Helping Clients Near and Far Implement Autonomous Mobile Robots

Before beginning his career, Josh Line had been on an airplane only once and rarely strayed far from his home state of Pennsylvania. A native of Carlisle, he went to the University of Pittsburgh, a three-hour drive west, and fell in love with the city, eventually choosing to remain there for work.

Now, as a field engineer with MHI member Seegrid, Line is piling up the frequent-flier miles, spending as much as 80% of his time on the road. He’s visited clients’ manufacturing plants and warehouses as far west as San Francisco, deep in the heart of Texas and across the northern border in Canada. Having visited 20 states and counting, his bags never stay unpacked for long.

Line, 23, helps companies implement and maintain Seegrid’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), including its tow tractor and pallet jacks. The AMRs increase throughput at clients’ facilities by autonomously moving materials, freeing up manpower to perform other tasks. Amid a stubborn national Line said the work can be challenging because no two clients have identical facilities are understandably happy when Line arrives.

Line said the work can be challenging because no two clients have identical facilities and operations, but he enjoys helping them find efficiencies through automation.

“You don’t get bored with this kind of job,” he said. “It’s always something new and interesting. It seems like every time I go to a site, there’s a different issue, so you can’t necessarily take what you learn at one site and apply it to the next. When I first started, I was asking anyone and everyone for help, but now I’m able to actually go through a facility and figure it out, and that makes me feel happy and accomplished.”

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