Over the past five years, the warehousing and logistics industry in China has undergone a rapid transformation from human-centric to machine-centric. E-commerce cloud warehouses often have tens of thousands of SKUs, third-party logistics companies face diverse vehicle standards from customers, and bulk trade warehouses are constrained by narrow corridors and extremely tall shelves. Each of these scenarios raises the same question: Is it possible to develop an Automated solution that does not require repeated renovations of warehouses, replacement of existing pallets, or being tied to a single brand, yet still truly boost efficiency?
The response from Reeman AMR’s unmanned forklift is: Yes. And it can be used in various scenarios.

Is it truly impossible to achieve both high-density storage and narrow aisle accessibility?

In many traditional warehouses, the width of the aisles is often more than 2.5 meters to provide turning space for manual forklifts. This means that a large amount of storage space is “wasted” on the roads. When companies want to switch to automated equipment, they often find that the turning radii of AGVs on the market are too large to enter densely packed shelf areas.

Reeman’s solution is the design of extremely small turning radii. Their MINI series unmanned forklifts can navigate with agility through ultra-narrow aisles of just 1.1 meters, almost touching the shelves as they perform turning and stacking operations. This means that warehouses do not need to demolish a row of shelves in order to introduce automation; instead, they can increase storage capacity by more than 30% within the same footprint. For high-level shelves, Reeman achieves precise stacking through laser SLAM high-precision positioning (±10 mm). The entire process of loading, unloading, inventory checking, replenishment, and allocation is fully automated and closed-loop, eliminating the need for manual visual alignment. In essence, narrow aisles and high density are no longer a binary choice.

There are hundreds of types of pallets and dozens of brands of equipment… Would it be necessary to completely overhaul an entire automated system just to replace it?

One of the biggest headaches for e-commerce and third-party logistics warehouses is the lack of uniformity in pallet and equipment standards. Some use “Chuanzi” pallets, while others use “Tianzi” pallets, and there are numerous irregularly shaped items that require custom-made forklifts. Additionally, many warehouses have already purchased AGV or automated equipment from different brands. Implementing a new system could potentially create a “chimney-like” isolated environment.

Reeman acknowledged this complexity from the outset of product design. Firstly, its forklifts support fully customizable specifications – ranging from 1 to 3 tons of load capacity, low-gate and high-gate versions, and various sizes and shapes of pallets and irregular cargo. Enterprises do not need to replace their existing pallet systems to integrate them. Secondly, Reeman employs an open scheduling system without brand barriers. This means that other unmanned devices already present in the warehouse from other manufacturers can be interconnected, tasks can be coordinated and queued, and paths can dynamically avoid each other through Reeman’s upper system. When expanding capacity in the future, enterprises can continue to choose the most cost-effective equipment rather than being locked into a single manufacturer. This is particularly pragmatic in a real warehouse world where multiple brands are mixed and operated together.

During peak seasons, operations never cease 24 hours a day. Will an unmanned forklift experience any issues?

During major sales events, the volume of orders in e-commerce warehouses can often be 5 to 10 times higher than usual. The traditional approach is to temporarily hire a large number of sorting and forklift workers. However, this approach has high training costs, high error rates in operations, and significant management challenges. Additionally, if the unmanned forklifts have short battery life and slow charging times, they too cannot sustain the high-intensity pace required for three shifts.

Reeman’s hardware design directly addresses this scenario. A single AMR unmanned forklift can operate continuously for 6-8 hours, with a 1-hour fast-charging capability, and supports fully automated unmanned docking for charging – the device will autonomously travel to the charging station when its battery level drops, and then return to the work queue automatically. During peak periods like “Double 11” or “618,” warehouses can easily operate at full capacity with three shifts for 24 hours without needing to temporarily increase the number of night shift personnel. Compared to the manual forklift mode, enterprises can save 2-3 drivers’ labor costs annually (approximately 150,000 to 300,000 yuan), while significantly reducing the costs associated with accidents such as cargo damage and collisions caused by fatigue driving. The payback period is typically controlled between 1 to 3 years, after which the long-term TCO (total cost of ownership) advantages become very evident.

Can laser navigation be quickly upgraded for an old warehouse with uneven floors and no QR codes?

Many small and medium-sized warehouses were built before 2015, and the floor surfaces are generally uneven. There are no QR codes or magnetic strips installed. If automation is desired, there is often an initial investment required to modify the floor and then install signage. This process is time-consuming and costly, which discourages many companies from pursuing it.

Reeman’s approach is to provide multiple navigation methods that can be freely switched – magnetic strips, QR codes, and laser SLAM can be chosen as needed. For older warehouses, it is recommended to use the laser SLAM navigation solution. This method does not require any ground modifications. The unmanned forklift uses its own lidar to scan environmental features (walls, columns, shelf outlines) in real-time, builds a map online, and locates its position. Deployment can typically be completed within a few days, effectively transforming an old warehouse into a smart operation node. In contrast, if an imported brand’s similar laser navigation solution is used, the hardware costs and after-sales response speed are often inferior to Reeman’s domestic high-stability hardware combined with a local spare parts inventory model. The difference in value for money is particularly crucial for budget-conscious small and medium-sized e-commerce warehouses and third-party logistics companies.

With humans and vehicles sharing the same space, will unmanned forklifts clash with manual operations?

It’s impossible to replace all the manual forklifts and sorting personnel overnight in a warehouse. For a long period of time, a combination of human and automated vehicles will be the norm. If the automated forklifts only follow rigid paths, it can easily lead to congestion and even safety incidents.

Reeman has designed dynamic path avoidance and multi-level safety protection mechanisms at the level of security coordination. Its dispatching system can real-time perceive surrounding moving objects (including other unmanned devices, manual forklifts, and workers) and dynamically adjust speeds, paths, or stop-and-wait maneuvers. The response time is less than 0.1 seconds, approaching the emergency response level of a human driver. In actual operation, manual forklifts, sorting trolleys, and Reeman AMR can orderly share main corridors and loading/unloading areas without conflicts. This represents a realistic and feasible upgrade path for mixed-type warehouses that aim to achieve increased efficiency through automation while not entirely abandoning the flexibility of human labor.

Conclusion
From the complex SKUs in e-commerce cloud warehouses to the compatibility of multiple vehicles in third-party logistics, to the narrow aisle high stacking capabilities in bulk storage – Reeman AMR unmanned forklifts employ a philosophy of “universal applicability” to integrate seemingly contradictory requirements into a single system. It does not require businesses to standardize, retrofit warehouses, or phase out old equipment first; instead, it proactively adapts to the realities of non-standardization. This ability to be “down-compatible,” combined with open scheduling, rapid deployment, and a significantly shorter payback period, is prompting more and more frontline logistics managers to rethink the question: perhaps the starting point for warehouse automation need not be extensive demolition and construction, but rather a Reeman unmanned forklift that can navigate narrow aisles.

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