Material Movement & Transport Automation
Keep pallets, carts, and materials moving across your facility on a predictable schedule, without tying up skilled labor or forklift time. Cobot Team provides, integrates, and supports autonomous mobile robot (AMR) material movement and transport systems built on the trusted ATI Robotics Sherpa line.
Why Manufacturers & Warehouses Automate Material Movement
Every pallet, cart, or tote that has to travel from receiving to production, from one process area to the next, or from storage to staging, takes time and labor. Multiply that across a shift and skilled operators, forklift drivers, and material handlers can spend hours walking, pushing carts, and driving materials around instead of focusing on production and other higher-value work. And when staffing is tight, materials can end up sitting longer than they should because no one is available to move them.​​​
Works with the carts and pallets you already use
Ati Robotics' AMRs are built to interface with most standard hitch types and pallet sizes so they can integrate easily into your current material handling flow.
For manufacturers and warehouses, the goal is simple: keep materials moving so production or fulfillment isn't left waiting for what it needs. Automating material transport with AMRs creates more predictable movement between receiving, storage, production, and shipping, whether that means carrying pallets, towing carts, or running scheduled delivery routes
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are used in automated material handling systems that transport materials throughout a facility. Unlike earlier iterations of industrial AMRs that required magnetic tape or fixed guided paths, the ATI Sherpa line uses a 3D Lidar sensor to map the facility as it already exists, reducing the need for any massive process upheaval. Additionally, Ati Flow allows for robot navigation to be fluid and flexible, changing routes based on changing conditions, and enabling robots to interface with other sensors or AMRs in your system.
How Material Movement Automation Helps Manufactures & Warehouses
More Consistent Material Delivery
Move pallets, carts, and totes on a predictable schedule, so materials keep moving even when staffing is tight.
Reduce Line Starvation
Keep production supplied by delivering materials and moving WIP when and where they're needed, reducing delays between production stages.
Replace Repetitive Forklift Trips
Use AMRs for recurring pallet, cart, and material transport between receiving, storage, production, and shipping instead of relying on manual trips.
Flexible as Layouts Change
Reroute and redeploy AMRs as cells, layouts, and production needs change, without fixed conveyors or guide paths to rebuild.
Free Up Skilled Labor
Take repetitive fetching, delivering, and hauling off operators and material handlers so they can focus on higher value production work.
Visibility Into Material Flow
Fleet software tracks missions, routes, and delivery timing, providing better visibility into material flow throughout your operation.
Lower Your Total Material Transport Cost
The ROI of material movement automation goes beyond labor savings. Fewer forklift hours and wear, more predictable production flow, less product damage from manual handling, and better visibility into where material actually is can all help lower operating costs and free up capacity across your facility.
Common Material Movement & Transport Applications
Material movement and transport automation can cover everything from delivering components to a production line to moving pallets, carts, and WIP across a facility to shipping. Here's how AMRs automate some of the most common material movement and transport applications.
Line-Side Delivery & Replenishment
Keeping a production line supplied with components, kits, and consumables usually means dedicating someone to fetch and deliver material on a recurring basis. An AMR delivers material to the line side on a set schedule or in response to a call button or kanban signal, keeping material available without tying up a person on delivery runs.
WIP Movement Between Production Area
Semi-finished parts, totes, and racks often sit waiting between process steps because moving them depends on someone being available to make the trip. An AMR carries WIP between machining, inspection, assembly, and other production areas on a repeatable route, keeping work moving instead of waiting at the handoff between processes.
Pallet Movement & Transfer
Short, frequent pallet moves between receiving, staging, production, and packaging add up to real forklift time over a shift. An AMR pallet mover picks up, transports, and drops off pallets on a repeatable route, freeing forklift capacity for dock work and exceptions.
Cart & Tugger Train Movement
Many plants already move material on carts, and pushing or pulling those carts by hand across a facility adds up over a shift. An automated tugger, sometimes called an AMR tugger, can take over existing cart routes, towing carts, racks, trolleys, or multiple carts between production and storage areas.
