Material handling equipment maker Crown Equipment Corp. will collaborate with automated guided vehicle (AGV) provider JBT Corp. on making products that help clients maximize the benefits of material handling automation, the companies said today.

Chicago-based JBT is a technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry with a focus on proteins, liquid foods, and automated system solutions.

Under the terms of the partnership, the companies will offer clients increased access to their combined portfolio of automation capabilities, helping users achieve achieve tangible return on investment (ROI), New Bremen, Ohio-based Crown said.

The partners have already worked to create the Crown DualMode T tow tractor, which can switch between manual and automated operation, and is currently being piloted through Crown's early adopter release initiative. That vehicle joins Crown's growing automation solutions portfolio that includes the QuickPick Remote order picking system and the Crown TSP Series turret trucks with Auto Positioning System, the firm said.

"While the market has been buzzing about the potential of material handling automation, we have been working diligently to develop a practical approach for our customers to leverage automation-related technologies to solve operational challenges," Jim Mozer, senior vice president for Crown Equipment, said in a release.