Extension of the AWT facility in Augsburg Hospital

Augsburg Hospital

The Municipal Hospital in Augsburg was extended.

As part of this, the existing AWT (automated transport of clinical goods) system needs to be extended into the new building. AFT, together with Elektro-Maier from Ulm, has won the contract for this project as a bidding consortium. After assignment, AFT has joined forces with Elektro-Maier to form a consortium. While Elektro-Maier is responsible for the complete control technology, including the electrical installations, AFT will supply and assemble the mechanical components. A particular challenge here is the replica of all AWT components, since the company HERO (installer of the system) is no longer active on the market.

The installed AWT system is a rail-guided, automatic transport system in the form of a monorail system, which handles the supply and disposal of the functional areas with goods (food, laundry, medicines, waste, etc.) throughout the hospital. The AWT facility at Augsburg Hospital was built at the end of the 1970s. Up to 1,600 transports are carried out daily via the AWT system. There are 153 vehicles on a distance of about 3.5 km with 132 switches and a total of 45 transmitting and receiving stations.

Chongqing Sokon New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. – Conveyor system for general assembly shop

Since the eleventh five-year plan, China has proposed the strategy of “energy conservation and new energy vehicles”, the government has paid high attention to research and industrialization of new energy vehicles.

Chongqing Sokon New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. , one subsidiary company of Xiaokang Group, which is the 8th domestic enterprises successfully obtained the independent new energy automobile production qualification.
September 29, 2017, Sokon and AFT signed a contract about conveyor system for general assembly shop which means AFT became the general contractor for the project , including the design, manufacture, transportation (including insurance), installation, commissioning, project completion acceptance and quality assurance service .
This is another new project of AFT in the automation of new energy vehicles after LONG RIVER EV , NEXTEV , CHJAutomotive , WM Motor , BAIC BJEV , AIWAYS .The success of this project will lay a more solid foundation for the future development of AFT and we all will try our best to do the project well.

Now avaliable: AFT-Website in Chinese

A few weeks ago, the new AFT-Group website went online.

A new modern design as well as an easier handling are the main features of the new website.
Now we are pleased to announce, that the website is now also available in Chinese. The Chinese website provides easy access to detailed information about our equipment and solutions, as well as information about our company and the AFT-service.
Heiko Hofmann, CEO of AFT Group, is impressed by the new Chinese website: “China is an important market for AFT. Now that our website is also available in Chinese, our clients have access to the information they need about our solutions and our company in their native language!”

New development: Fastening system “AFT-comb-screw”

With AFT-comb-screw an easy, fast and cost-effective mounting of the conveyor system on steelwork platforms is possible.

The innovative fastening system offers many advantages to customers in the automotive industry

AFT Bautzen has developed and patented the AFT-comb-screw for a fastening system, which is suitable for the mounting of conveyor systems on steelwork platforms.

Advantages of AFT-comb-screw:

• Time savings, tighter schedules can be met

• Time savings due to lower coordination requirements between the subsections mechanical installation and steel construction

• Savings in the mechanical assembly of conveyor parts, since the AFT-comb-screw can be installed from the top

• Parallel work is possible

• Cost savings

• Installation without additional mounting devices, which otherwise must be rented or purchased

• No costly development of special solutions, the AFT-comb-screw is universally applicable

• No costly steel construction changes are necessary for conversions of existing facilities

The AFT-comb-screw is adapted to the usual requirements, a proven product and also available quickly!

For further information about AFT-comb-screw please contact AFT service in Bautzen! Phone +49 3591 3788-117

New AFT-Group website

A new design as well as many new contents and information:

These are the most obvious changes to the new AFT website. Among other things, more information on AFT was compiled for interested parties and customers. The additional information can be found under the tab “Company”.

In a world of increasing mobility, it was also necessary to optimize the website for mobile devices. Innovative mobile responsive design is used to display the website optimally on all possible devices.

Heiko Hofmann, CEO of the AFT-Group, is pleased to announce the successful overhaul of the website: “We’re glad, that we’ve taken the step of this complete redesign of our website. Now, we can offer our customers, prospective customers, employees and all other stakeholders a new user-friendly website.”

Extension of inverted monorail system at Deutz plant in Köln Porz, Germany

Inverted monorail system for assembly of motors

In 2012, AFT Schopfheim delivered an inverted monorail system (IMS) for assembly of motors at the plant in Köln Porz.

This inverted monorail system allows a precise positioning of the motors (up to approx. 600 kg payload) on two axles, for user-friendly and ergonomic mounting of the motors.
At the beginning of this year, AFT Schopfheim received an order from Deutz over the extension of this inverted monorail system. For this purpose, new IMS vehicles will be delivered and the current return route will be rebuilt. This offers the possibility to integrate further workstations into this assembly line, in order to integrate two new engine series, the TCD 2.2 (3 cylinder) and the G2.2 / G2.9 (LPG). In addition to the mechanical modification of all vehicles, the vehicles and the system are equipped with a new control system as well as the rail with modern iWlan R-Coax, to ensure a reliable and robust radio connection at all times.

Extension of skid roller conveyor at Mercedes-Benz Ludwigsfelde, Germany

At the plant for utility vehicles in Ludwigsfelde, Mercedes-Benz plans to extent the existing skid roller conveyor.

In order to make the production at cay body finish more efficient, additional lifting devices and other existing components are going to be rearranged. AFT Bautzen received the order for this project.

New order from Škoda

In order to produce another model at the plant in Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic), it is necessary to extend the EMS for side part transport. AFT Schopfheim receives order for this extension. The scope of supply includes the steel construction, expansion of the rail system and delivery of new hangars as well as the conversion of already existing hangars.

DPCA Award for AFT Shanghai

Storage Body Distribution Center | EMS with heavy friction drive system | Marriagestation with EMS and skillet

On 18th January 2017, AFT Shanghai received the award „Best cooperation partner“ from DPCA (Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile Company Ltd.) in Chengdu, P.R.C.!

AFT Shanghai got the award for really good cooperation in the project “car plant 4” in Chengdu. This is the first plant with 60 JPH outside of Wuhan, headquarter of DPCA. AFT Shanghai delivered and installed conveyor technique for general assembly shop, for example: a high bay storage in body distribution center, an EMS with heavy friction drive system for transport of chassis, skid roller conveyors in marriage line and 2 slat conveyors.

AFT receives order from BMW Leipzig, Germany

AFT Schopfheim receives order for restructuring of EMS-Systems for components.

Because of some automation measurements at door assembly, rebuilding and expansion of EMS-Systems are required. The doors are transported through the assembly lines via EMS vehicles with height-adjustable hangers. In addition, there are extensive changes and expansions of the EMS-Systems for the transport and assembly of floor trim panel and front ends.