As Factories Go Driverless, Trio Mobil Supports the Safe Coexistence of AGVs and Forklifts

Audi Deploys Trio Mobil's Proximity Intelligence to Prevent Collisions and Keep Operations Running Safely

INGOLSTADT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The factory floor is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. Automated guided vehicles are now a structural feature of modern automotive manufacturing, with the global AGV market on track to nearly double to over $11 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. At Audi's Ingolstadt operations, AGVs already share production corridors with human-operated forklifts every hour of every shift. That convergence is exactly where AGVs and forklifts interact most closely and makes safety a priority.

To address these challenges, Trio Mobil is supporting Audi with TRIO SAFE, an AI- and IoT-powered proximity intelligence platform that gives operators real-time awareness of everything moving around them, before a close call becomes a collision.

The result: A significant reduction in forklift-AGV collision incidents.

The Blind Spot No One Talks About

Automotive manufacturers have invested heavily in making AGVs safer. What they have invested less in is preventing the collisions that happen when AGVs and forklifts meet at intersections, around blind corners, in high-density corridors where both vehicles are moving and neither has full visibility of the other.

A forklift - AGV collision rarely makes headlines. But the cost is real: vehicle damage, unplanned maintenance, disrupted material flow, and production slowdowns that compound by the hour. AGVs are expensive assets, a single unit can represent a significant capital investment, and every collision puts that investment at risk. Forklifts remain among the most hazardous vehicles in industrial settings as well, with obstructed sightlines and mixed-traffic complexity as the leading contributing factors.

Standard safety measures, such as floor markings, warning lights, speed zones, were designed for an era before AGVs outnumbered people. They remain necessary, but no longer sufficient.

What TRIO SAFE Does Differently

Built on Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, TRIO SAFE continuously measures proximity between forklifts and AGVs with high accuracy. When proximity thresholds are approached, operators receive contextual visual and auditory alerts, not a generic alarm, but a targeted signal tied to the specific vehicle and relative distance creating the risk.

The system also supports AI-driven speed adaptation, automatically triggering staged reductions as proximity risk increases. This closes the gap between awareness and action, supporting controlled speed adaptation as proximity exposure increases, helping reduce impact severity under defined conditions.

Critically, TRIO SAFE functions as an assistive layer by enhancing trained operators rather than replacing judgment. The system also creates a documented, data-backed record of proximity events, supporting compliance, incident review, and continuous traffic optimization.

Audi's Results

TRIO SAFE has contributed to reducing risks significantly in Audi’s shared AGV and forklift operating environments by directly translating into lower repair costs, reduced unplanned downtime, and more predictable production continuity.

"TRIO SAFE helps make intralogistics even safer," said Carlos Lopez Gebhardt, In-house Series Optimization, from AUDI AG. "At Audi, the system supports the smooth and safe interaction between forklifts and AGVs in daily operations. By improving awareness in close-proximity scenarios, it contributes to a more efficient production environment while maintaining uninterrupted material flow."

In practice, the deployment has delivered higher situational awareness across convergence zones, reduced collision risk in low-visibility environments, and stronger alignment between safety objectives and operational throughput by treating safety not as a brake on performance, but as a driver of it.

A Prevention-First Platform for the Automation Era

"Industrial environments are becoming more complex as automation density increases," said Nevzat Ataklı, CEO and Co-Founder of Trio Mobil. "Every collision, even a low-speed one, carries a cost: equipment, downtime, and operational continuity. Our focus is on AI-powered forklift safety technologies designed to reduce collision exposure in high-density environments and support structured, layered safety strategies, turning safety investment into measurable operational performance."

Trio Mobil's TRIO SAFE ecosystem is deployed across industrial environments in more than 65 countries. The platform integrates into existing safety architectures without production disruption and scales as automation density grows.

About Trio Mobil

Trio Mobil is a global AI-powered industrial safety company helping organizations improve risk visibility and scale prevention-first operations across complex environments in more than 65 countries.

Learn more at www.triomobil.com