AGV and AMR integration · WMS and ERP · VDA 5050 · UK
Warehouse automation integrator: connect autonomous forklifts and AMRs to the WMS and ERP you already run
FlyWei Robotics is a UK warehouse automation integrator, not a robot manufacturer. We connect AGV forklifts and AMRs to the warehouse management system (WMS) or ERP you already run, so transport orders reach the robots without re-keying and every finished move is reported back. Mixed fleets run under one M4 fleet manager over the open VDA 5050 interface.
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Where the fleet manager sits
Three layers share the work. Your WMS or ERP decides what needs moving: which load, from which location, to which location and by when. The fleet manager decides how: which robot takes the job, which route it drives, how traffic is kept apart in shared aisles and when each robot charges. The robots carry out the move and report what they are doing.
The FlyWei M4 fleet manager is the middle layer. It talks upwards to the WMS, WCS or ERP over REST and downwards to the vehicles over VDA 5050, so the business systems stay in place and every robot answers to one dispatcher.
- 1
Your WMS or ERP
Owns orders, stock and locations. Sends a transport order when a pallet or tote needs to move, and records where it landed.
- 2
M4 fleet manager
Chooses the robot, plans the route, keeps traffic apart in shared aisles, schedules charging and reports progress back.
- 3
Autonomous forklifts and AMRs
Drive, lift and place the load, and send their position, battery level, load and any error back to the fleet manager.
What data passes each way
An integration is a short list of messages agreed before go-live. This is the typical set; the site survey confirms which ones your system can send and receive.
| Direction | What passes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| WMS or ERP to fleet manager | Transport orders: load ID, pick-up location, drop location, priority and any time window. Changes and cancellations. | The robots only move what the business system has asked for. |
| Fleet manager to WMS or ERP | Order accepted, started, load collected, load delivered, or failed and cancelled with a reason. | Stock locations update when the pallet lands, not when someone keys it in. |
| Fleet manager to robots (VDA 5050) | Orders as a route of nodes and edges, actions such as pick and drop, and instant actions such as pause or cancel. | One message format for every vehicle that implements the standard. |
| Robots to fleet manager (VDA 5050) | State (position, battery, load, errors and the order step reached), connection status and a factsheet describing the vehicle. | The fleet manager knows where each robot is and what it can do. |
Do we need a new WMS?
Usually not. The fleet manager takes transport orders from the system you already run, so the WMS or ERP keeps the stock record and the robots fit around it. What matters is the route in: an API, a database interface, a file exchange or a middleware layer, and whether your system can raise a transport order at the moment a load needs to move.
Where it cannot, the gap is usually a missing trigger rather than a missing system, and it can be closed inside the system you have. The site survey checks which route your system supports before anything is committed.
What happens if the WMS goes down?
Agree the answer before go-live, because at some point the link will drop. A sound integration covers four things, each with a named owner and a written recovery step.
Work in hand
Robots finish or safely hold the moves they were already given, and the fleet manager keeps its queue.
New work
Orders created while the link is down wait in the WMS or ERP and are sent when it returns, or a supervisor enters urgent moves at the fleet manager under an agreed procedure.
The stock record
Every move completed during the outage is reported back once the link is restored, so locations are reconciled rather than re-keyed from memory.
Manual fallback
Which flows switch to driven trucks, who makes the call, and how the site switches back.
What VDA 5050 does not standardise
VDA 5050 (also written VDA5050) standardises the conversation between a fleet manager and the vehicles: orders, actions and status, sent as JSON messages over MQTT. That is what makes mixed fleets possible. It leaves several things to the integrator:
- The link to your WMS or ERPVDA 5050 sits below the business systems. The upward interface is agreed project by project.
- Traffic and job assignmentHow the fleet manager chooses a robot, plans routes and resolves conflicts in shared aisles is its own logic, not part of the standard.
- SafetyThe standard covers communication. Each truck's own safety scanners and controllers still slow and stop it, and the site is assessed against UK duties under PUWER and LOLER.
- Commissioning on siteEach robot is still mapped, its pick-up and drop points set and its routes tested in your building.
- Vehicle-specific actionsThe standard defines how an action is sent, but load-handling actions and their parameters can differ by maker, so each vehicle's implementation is tested before it joins a mixed fleet.
So “VDA 5050 compatible” on a datasheet is where integration starts, not where it ends. The VDA 5050 explainer covers the message types and the version history.
Master-data readiness checklist
Most integration delays come from data, not software. Before the survey, check how many of these you can already answer.
- Every pick-up and drop location the robots will use has a unique ID in the WMS or ERP.
- Load types are defined: pallet type, size, weight and any overhang rules.
- Rack beam heights are recorded for every location a stacker or reach truck will serve.
- You know which event creates a transport order, and in which system.
- Priorities and time windows are agreed for each flow.
