Industrial robotics unlock the future of automation
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, manufacturers are navigating a complex terrain fraught with challenges such as labour shortages, an expanding skills gap, and intense global competition. Amidst these pressures, businesses are striving for greater efficiency, sustainability, and operational excellence. This pursuit emphasises the pivotal role of robotics and automation in reshaping industries, says Jocelyn Golding, OEM Industrial SI and IAD Channel Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric.
From bridging production gaps to elevating value propositions, the integration of robotics through strategic ecosystem partnerships is empowering enterprises to embrace data-driven connectivity and realise significant improvements in efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.
Industrial robotics is not new; in fact, over 3.5 million robots are hard at work across global factories already. What is new is the emergence of collaborative robots, or cobots, and the connectivity enabled through digitalisation that not only offers increased manufacturing agility but delivers eased programming and seamless integration. Coupled with the declining costs of robot assets, this technology is transcending the confines of large corporations and becoming an accessible option for businesses of all sizes.
A comprehensive assessment of robot costs should extend beyond initial purchase to encompass the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), accounting for maintenance, energy savings, and flexibility to evolve, as well as initial capital expenditure. When considered in this way, robotics is uniquely placed to provide intrinsic value while helping reshape the automation landscape in the digital era.
Trends driving robotic growth
Taking a closer look at some of the trends and improvements that are driving robot and cobot growth, let’s start with the obvious, efficiency. Collaborating with the right partner and deploying world-class robotics and automation solutions empowers manufacturers to achieve higher production volumes, reduce downtime, and ensure unwavering quality. This pursuit of consistency has historically driven the adoption of robots and continues to pave the way for steadily improving outputs across industry.
Moreover, robots and cobots alleviate repetitive tasks from human operators, eradicating the risk of human errors and distractions. The symbiotic relationship between robots and operators extends to improved workplace safety by relieving personnel from hazardous tasks involving heavy items.
Another driving force for the growth of robotics lies in addressing labour shortages. As the skills gap widens and the aging workforce approaches retirement, the significance of leveraging robotics intensifies. The dual-pronged approach of harnessing robotics not only fills vacant positions to sustain production but also empowers existing employees to upskill and transition to more value-driven roles.
Nurturing internal talent while progressing from manual to supervisory roles places industrial robots as a fundamental solution to the mounting skills gap in the context of strategic digital transformation plans.
Unlocking the full potential
It is perhaps in the underlying trends that the advantages of robotics come to the fore. It is certainly where choosing the right robotics partner offers most potential value. The right solution encompasses interoperability – orchestrated by open architectures and networking technologies, that allow previously vendor-locked systems to work together seamlessly. This synergistic approach simplifies the installation, integration, and operation of robots, whether integrating new products or entering markets with pre-existing assets. In practice, a centralised architecture, bolstered by an open standards-based programming platform is essential to harmonising the integration of automation systems, machinery, robots, and even whole industrial facilitates.
With each of these factors combined, it’s easy to see the role of robots becoming a vital addition to any enterprise, whether adoption is driven by the manufacturer themselves or an integrator, or OEM. Ease of integration with remote interfacing enables companies to future-proof themselves against any uncertainty. While the pandemic is now a distant memory, some of the remote working that resulted is here to stay, and much of the labour force has not returned to the workplace. Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2024, half of all factory work will be done remotely, and having robots that can seamlessly work with operators wherever they are is fundamental to that.
Robotics for sustainability
Among the core considerations in the digital transformation journey is sustainability – and particularly demand-side energy management. First, reducing energy demand adds directly to the bottom line, and second, with NetZero targets likely, and energy price shocks all too familiar, it is a fundamental to resiliency.
Often misconstrued due to perceptions of high energy consumption and pollution, industrial robots carry immense potential for positive impact here. They can play a pivotal role in curbing energy consumption during manufacturing as they can operate without lighting, air conditioning, or heat, these robots – when coupled with optimised programming, reduced friction, power management systems, and efficient motors – deliver a sustainability impact that far outweighs the initial investment costs.
They also contribute to the circular economy by enhancing precision and accuracy, thereby reducing the demand for raw materials, and, by selecting the right partner, these benefits can be amplified, as the right robotic solutions can identify and eliminate defective parts or likely failures with minimal human intervention and no loss of uptime, unplanned maintenance or lost batches. Continuous data analysis facilitated by modern robots also fosters sustainable manufacturing processes that expand as an enterprise grows, generating further added value for OEMs and end users alike.
Forging a collaborative robotics partnership
Industrial robots emerge as pivotal pieces in the smart manufacturing landscape. This beckons OEMs, integrators, and end users to engage with advanced automation partners to implement integrated robotic solutions. Schneider Electric serves as an enabler for businesses to unlock the full potential of robotics within a collaborative ecosystem in a partnership that delivers high dividends across the lifecycle, paving the way for enhanced operations, productivity improvements and sustained success.
Visit the Schneider Electric website for more information
See all stories for Schneider Electric
