In this manual belt-line and AGV intralogistics layout project for the electronics industry, production is not designed as a fully unmanned system. Programming, Testing, DFU Test, Air-Pressure-Meter Operation, Image Review, and Appearance Inspection still require operator involvement. The first task is to define how products move steadily through these stations, then determine which part of the flow should be handled by the belt line, where AGVs should take over, and whether the available space will still work when the workshop expands from one line to three.
The confirmed layout basis includes a main line length of approximately 17,000 mm, an overall reserved depth of about 13,200 mm for a future three-line layout, and a side-view height of approximately 2,000 mm. The plan also preserves human passages between the lines and an Observation Passage on one side, while defining AGV transfer at the Line Head and Line Tail.
This type of intralogistics AGV solution does not need to wait until the production process itself becomes fully automated. When many operations still depend on people, defining material direction, workstation sequence, AGV interfaces, and future expansion space first can make later automation upgrades much easier.
For future implementation, Robotlyne’s Warehouse Automation Solutions can further combine site carriers, routes, AGV/AMR systems, transfer points, and upper-level control requirements into a complete intralogistics plan.
Follow the Product Through the Line Before Planning the AGV Route
The case already defines a relatively clear production sequence:
Programming 1 -> Test 1 -> Programming 2 -> DFU Test -> Air-Pressure-Meter Operation -> Image Review 1 -> Image Review 2 -> Appearance Inspection
These stations are arranged continuously along a production line approximately 17 meters long. As the product moves from one operation to the next, most transfer distances are short and the direction of travel remains fixed.
If every one of these short movements were assigned to an AGV, the system would generate a large number of very short transport tasks. The vehicle would repeatedly receive tasks, start, stop, wait, and dock while traveling only a small distance each time.
That is not where an AGV provides the most value.
The belt line is better suited to maintaining continuous movement within the production line.
After an operator completes Programming, Testing, or Inspection, the product can continue in the same direction to the next workstation. The AGV does not need to participate in these short internal transfers. It only handles transportation when material enters or leaves the production line.
The overall flow can therefore be represented as:
AGV -> Line Head -> Belt Line + Manual Operations -> Line Tail -> AGV
This gives the belt line and the AGV clearly defined roles.
The Line Head and Line Tail Define Where AGV Logistics Should Begin
For this type of manual production line, the most important AGV interfaces are usually not located along the 17-meter line itself. They are located at the two ends.
The Line Head is where material from the surrounding logistics system enters production.
The Line Tail is where products that have completed the current process return to the workshop logistics flow.
Once these two points are defined, several practical questions follow.
If an AGV arrives at the Line Head while the previous batch has not yet been accepted by the line, where should the incoming material wait?
If finished products accumulate at the Line Tail before the AGV arrives, how much temporary storage is available?
When an AGV stops for loading or unloading, will it block the normal walking path used by operators?
These issues may eventually require buffers, fixed transfer positions, or other handoff equipment, but they all depend on one basic decision: the boundary between the production line and the surrounding logistics system needs to be defined first.
That decision comes earlier than discussions about AGV speed, navigation method, or vehicle model.
The First Line Is Already Shaping the Second and Third Lines
This project does not consider only the current production line.
The layout already reserves space for a future:
Three-Line Layout
with an overall depth of approximately:
13,200 mm
Human Passages between the lines and an Observation Passage on one side are also retained.
This means the first line cannot be optimized only around the smallest possible current footprint.
Suppose the Line Head of the first line faces the AGV aisle and allows the vehicle to approach from one direction.
If the second line is later copied into the available space but its Line Head must face the opposite direction, the two lines will immediately require different AGV approach patterns.
By the time a third line is added, the number of route and docking exceptions may increase again.
What looks like a small difference in physical placement can become a larger set of special rules at the fleet-dispatch level.
For this reason, the first line should establish several conditions that can be repeated later, including Line Head and Line Tail orientation, spacing between lines, AGV approach side, and human passage locations.
The reserved 13,200 mm three-line depth is important for exactly this reason.
If the first phase focuses only on compressing the current 17-meter line as tightly as possible, adding the second and third lines may require equipment relocation, passage changes, or a complete revision of the AGV route. Space reserved early can reduce redesign during future expansion.
There Is Still a Large Amount of Material Movement Inside Each Manual Workstation
Although this article focuses on intralogistics AGV solutions, people still perform most of the production work in this case.
The workstation components include Operator Seats, Guide Documents, Lighting, Barcode Scanners, Test Instruments, Displays, Computer Hosts, Power Cabinets, and Utility Sockets.
These are not secondary details.
Their positions directly affect how operators perform repetitive work every day.
For example, if a Barcode Scanner is placed opposite the natural product-flow direction, the operator may need to turn around for every product.
If the Display and test instrument are positioned in different directions, the operator may repeatedly change body orientation between checking data and handling the product.
Guide Documents, Lighting, and Test Instrument placement can also influence whether operators follow the same work sequence consistently.
Material flow inside this 17-meter line therefore includes more than:
AGV Movement
and:
Belt Movement
It also includes a large amount of:
Operator Micro-Movement
A small unnecessary motion may seem insignificant once, but repeated thousands of times per day, it becomes a real production-layout issue.
That is why the case includes Operator-Side Component Arrangement as part of the layout scope rather than treating the project as nothing more than a belt conveyor.
The Observation Passage serves a similar purpose.
During normal production, this passage may not be occupied continuously. But when quality staff inspect products, engineers troubleshoot a problem, or maintenance personnel need access behind the line, it allows those activities to take place without directly occupying the operator’s normal work area.
This becomes even more important if three parallel lines are operating in the future.
What the Layout Can Already Define - and What Still Requires Production Data
The current case provides enough information to define several important elements.
The process sequence from Line Head to Line Tail is clear.
The basic dimensions of the approximately 17,000 mm production line are defined.
Space for future three-line expansion has been reserved.
Human Passages and the Observation Passage are included in the layout.
The general direction in which AGVs need to connect the Line Head and Line Tail with the surrounding logistics area has also been established.
However, the case does not provide several variables needed for fleet sizing.
For example:
How many products enter the line per hour?
How many units can one AGV carry per trip?
How far is the Line Head from the warehouse or upstream logistics area?
How many pickup tasks does the Line Tail generate per hour?
How long does each loading and unloading operation actually take?
Without these figures, the 17 m Line Length or the future three-line layout alone cannot justify whether the site needs one AGV or several.
At this stage, the more appropriate task is to complete the layout and logistics-interface design first.
Once Production Rate, Transfer Frequency, Load Quantity, and external Travel Distance are confirmed, Fleet Size can then be calculated.
If some Programming, Testing, or Inspection stations are automated later, the Line Head, Line Tail, AGV aisles, and reserved expansion space defined today can still remain in use. A single workstation upgrade does not have to force a redesign of the entire workshop logistics system.
For this type of project, defining the material flow and expansion space before locking in the AGV quantity usually leads to a more scalable layout. If you are planning a new production line or expanding an existing workshop, contact Robotlyne to review the layout and intralogistics requirements.
