Prototype to Production in 60 Days: CTDI’s Enzo Redefines AMR Innovation

With Beckhoff technology at its core, the Enzo delivers unmatched mobile robot precision, safety, and adaptability across global operations.

Logistics companies are judged by their ability to move faster and operate smarter. The organizations that are best at this are the ones that convert complexity into flow with new technologies. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) offer a rare dual advantage: they boost productivity and workplace safety immediately while laying the foundation for entirely new operational models. What was once seen as a nice-to-have vanity technology has become a competitive mandate, and the companies that fully embrace AMRs today are the ones that are pulling into the pole position.  

Based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, CTDI understands how fast AMR technology is evolving and how it can transform material handling and logistics operations. As a leader in the rapidly growing communications, mobility, and consumer device services industries, CTDI specializes in forward and reverse logistics bolstered by industry-leading testing technology and repair/refurbishment services. 

Originally founded in 1975 by Don, Jerry, and Richard Parsons in the garage of their family home, the organization has accelerated its growth to encompass locations in 20 countries across the globe. With the expansion of the company’s reach, CTDI also needed to expand their automation capabilities to stay competitive. Recognizing the need for greater independence and control over their own material handling automation, CTDI made the decision to design in 2024, build, and support their own AMR. Focusing on goods-to-person systems, CTDI launched its Enzo AMR program in-house with advanced automation and control technologies from Beckhoff. 

By creating a single, adaptable AMR platform, the Enzo from CTDI meets rapidly changing workflow needs across intralogistics operations.

AMR innovation at full speed

Over the course of 2024 and 2025, CTDI has made significant strides in the automation technologies driving their Enzo AMR program. Taking just two weeks to get a working prototype and then two months to deploy a fully functional version in the field, what began as an experimental “version 0” quickly evolved into the current fully autonomous and integrated version 2.2 of the Enzo AMR. 

The decision to develop the AMR in-house was driven by CTDI’s continued investment to vertically integrate in developing their own flexible, high-impact, automation solutions to support their business growth and their customers’ supply chain demands. According to Kirk Whittemore, Director of Automation at CTDI, “We have 100 facilities around the world, and we want to be in full control of those sites. By making our own AMR, we can best control our processes and costs.” By owning the development process, CTDI can better adapt the Enzo to rapidly changing workflows, optimize efficiency, and eliminate reliance on external vendors for updates, reconfigurations, or new deployments.   

When looking for partners who could tackle their program’s unique needs, CTDI chose Beckhoff for an automation platform with unmatched flexibility, integrated safety, and an open architecture. CTDI needed a system that could combine high performance motion control and robust safety functions to operate alongside people in busy testing and warehouse environments. Beckhoff’s TwinSAFE programmable safety technologies allowed CTDI to streamline development while still maintaining the company’s rigorous standards in a new product category. 

Modular by design, intelligent in execution  

CTDI focused on three key application areas for the Enzo: goods-to-person operations, dynamic routing, and testing new equipment in development for future innovations. 

With this in mind, the Enzo AMR was designed with flexibility at its core. Developers built a versatile base unit that can be customized for a wide range of applications using modular attachments called “toppers.” These can include shelves, lifting units, rotation units, tuggers, conveyors, and more. By creating a single, adaptable AMR platform, CTDI can easily tailor the Enzo to meet specific needs for various processes and workflows, maximizing efficiency and scalability across their operations.

With 100 facilities around the world, the new fleet of Enzo AMRs will help CTDI better control processes and costs across the enterprise.

The versatile AMR is engineered for deployment across a wide range of warehouse and production environments. Enzo units are used for dynamic routing through warehouse aisles; handling medium to heavy loads depending on order volume and workflow demands. Designed with a hinged center and dual drive wheels, the Enzo maintains stability and maneuverability even over uneven surfaces, ensuring reliable, precise motion control as the AMR surfs across warehouse floors.

Unlike many commercial AMRs that rely on third-party software, CTDI developed 100% of the Enzo’s code in-house. Using Beckhoff’s TwinCAT automation platform as a development environment, CTDI engineers created a digital twin of the Enzo prior to deployment, allowing them to simulate, test, and debug — all without running the robot in a physical environment. This approach rapidly accelerated development and ensured reliability and responsiveness in the final product.   

Enzo was first deployed in goods-to-person operations at CTDI. The AMR transports shelf pods from inventory to picking stations. This cuts down the amount of manual transport within a warehouse space, reduces repetitive physical stress, and eliminates potential sources of accidents for warehouse workers. The Enzo also works alongside CTDI engineers as they test equipment to load and unload telecom equipment. 

