Robotics Then & Now: Operational Efficiencies With Cobots

Robots designed to work side-by-side with humans are safe, user-friendly and are easily integrated into existing applications. By Shermine Gotfredsen, general manager at Universal Robots, Southeast Asia and Oceania

In the early stages of robotics, automation was tedious as robots were usually used to automate large-scale productions. This was a lengthy process, taking up to months at a time, and often involved high implementation costs.

Robots were usually deployed in the manufacturing industry to automate large-scale production and for complex tasks. Such robotic applications involved complex deployment processes and required high levels of maintenance that could only be carried out by engineers with specialised skillsets.

Introduction Of Cobots

More recently, there have been significant strides in the development of robotic technology which has made automation easier than ever before. With the introduction of collaborative robots (cobots)—robots designed to work side-by-side with human workers—the process of automation has been simplified.

Offering features such as safety, user-friendliness and an ergonomic design, cobots are able to carry out a wider range of tasks at a lesser cost.

It is now more accessible and affordable for small and medium-sized business owners to deploy robots to carry out even the simplest of tasks, such as machine tending and pick-and-place operations. This has translated into high demand for industrial robots, with investment projected to grow at 10 per cent each year for the next ten years globally.

Robots now have enhanced safety features which make them perfectly safe to work alongside humans without the need for safety barriers, subject to prior risk assessment. They are also user-friendly—easy to program and easy to use—due to their intuitive nature, allowing them to be integrated easily into existing applications, regardless of a company’s production type or size. Robots have also become ergonomically designed in that they are lightweight, small and compact, creating more opportunities for robotic automation and process optimisation.

Cobots In Automotive Manufacturing

With the automotive sector in Asia poised for great growth, the adoption of cobots in automotive production processes to maximise operational efficiency is becoming increasingly common place.For instance, Nissan Motor Company streamlined its large-scale production processes at its Yokohama plant through the deployment of cobots. The company redeployed cobots from Universal Robots to assist with a range of different processes as required.

Using cobots to automate manufacturing of its engines and parts for electric and hybrid cars, the company achieved consistently high quality output while reducing production downtime and overhead costs. This also allowed its ageing workforce to enjoy a reduced workload and to be redeployed to less strenuous tasks.

Advantages For Businesses

Firms can easily benefit from the use of cobots without incurring high integration costs, making cobots a viable investment for long-term business sustainability and growth. Cobots have proven to be a valuable tool through which businesses can enjoy increased efficiency and productivity with output per worker shown to increase by as much as 30 percent in the manufacturing sector.They are also designed to perform a particular task round-the-clock, allowing businesses to maximise operational efficiencies and reduce production downtime.

Bringing Value To End-users

Cobots not only bring benefits to businesses, but also to the end-users who interact with them on a daily basis.The greatest benefit offered by robots is that they help end-users reduce mistakes by ensuring consistent, dependable output while relieving the amount of arduous physical effort required to carry out certain tasks.In such instances, cobots serve as an assistive tool to enhance performance and raise productivity by delivering high-quality results each time, rather than as a replacement for human staff.

Employees can also be redeployed from dangerous and repetitive tasks to take on more stimulating and higher level responsibilities, allowing them to upgrade their skillsets. Contrary to popular belief that many jobs will be lost through the automation process, an entirely new set of roles will be created. These roles will require people with the relevant technical skills needed to upkeep and update these systems.

As businesses grow and expand, additional manpower will be needed to meet the increased market demand and new product offerings. The use of robotics in business has in fact created many new jobs. Market research shows that robots will create up to two million jobs globally from 2017 to 2020.

Thinking Ahead

Robots have been deployed to solve business problems and maximise efficiencies, presenting a gamut of benefits for both businesses and end-users.

As businesses continue to automate, new robotic applications will be developed in more industries. This will result in a significant improvement in productivity and upgraded skillsets for employees, delivering a greater competitive advantage.

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