Deep technology company Unikie and automotive service provider Valmet Automotive are developing an innovative logistics solution at a car plant site in Uusikaupunki, Finland. 

According to Unikie, testing and validating its Automated Factory Parking technology at a business-critical factory environment is an important step in taking the new technology to the production stage.

In Uusikaupunki, Unikie and Valmet Automotive have ran a test series for driving a vehicle from the plant to a logistics field for shipping aided by the infrastructure only. 

The system does not require vehicles to have any autonomous capabilities or sensors, but only the basic capabilities for steering, changing gears, accelerating, and braking as defined by the ISO23374 standard.

Vesa Kiviranta, Chief Business Officer for Automotive at Unikie, said: “At the Uusikaupunki plant, we have been utilising the same automated valet parking technology as in Munich but in an industrial environment indoors and outdoors, which presents new challenges for the system. 

“During our testing, we have had various weather conditions and have proven that the system can operate with reliability even in pouring rain. By taking our solution into use our customers can achieve remarkable improvements in efficiency and significant cost savings.”

Unikie is working currently with multiple OEM’s to validate its technology and is expecting first production installations during 2022.