- The status messages your team needs back are listed, with who acts on an exception.
- Wi-Fi covers every robot route, and IT has named who signs off network security.
- A manual fallback is written down, including how the stock record is corrected afterwards.
- One person owns the integration test plan and signs it off.
Gaps on this list are normal. The free site survey turns them into a short action plan.
Warehouse robotics integrator for mixed fleets
A warehouse robotics integrator for mixed fleets makes robots of different classes, and where it makes operational sense different makers, work as one system. FlyWei runs autonomous forklifts and AMRs under the M4 fleet manager over VDA 5050, with one traffic plan, one dispatcher and one link to your WMS or ERP.
AMRs alongside autonomous forklifts
Autonomous forklifts move pallets; AMRs move totes, cases, trolleys and racks. When both work in one building they share aisles, crossings and doors, so they need one traffic plan. M4 coordinates autonomous forklifts and AMRs under a single dispatch, traffic and status model, so one WMS order can be split across them: a pallet truck brings a load from the dock while a stacker puts it away, or an AMR takes cases to a packing station while a forklift replenishes the pick face.
See the lifting robots for rack and trolley moves, and AGV vs AMR for how the two vehicle types differ.
Why vendor-neutral integration matters
No single-brand lock-in
The fleet logic, integrations and process you invest in live in an open control layer, not in one manufacturer's closed software, so the right robot can be chosen on operational merit.
One open VDA 5050 control layer
Because the M4 fleet platform speaks the open VDA 5050 standard, it coordinates autonomous forklifts and AMRs under a single traffic-management, dispatch and status model: one view of the whole operation.
Mixed fleets on one platform
Different robot classes, and where it makes operational sense machines from different makers, run through one platform instead of separate islands of automation that cannot see each other.
Works with your systems and racking
The fleet takes work from the WMS or ERP you already run and works with your existing racking, aisles and floor: natural-feature navigation means no rails, wires or floor magnets to install.
From site survey to a live, supported fleet
1 · Free site survey
A FlyWei engineer walks your aisles, docks and flows, in person or from your drawings, and checks how your WMS or ERP can send and receive orders.
2 · Fleet design and sizing
We design the right mix of robot classes for your volumes and choose hardware on fit: capacity, aisle width, lift height, duty cycle.
3 · Integration and commissioning
The WMS or ERP interface is built and tested through M4, then the robots are installed and commissioned on site with natural-feature navigation.
4 · Go-live and support
Operator and supervisor training, the M4 fleet manager live, and ongoing aftercare for the life of the system.
AGV and AMR integration FAQ
What does an AGV and AMR integrator do?+
An AGV and AMR integrator designs and delivers a working robot operation around the systems a site already runs. FlyWei surveys the site, sizes the fleet, connects the robots to the WMS or ERP through the M4 fleet manager, commissions them on site, trains the team and supports the system afterwards. FlyWei is a systems integrator, not a manufacturer, so one team is accountable for the whole system.
Which WMS and ERP systems can you connect autonomous forklifts to?+
The route depends on what your system offers: an API, a database interface, a file exchange or a middleware layer. M4 connects upwards to WMS, WCS and ERP platforms over REST and downwards to the vehicles over VDA 5050. The free site survey checks which route your system supports, and what it needs, before anything is committed.
Can FlyWei run robots from more than one manufacturer in one fleet?+
Yes. The whole point of an open VDA 5050 platform is that the M4 fleet manager can orchestrate a mixed fleet, with different robot classes and, where it makes operational sense, machines from different makers, through one control layer. You get one traffic-management model, one dispatch logic and one view of the operation, rather than separate islands of automation that cannot see each other.
Will autonomous forklifts work with my existing racking?+
Usually, yes. The forklifts use natural-feature navigation, so they work with your existing racking, aisles and floor, with no rails, wires or floor magnets to install. Beam heights, aisle widths, pallet types and floor condition are checked at the free site survey, which confirms fit before anything is committed.
Does vendor-neutral integration avoid single-brand lock-in?+
That is the core benefit. Because the control layer is an open VDA 5050 platform rather than one manufacturer's closed software, your investment in fleet logic, integrations and process is not stranded if you later want a different robot for a new task. You keep the flexibility to evolve the fleet on operational merit, and the advice you get is about what fits your warehouse, not about moving one brand's stock.
Is VDA 5050 the same as VDA5050?+
Yes. VDA 5050 is the interface standard published by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) with the VDMA, and VDA5050 is the same standard written without the space, as on its GitHub repository. It defines how a fleet manager sends orders to automated vehicles and receives their status. M4 uses it to run mixed fleets.
Plan the integration before the robots arrive
Book a free site survey and a FlyWei engineer will map your flows, check how your WMS or ERP can talk to the fleet, and design the right mix of robots on an open VDA 5050 platform. No obligation.
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