The how, what and why of implementing a tugger train system Areas of operation for tugger trains Cross-industry trends for tugger trains The vehicle manufacturing industry is the forerunner for modern and efficient production processes. In other production industries, the potential offered by tugger trains has not been fully exhausted. But even here, there is a growing trend. This process change, however, is not occurring across the whole industry and is not leaping forward, but rather is happening in a more evolutionary way for individual cases. How has the number of implemented tugger train systems developed? 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Automotive and vehicle manufacturing Other industries 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Source: Use of tugger train systems for production supply, study on planning, control and operation, TU Munich, 2017 There is a clear development that shows the number of tugger train systems in use is growing steadily. The increasing proportion of tugger trains in industries other than vehicle manufacturing is particularly indicative of the growing desire for process optimisation. According to experience, this primarily affects the following industries: medicine, food, retail and recycling. 11 The transports for more than 60 clinics, institutes and facilities of the Mainz University Medical Center are mostly carried out with the STILL tugger trains.