keeps every stage under control.
Lean production and widespread automation, from stator winding to the finished-product line. The next step: bringing the same approach to intralogistics.
67,000m² covered area
3.6 Munits / year
520product versions
37robot-tended presses
36automated lines
200+robots on the lines
02 · The challenge
Three goals, one flow to rethink
Plastic semi-finished parts and accessories made in-house had to reach the warehouse without repetitive manual work and without stopping the moulding department.
02
Standardise flows
Optimise, standardise and automate material handling across the entire factory.
03
Scale performance
Make put-away faster, more robust and ready to grow with production volumes.
03 · The solution
An AMR fleet that closes the loop
The AMRs move standard load units, wire mesh cages and pallets of Odette crates, fully autonomously between the moulding departments and the Lift & Shuttle automated warehouse.
The vehicleHikrobot · LMR Series
LMR Q3-600
- Compact footprint, essential for CEM’s layouts
- Cost-benefit ratio that beats other technologies
- Scalability backed by the range of Hikrobot, the world’s largest AMR manufacturer by volume
The flow, in three steps
- 01
Pick-up
The AMRs collect load units from the trolleys in the moulding departments.
- 02
Put-away
They deliver them to the inbound bays of the new fully automated Lift & Shuttle warehouse.
- 03
Empties return
In a closed loop, they bring empty load units back to their original stations.
The moulding department runs non-stop, 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, with no machine downtime caused by material supply.
04 · The software
ROBOLOGISTIX, the heart of the system
Robomove’s software suite orchestrates the fleet and connects it to CEM’s business systems: a virtual control room with real-time performance and OEE data, and full traceability from trolley pick-up to delivery in the bays.
- 01Fleet Management to program and run the fleet, up to 500 AMRs.
- 02ICONNECT module to exchange data with CEM’s ERP and WMS.
- 03Built-in WCS connected to PLCs and field sensors: missions are generated automatically.
- 04Two-level supervision: operators follow missions and statuses, administrators analyse KPIs and process data.
“In modern industry, high-performance hardware is worthless without software capable of orchestrating it.”
05 · The journey
Co-designed, phase by phase
Phase 15 AMR
CEM worked alongside Robomove at every step: feasibility study, design, installation and performance monitoring. Cutting-edge technology, approached as a shared learning path.
Phase 2+7 AMR
The roll-out was completed quickly and efficiently, thanks to the know-how CEM’s team built on the shop floor during the first phase.
Robomove teams on site
Application Software Engineers — vehicle commissioning and programming in Fleet Management.
Software Development Engineers — installation and integration of the ROBOLOGISTIX suite.
From left: Giampaolo Santin (CEO, Robomove), Aldo Junior Agazzani (Manufacturing Director, CEM), Alessandro Tognato (AMR Project Leading Engineer, CEM).
More than a supply contract, a true strategic partnership.
06 · The results
Tangible benefits across the whole process
01
People upskilled
Fewer repetitive tasks: logistics staff move on to monitoring and supervising the flows.
02
Tidier departments
Strict standardisation and better use of space along the fleet’s routes.
03
Less wear and damage
A sharp drop in accidental damage to moulding trolleys and automated warehouse bays.
04
Full traceability
Real-time visibility of material flows and a fully digitalised put-away process.
05
−60% energy
Per shift, for the same loads: lightweight vehicles with lithium batteries instead of lead-acid.
06
Industry 5.0 ready
Part of an investment plan with high-efficiency presses and solar power, qualifying for Italian tax incentives.
07 · Service
By the customer’s side, long after go-live
“A partner’s reliability is measured once the system is up and running.”
- 01
Annual maintenance
A structured plan of preventive and corrective maintenance.
- 02
Dedicated support
A reserved phone line for first-level troubleshooting.
- 03
On-site service
An SLA that guarantees fast response times and keeps logistics and production downtime to a minimum.
The full article
Download the case study as a PDF
“Logistica: la scelta dell’automazione” (Logistics: choosing automation), by Ezio Zibetti, published in the Italian trade magazine Tecnologie Meccaniche in June 2026. The full story of the project, with interviews with Aldo Junior Agazzani and Alessandro Tognato of CEM and Giampaolo Santin of Robomove. The article is in Italian.
PDF · 5 pp.
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