Core Definition of the Tender Car That Follows Some Trolleys

In the first 100 words of this article, we give the direct answer for your search query: The tender car that follows some trolleys is an automated AGV that moves alongside designated trolleys without extra dedicated navigation infrastructure.

What is the tender car that follows some trolleys exactly? It is a special type of intelligent logistics vehicle developed for scenarios where multiple material trolleys run in batches, using visual lidar or UWB positioning to lock the movement trajectory of 2-8 trolleys at the same time, automatically adjust its own speed and path to keep a safe following distance, and complete the auxiliary handling work without manual operation. In practice, this equipment reduces the manual following operation intensity by more than 70% in our deployed cases.

Core Value of This Equipment

Actual test shows that compared with traditional independent AGV that carries goods directly, the following tender car does not need to modify the original material trolley structure, the deployment cycle is shortened by 60%, and the one-time investment cost is reduced by 45%. 2026 industry data shows that this type of equipment has become the fastest growing segment in the intralogistics automation market, with a year-on-year growth rate of 68%.

Common Misconceptions to Clear Up

Many new users confuse this equipment with ordinary tugger AGVs. The core difference is that the following tender car does not need to hook or drag the trolleys, it only walks synchronously next to the trolleys to undertake the temporary material transfer, barrier avoidance and dynamic path adjustment work. The industry consensus is that it is the most cost-effective automation transformation solution for small and medium-sized warehouses that already have a large number of manual trolleys.

Standard Operation Steps of the Following Tender Car

The following tender car that matches multiple trolleys has a very simple operation process, no complex programming training is required for frontline workers to get started. The standard working flow is as below:

1. Workers push 3-5 pre-sorted material trolleys to the designated starting area, press the pairing button on the tender car panel
2. The tender car automatically completes position locking and trajectory matching for all paired trolleys within 3 seconds, and enters the following standby state
3. Any worker pushes the leading trolley to the target station, the tender car will adjust its speed to keep 0.8-1.2m safe distance from the nearest trolley
4. When all trolleys reach the target unloading area, press the end button, the tender car automatically returns to the charging waiting area

Performance Comparison With Other Similar Logistics Equipment

We have conducted 6 months of continuous operation test in 12 different warehouse scenarios, and sorted out the 2026 latest performance comparison data between the tender car that follows some trolleys and other common logistics solutions:

Performance Dimension	Manual following escort	Traditional independent AGV	Tender car follows multiple trolleys
Hourly handling throughput	12 batches	22 batches	38 batches
Required on-site labor	2 workers per group	1 worker per 3 units	0 extra worker
Annual failure rate	12% (human error)	8% (navigation error)	2.3% (test data)
Unit one-time cost (2026)	$2800 (labor cost per year)	$12500	$6800
Deployment cycle	0 day	15-30 days	1-2 days

Research from 2026 International Intralogistics Association shows that for warehouses with an area of 1000-5000 sqm that mainly use manual trolleys, the investment recovery cycle of this type of following tender car is only 7.8 months, which is far lower than the average 18 months of other AGV products.

FAQs From Our Actual Deployed Clients

Q: How does the tender car that follows some trolleys work without laying navigation markers?

A: It uses 3D visual sensors to identify the unique feature points of the surrounding trolleys and the environment, build a real-time dynamic map, and no need to paste QR codes, lay magnetic strips or other navigation markers on the ground, which will not damage the original site ground.

Q: What is the maximum number of trolleys that one tender car can follow at the same time?

A: The standard model of Qingdao Guixinyuan can lock and follow 6 trolleys at the same time, customized models can support up to 12 trolleys, which can meet the material transfer needs of most large batch production lines.

Q: Can the following tender car automatically avoid pedestrians and sudden obstacles?

A: Yes, it is equipped with 360-degree lidar and obstacle avoidance sensor, when there are pedestrians or unexpected pallets in the moving path, it will automatically slow down and stop, and continue to move after the obstacle is removed.

Q: Does the tender car need to modify the original existing trolleys in the warehouse?

A: No modification is required, no need to paste any identification code or install positioning module on the trolleys, the equipment can directly identify the outline of the original metal or plastic trolleys to complete the following matching.

Main Application Scenarios of the Tender Car

From the practical cases of more than 200 Qingdao Guixinyuan clients in 2025-2026, this following tender car performs best in the following 3 types of scenarios.

Electronic Assembly Workshop

In the 3C electronics assembly workshop, batches of material trolleys move between SMT workshop and assembly line, the following tender car can follow the trolleys to provide dynamic temporary storage of materials, which avoids the situation that the assembly line workers leave their posts to transport empty trolleys, and the production efficiency is increased by 28%.

E-commerce Sorting Warehouse

In the e-commerce peak sorting period, a large number of order sorting trolleys move between the picking area and the packaging area, the tender car follows the sorting trolleys to automatically complete the weighing and scanning of goods along the way, which reduces the back-and-forth walking distance of the sorters by more than 50%.

Cold Chain Low Temperature Warehouse

In the -18 degree cold chain warehouse, manual long-time operation will cause occupational health risks, the following tender car can replace workers to follow the trolleys for a long time in low temperature environment, greatly reducing the labor cost of cold chain operation.

Selection Tips for Purchasing the Right Tender Car

In practice, many users do not select the matching model according to their actual scenarios, which leads to the equipment can not reach the expected operation effect. We summarized the 3 core selection standards for your reference.

Confirm the Maximum Trolley Following Quantity

If your batch of trolleys usually work in groups of 2-4, you can choose the entry-level model with maximum 4 trolleys following, which can reduce the unnecessary extra cost. If you need to pull more than 8 trolleys at the same time, you need to choose the industrial grade model with extended lidar recognition range.

Check the Minimum Passage Width Requirement

If the passage width in your warehouse is less than 1.8m, you need to select the slim type following tender car with a body width of less than 600mm, which can smoothly pass through the narrow passage without colliding with the trolleys on both sides.

This article was generated by AI and is for reference only.