Finished Goods & Outbound Transfer
Moving completed product from the end of a line to packaging, staging, or the warehouse often requires a forklift or another manual transport trip. An AMR transfers finished goods to packaging, staging, storage, or outbound shipping areas on a scheduled or triggered route.
Empty Container & Cart Return
Returning empty totes, bins, pallets, and carts for refill or reuse can often be neglected, causing empties to pile up where they’re no longer needed. An AMR closes the loop by returning empty containers and carts to their origin on the same route it uses to deliver full ones.
One Fleet, Multiple Applications
A single AMR fleet can support towing, pallet movement, lifting, and other material transport applications across your facility. Different Sherpa configurations can work together within the same fleet, so you can automate multiple material movement tasks without deploying a separate system for each one. Talk to us about your routes and loads to find the right mix for your operation.
Built for Indoor & Outdoor Material Transport
Routes don't always stop at the warehouse door. ATI Sherpa AMRs are built for material movement across indoor and outdoor industrial environments, allowing loads to move from the production floor to loading areas, yards, or between buildings without changing transport systems.
Built for Outdoor Conditions
Select Sherpa models are designed to operate in dirt, snow, rain, puddles, changing temperatures, and uneven gradient on outdoor surfaces, making them well suited for routes that extend beyond the controlled conditions of a production floor.
Built for Demanding Production Environments
The same rugged design that holds up outdoors is built for the demands of the production floor, from busy aisles and shared workspaces to dust, debris, and multi-shift operation.
Is Material Movement & Transport Automation Right for Your Operation?
Best Fit When:
May Be More Challenging When:
Material movement is repetitive and follows predictable routes or cycles
Pallets, carts, totes, or racks are standardized or similar in size and handling
Forklifts or material handlers spend significant time on short, repetitive transport routes
Staffing is tight, or it's difficult to keep enough people available for repetitive material transport
Production delays or line-side shortages are often caused by materials not arriving when they're needed
Routes, layouts, or pickup and drop-off points change daily
Loads are highly irregular or require individual judgment to move safely
Material movement volume is low and unpredictable
Aisles, doorways, floor conditions, or other facility constraints make AMR navigation difficult
ATI Sherpa AMRs for Material Movement Automation
Cobot Team deploys the ATI Sherpa AMR line for material movement and transport, with towing, pallet handling, and lifting configurations across the product family. Compare Sherpa models and specifications, or contact us for help matching the right configuration to your routes and loads.
Rugged, Robust, Reliable
ATI Sherpa AMRs range from the compact XT Lite up to the 10,000 lb capacity Sherpa 10K, with towing and lifting configurations for every payload. For high-volume pallet transport, the Sherpa Pallet Mover uses fork-under pickup and sensor-based navigation, no pallet modifications or floor infrastructure required.
Why Choose Cobot Team?
An Automation Partner, Not Just a Robot Supplier
Whether you're automating a single route or expanding material movement across multiple facilities, Cobot Team provides the expertise and support to help you move forward with confidence.
Strategic, Phased Approach
Start with one route, demonstrate ROI, and expand automation at a pace that fits your operation.
Experienced Integration Team
From site assessment and route design through fleet setup and commissioning, we deliver material movement systems built for dynamic manufacturing and warehouse environments.
Nationwide Support
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Cobot Team supports manufacturers and warehouses across the United States with remote and on-site automation support.
Application Focused Solutions
We can evaluate your actual routes, loads, and volume, and recommend the AMR configuration, tugging, pallet moving, or lifting/handling, that best fits where your material actually gets stuck.
ATI Robotics Integrator
Cobot Team integrates ATI Robotics' Sherpa AMRs for material movement and transport, helping facility operators select, deploy, and support the right solution for their routes, loads, facility, and operating requirements.
Long-Term Support
Our team provides fleet configuration, training, technical support, and service to help you get the most from your automation investment.
