
Working with an F500 company, OTTO deployed the OTTO Materials Handling Platform at a brownfield and greenfield site. PULSE then compared performance with:
- Forklifts
- Conveyors
- AGVs
- Manual material handling
The fact that these deployments were carried out at scale was important. What we have found amongst all but the digital leaders is that businesses look to adopt the technology bit by bit, trying to hedge their bets on their investment risk and keep all stakeholders happy. The result is that you tend to get islands of automation across a business or a production facility, missing out on the network effect you get with a large scale implementation where all pieces complement each other to achieve a greater whole.
Analysis and Conclusion
The findings of PULSE’s study were unanimous – on a per-unit basis, they found that:
- AMRs were significantly cheaper compared to other materials handling solutions
- 90% cost saving compared to manual handling
- 33% saving compared to AGVs.
Depending on the investment model used (system lease, vehicle-only lease or capital funding), PULSE calculated that this would translate to ROI being achieved in one to two years.

