Automation of FVL Parks
Orders of magnitude: why automation is becoming an economic issue
On a flat lot, the productivity of movements is highly dependent on the site and organization. As a general operational rule, we often observe ~50 movements per operator per day, with typical variations ranging from 30 to 90 depending on flows, internal distances, fill rate, and level of optimization.
When labor becomes tight (recruitment, absenteeism) and inflation weighs on OPEX, robotizing the most repetitive movements becomes a lever for both resilience and productivity.
When labor becomes tight (recruitment, absenteeism) and inflation weighs on OPEX, robotizing the most repetitive movements becomes a lever for both resilience and productivity.
Two French startups pave the way: Stradot and Stanley Robotics
The automation of FVL parks is moving from concept to operational testing. Two French players are exploring complementary approaches: robotizing certain movements in the lot and equipping space and flow management in outdoor environments.
Stradot: automating movements in a dedicated area
Stradot communicates about FVL deployments aimed at automating vehicle movements in a secure and dedicated area, with a public order of magnitude: 2 robots capable of managing movements on ~2,000 spaces, with several thousand movements per month. The interest is clear: removing some of the repetitive tasks and smoothing out certain operational peaks (receiving, shipment preparation) within a controlled perimeter.
Stanley Robotics: 'autonomous valet' and outdoor automotive logistics
Stanley Robotics communicates about a 24/7 robotic service logic and densification in parking, as well as use cases in automotive logistics ('car logistics'). The company has also communicated about real-world tests on vehicle logistics platforms, illustrating the gradual transition from the 'parking' world to the 'FVL parks' world.
The key point: FVL is a much more demanding field than it seems
The FVL lot is an environment where automation must contend with constraints rarely present in intralogistics:
Human-machine coactivity
Safety, separation of traffic, access rules
Ground variability
Condition of the asphalt, markings, slopes, drainage, degraded areas
Weather hazards
Rain, heat, visibility, grip, and continuity of service
High operational variability
Peaks, emergencies, OEM priorities, rescheduling
Great diversity of operations between sites
Physical processes, flows, productivity
Vehicle heterogeneity
Dimensions, weights, exceptions, sensitive vehicles
IT/process integration
Lot rules, VIN scanning, allocation, prioritization, proof of movement
Vehicle services on the lot
LTSM (Long Term Storage Maintenance), vehicle breakdowns, ad-hoc interventions
Inventories
Verification of vehicle presence at their location, stock reliability
Productivity and density gains still need to be consolidated on an industrial scale: they depend on the sites and must be weighed against investments.
How Hi Park fits into this trajectory
Hi Park is part of this movement to modernize FVL parks, with a complementary logic:
Structure
Structure operations and reduce dependence on the constraints of a 'standard' flat lot.
Hi Park
More industrialized process
Storage and handling designed as a system.
Controlled environment
Designed for operations (rather than 'suffering' the constraints of an existing lot).
Adaptability
Ability to anticipate, prioritize movements, and adjust according to needs (short transit or long-term storage)
Modularity
Ability to adjust sizing to support structural changes in demand
Hi Park's process added value
Hi Park integrates orchestration software that anticipates and prioritizes movements. It prepares loading/unloading operations according to vehicle status and emergencies (cut-offs, transport orders), to ensure rapid exits when necessary—while providing teams with a clear and stable execution framework.
Responsiveness
Ensure handling is done quickly when operations require it (emergencies, peaks, cut-offs).
Organization
Sequence and list actions to be performed, to guide operators and avoid re-handling.
Reliability
More consistent performance, even at high density and in outdoor conditions.
Conclusion:
Stradot and Stanley Robotics illustrate a market dynamic: outdoor FVL is becoming robotized.
Hi Park fits into this trajectory by simultaneously addressing the issue of land (capacity) and the automation of handling (integrated and structuring processes, 24/7).