Kärcher: automated pallet transport with GoPal® E24W AMRs
To automate internal pallet movement in its production operations in Romania, Kärcher chose Robotize GoPal® E24W AMRs. Novomatix integrated them into three distinct logistics functions: finished goods leaving the assembly lines, injection-moulded components going into storage, and packaging materials feeding the lines.
Growing operations in Romania,
repetitive internal transport
To expand its production capacity in Europe, Kärcher, the German global leader in cleaning technology, opened a second plant in Romania. As the operation grew, internal pallet transport between injection moulding, the assembly lines and the warehouses became one of the most visible flows in production.
At the same time, staff shortages, labour migration, and increasingly long onboarding made it harder to keep assigning operators to manual internal transport. Kärcher needed a safe and straightforward way to automate these repetitive pallet movements and to gain predictability in operation.
GoPal® E24W AMRs on three logistics flows
Novomatix integrated the Robotize GoPal® E24W AMRs directly into Kärcher's production and warehousing processes, together with the pallet infrastructure that connects the robots to the existing machines and equipment.
Three logistics flows taken over by the robots
Each assembly line has its own stretch wrapper. Once wrapping is complete, an automatic transport request is released and an AMR collects the pallet directly from that wrapper and delivers it to the finished-goods warehouse. The robots also move injection-moulded components into the components warehouse, and supply the assembly lines with packaging materials.
Pallet infrastructure connected to the robots
The robots work with pallet stations, conveyor stations integrated into the existing stretch wrapping machines, conveyor extensions acting as pallet buffers in the warehouse, lift stations, and I/O boxes for automatic door opening and for the pallet sensors.
Integration coordinated by Novomatix
Novomatix defined the flow, sized the infrastructure, configured the robots, and connected the solution to the way Kärcher's teams actually work on each shift.
Internal pallet transport, automated and predictable
In Kärcher's operations in Romania, the GoPal® E24W AMRs move a constant volume of pallets between production and the warehouse every day, regardless of the shift or of staffing fluctuations.
- approximately 21,000km/year travelled by the AMRs
- up to 1,100pallets/day between production and the warehouse
- 3 automated logistics flows
- 5 pallet types configured
Current operating data, 2026.
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Three real logistics flows, automated
Finished goods, injection-moulded components and packaging materials all travel autonomously, without operators being assigned to these repetitive trips.
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Predictable internal transport
The automated trips keep the same rhythm from one shift to the next, so the flow of pallets between production and the warehouse no longer depends on how many people are available for internal transport on a given shift.
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No pallet build-up at the end of the line
The robots collect the pallets as soon as they are ready, so the production lines and the stretch wrapping areas stay clear and are no longer blocked by intermediate stock.
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Safe and straightforward for the teams to operate
With doors opening automatically, correctly sized pallet stations, and sensors confirming every handover, internal transport is a stable part of the operation rather than one that depends on who happens to be available.
“We chose GoPal after a selection process involving several suppliers. We ran tests in the plant with the solutions available at the time, and GoPal offered the greatest flexibility and the best ease of implementation among the options we evaluated.”
Implementation summary
- Customer
- Kärcher, production operations in Romania
- Solution
- Automated pallet transport with AMRs
- Robot
- Robotize GoPal® E24W
- Application
- Assembly line → stretch wrapper → finished-goods warehouse; injection moulding → components warehouse; packaging materials → assembly lines
- Pallet types
- Five pallet types configured for the GoPal® E24W, including EUR, Industrial, and CHEP
- Infrastructure
- Pallet stations, conveyor stations at the stretch wrapping machines, buffer extensions, lift stations, and I/O boxes for doors and sensors
- Novomatix role
- Systems integrator: flow definition, infrastructure sizing, AMR configuration, and implementation coordination
Where the same type of solution works
The same approach makes sense in plants with repetitive pallet movements between production and the warehouse: the output of injection moulding or assembly lines, stretch wrapping and preparation areas, component storage and finished-goods warehouses. Anywhere pallets travel constantly between the same points.
It becomes particularly useful once staff shortages, labour migration, or pallet build-up at the end of the line start to affect the pace of production, and predictable internal transport matters as much as production itself.
Want to see whether a similar flow makes sense in your plant?
We start from your internal pallet routes and look together at where GoPal® AMRs can take over the repetitive transport within your existing process.