Pittsburgh, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/03/2017 -- Seegrid, the leading provider of flexible automated materials handling solutions, announces the expansion of Supervisor application programming interface (API) to offer more advanced, connected solutions for customers. Seegrid delivers on the promise of automation beyond materials movement, providing real-time interoperability to improve facility operations. Interconnectedness is critical for automation systems, and Supervisor's API addresses that growing demand. The API connects the Seegrid platform to upper-level production management systems, removing points of interaction for the customer, directing material flow, and managing overall operations.

Building upon Seegrid Supervisor, the fleet management system that empowers customers to manage, monitor, and control their vision guided vehicles (VGVs), the API ensures that enterprises operate at peak performance. Supervisor interprets operational instructions and executes material handling actions to completion, enabling full integration with dispatching systems (WMS/MES) and providing seamless day-to-day management. API integration also streamlines communication with network PLC devices to dynamically reroute VGVs, react to facility emergency systems, remotely call from any work cell, or dispatch to a different location to support changing material demand.

"Vehicle management alone isn't enough," said Jeff Christensen, vice president of products with Seegrid. "The true value of the Industry 4.0 movement is automation management. The interoperability of VGVs with factory and warehouse systems allows customers to streamline their material flow, reducing unnecessary waste, and improving operational performance across the floor."

Seegrid recognizes that interoperability is not just about connecting machines; it is about connecting operations to automation as a method of supporting better decision making through continuous process improvement.

Seegrid will be attending ProMat 2017 in Chicago and will have experts on site to discuss the company's approach to interconnected automation systems.

About Seegrid
Seegrid (http://www.Seegrid.com) is the leading provider of flexible automated materials handling solutions for manufacturing and distribution. Combining infrastructure-free automated guided vehicles with interconnected enterprise intelligence, Seegrid provides global customers with end-to-end automation that makes moving goods efficient, safe, and cost-effective. With robust vision navigation and hundreds of thousands of miles driven, Seegrid accelerates Industry 4.0 to drive continuous process improvement.

Media Contact:
Racepoint Global for Seegrid
Calin Gunn
seegrid@racepointglobal.com
202-517-1502

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Pittsburgh, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2017 -- Seegrid (http://www.seegrid.com), the leader in vision guided autonomous vehicles for materials handling, today announced that one of the largest automotive manufacturers solidified its relationship with Seegrid by purchasing another fleet of vision guided vehicles (VGVs). With this purchase, the automotive manufacturer has more than doubled the number of VGVs being used across its manufacturing facilities compared to the year prior, with an increase of 128 percent.

According to the American Automotive Policy Council, U.S. automotive sales have increased by more than 67 percent since 2009, up from 10.4 million to 17.4 million last year. Seegrid VGVs have been critical to sustaining this significant year-over-year growth, having supported the automotive industry for more than a decade. VGVs are able to navigate complex, crowded manufacturing environments, working alongside humans as well as other autonomous robots.

VGVs do not require infrastructure such as wires, magnets or tape, and they navigate without inflexible laser technology. Seegrid Vision technology allows for flexible and quick route alterations to support the ever-changing automotive manufacturing facilities. Automotive manufacturers utilize Seegrid VGVs in a variety of applications to reduce costs, improve safety, and boost throughput productivity.

Key automotive VGV applications include:

Raw material transportation from a warehouse or staging area to pressline or machine where parts are manufactured.

Distribution of manufactured parts from the docks or machine to the warehouse or staging area.

Parts-to-line delivery of products from dock, staging area, or warehouse assembly line.

Outbound movement of final assembly parts from assembly line to warehouse or outbound dock.

"We have always been committed to delivering systems that meet our customers' needs," said Jim Rock, CEO, Seegrid. "There will be a renewed focus on innovation and manufacturing in the U.S. auto industry as we continue to reshore jobs, reversing four decades of outsourcing, and we look forward to working with our customers to find new ways to streamline processes across the manufacturing sector."

Aligned with global industry trends toward smart automation, Seegrid's state-of-the-art fleet management software, Seegrid Supervisor, enables automated vehicles to capture, report, and share data analytics across an entire operation. Supervisor empowers automotive plant managers to take full control over their robotic workforce; this seamless integration between hardware and software enables Seegrid's customers to tackle the toughest Industry 4.0 initiatives.

During the past six years, according to the Center for Automotive Research, automakers have invested more than $80 billion in their U.S. operations, with technology playing a significant role in that investment. Data-rich sensor technologies like VGVs will continue their rise in manufacturing as companies look to shift the supply chain from a cost center to a profit center. Seegrid is well-poised to ride the wave of oncoming demand as companies transition their traditional manufacturing facilities into the smart factories of the future.

About Seegrid
Seegrid, the pioneer and leader in three-dimensional vision navigation, provides unique and revolutionary automation technology for materials handling. Engineered with state-of-the-art Seegrid Vision, industrial trucks are transformed into the next generation of automated guided vehicles (AGVs): vision guided vehicles (VGVs). VGVs navigate without wires, lasers, magnets or tape, and they deliver unmatched flexibility. Designed for simplicity and reliability, the Seegrid flexible automation solution is available in a line of pallet trucks and tow tractors.

Experience the maximum benefits of VGVs with Seegrid Supervisor to manage, monitor and control a fleet of vehicles within the context of your operation. Generating economic advantages and operational efficiencies, VGVs optimize workflow processes, increase productivity and throughput, and reduce labor and operating costs, all while improving workplace safety, reducing equipment and product damage, and delivering a rapid return on investment.

Contact: seegrid@racepointglobal.com

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