News

Hospital logistics: psb retrofit as »open heart surgery«

Presently, two AGV systems are being retrofitted. The system installations at the hospital in Bolzano/Italy, and at the Bundeswehrzentralkrankenhaus [Central Hospital of the German Armed Forces] are upgraded to the 2010 technical standard.
36 vehicles in total, at both sites, take care of the supply to and from different hospital areas, as kitchen, laundry, medical supply unit, etc. The vehicles travel on separate routes, which are located in the basement of the hospitals. Through lifts, the containers loaded with goods, reach the various hospital wards.
The system installations, which were put into operation in the years 1995 and 2000 respectively, are now upgraded with respect to control technology, safety features and communication technology. Some new vehicles are added, too.
In both projects, psb’s expertise in overlapping commissioning of the upgraded vehicles with, e.g., new communications technology (W-LAN), and at the same time working continuity of the legacy system with »old vehicles« equipped with previous communications technology (infrared), again is a crucial factor. A benefit, in the implementation of the projects, is the profound know-how of the psb engineers, gained in many retrofits carried out during normal operation, without interruption of the processes. When this »open-heart surgery« will be finished, the »patient will be fit and well!«.