Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the current transport flow for circuit board racks and to investigate the potential implementation of an automated solution for the transportation of circuit board racks in order to increase efficiency in the flow. The research questions answered during this study were:

What does the transport flow for circuit board racks look like today? 

What could an automated transport flow for circuit board racks look like? 

Is an automated transport flow for circuit board racks a sufficient solution to improve efficiency in the flow?

Theoretical framework: The study applied several different theories, with waste being a central part. This, in combination with bottleneck identification, mapping, and automation, has been theories used to study the flow and find improvements.

Method: A case study was conducted to analyze the transport flow of circuit board racks and identify potential improvements. The method included a literature review, observations, interviews, brainstorming, Value Stream Mapping, and spaghetti diagrams to collect and analyze data from different perspectives.

Results: With a combination of theories and empirical data, an analysis of the current transport flow for the circuit board racks could be made. Furthermore, bottlenecks and waste were identified, and automated transport solutions linked to AMR systems were found as a potential solution for a more efficient transport flow.

The result showed that an AMR system is the most advantageous solution. However, the study showed that the automated solution was not sufficient without eliminating the bottlenecks in order to generate maximum efficiency in the automated transport flow.

Implications: This study has the implication of highlighting the challenges and opportunities of a more efficient transport flow using AMR systems. This includes an improved working environment, reduced work-related injuries, increased production efficiency by eliminating bottlenecks, and waiting times.