Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Koblenz

Automatic vehicle system for hospital logistics

The Central Hospital of the German armed forces (Bundeswehrzentralkrankenhaus) in Koblenz ensures full medical care for members of the armed forces as well as the public. A considerable investment was made to modernize and improve the overall efficiency in the hospital logistics.

Design criteria

The uninterrupted, automated flow of goods between the main hospital wards, kitchen, pharmacy, operating rooms and waste disposal were designed in cooperation with several companies in a general contractors structure, under the leadership of psb. In a route of more than 1,700 m, approximately 500 transports (25 meal containers and 113 general-purpose containers) have to be carried out daily. In all solutions, special attention had to be paid to the hygienic aspects, essential in a hospital environment.

The solution

The manual operation was replaced by the automatic transport system (AGV) implemented by psb. Each transport order is carried out and reported immediately (online communication).

Tried and tested components were combined with psb’s know-how of complex computer-controlled material flow installations. Working on a defined strategy, a control station co-ordinates and optimizes the administration of the transport orders for 17 carobot (psb’s own AGV ). The selektron SCADA serves as central control and errorreporting system.

The equipment like carobot, controls, software and conveyor systems are products which were developed and manufactured by psb. This means that psb is also a competent after sales service partner, which is surely another positive aspect.