Engineered precision, inside and out  

The Enzo’s advanced capabilities are powered by automation technologies from Beckhoff, at the center of which is the C6032-0080 Industrial PC with 11th generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor and Gigabit Ethernet PCIe card running TwinCAT software, including the TwinCAT/BSD operating system. “We use the C6032 because it's a powerhouse controller and it offers unbelievable flexibility,” says Shawn Sidelinger, Controls Engineer at CTDI. 

The C6032 Industrial PC and TwinCAT 3 allowed CTDI to create a hybrid control architecture capable of running both TwinCAT/BSD and Linux operating systems simultaneously through virtualization. This unique platform enables seamless communication between the Robot Operating System (ROS2) and TwinCAT, allowing CTDI engineers to dynamically assign control to the system of their choice based on the specific application, such as QR code guidance or navigation based on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). CTDI also utilizes the CP6706-0001-0070 “Economy” Built-in Panel PC with Intel® Atom™ x6 processor as a secondary controller and HMI for the topper, allowing operators to directly interact with the parts delivery system.  

According to CTDI, the Enzo’s ability to track its position in real-time further sets it apart in the AMR industry, delivering a level of accuracy and adaptability rarely seen in these systems. Its highly precise motion control comes from ELM7222-9018 servomotor I/O modules in metal housings paired with compact AM8122 servomotors with One Cable Technology (OCT). This combines motor power and feedback into a single cable to minimize wiring complexity, required space, and build time while maximizing flexibility and movement precision.  

The system also incorporates an EP3751-0260 EtherCAT Box which offers a 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope that enable highly precise tracking and movement of the Enzo to help keep the AMR on the planned path. Meanwhile, the WNGV64-25-0B1-F2 right angle planetary gearbox for AGVs enhances torque control for high load capacity in heavy transport, and Beckhoff’s comprehensive portfolio of cables and connectors significantly simplified CTDI’s wiring setup.  

CTDI engineers rapidly accelerated development by creating a digital twin of the Enzo, allowing them to simulate, test, and debug Enzo prior to deployment.

Beckhoff’s TwinSAFE safety technology, supported by modules such as the EK1914 EtherCAT coupler and EL1918 TwinSAFE Terminals, delivers integrated, certified safety that simplifies system design while maintaining rigorous performance standards. This combination of safety, flexibility, and openness has enabled CTDI to innovate quickly, unify the Enzo with its warehouse IT and WMS systems, and deploy dozens of highly customized robots across their global locations. 

Beckhoff’s open platform also empowers CTDI to maintain full ownership of its software and hardware design IP, ensuring complete control over performance, integration, and future scalability. The system’s adaptability is epitomized by the Enzo’s modular toppers, where EtherCAT I/O with hot connect capability and TwinCAT software’s variant management tools make it possible to quickly swap and reconfigure different toppers with minimal software changes.

An AMR platform that’s built to last  

(From left): Doug Schuchart, Beckhoff; Michael Parsons, CTDI; Shawn Sidelinger, CTDI; Andrew Elcock, CTDI; Skanda Akkihebbal Prasanna, CTDI; Soham Patwardhan, CTDI; Kirk Whittemore, CTDI; Jay McNeil, Beckhoff.

After its impressive launch, CTDI’s AMR program will continue to evolve, with ongoing improvements to the Enzo aimed at increasing flexibility, speeding deployment, and expanding its range of supported workflows. The team has already realized major gains, including dramatically shorter development cycles, reduced reliance on third-party vendors, faster reconfiguration for new programs, and improved safety and motion precision across their facilities. According to Soham Patwardhan, R&D Robotics and Automation, Intralogistics, at CTDI, "Beckhoff's flexibility allows us to select the right equipment without being locked into any particular technology or hardware. In addition to TwinCAT being highly real-time deterministic platform, it also presents several Operating System alternatives like BSD, Linux & Windows, which allow us to integrate into existing test solution, and provide easy integration not just for Engineering, but also from maintenance and operations perspective."

Looking ahead, CTDI is actively developing the next generation of AMR technology with new feature enhancements and targeted reductions in cost and manufacturing time to support wider global rollout. Powered by the Enzo’s flexibility, speed, and intelligence, CTDI will continue to transform goods-to-person operations in the telecom industry.

Ready to turn your most ambitious prototypes into future-ready machines? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.

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Brooke Robison is the Social Media Specialist at Beckhoff Automation LLC