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Sougandh KM, Country Manager of India, Universal Robots.

With robots playing a pivotal role in many industries, robotics has changed the face of the world.  Over the past few years, industrial automation has seen exponential growth across the globe. Implementation of robotics has benefitted the manufacturers in accelerating the growth, efficiency, and productivity of the manufacturing unit. Manufacturers have benefited in terms of cost-efficiency, and worker safety.

In recent times, industrial automation is not only limited to large enterprises but small and medium enterprises are moving towards it. The advancement in technology has brought forward the perfect man-machine collaboration called collaborative robots or “cobots”. According to a survey,  the global collaborative robots market is projected to grow from $1,358.2 million in 2021 to $16,387.3 million in 2028 at a CAGR of 42.7% in the forecast period.

Robotic automation with traditional robots requires a large amount of investment, large floor space and drastic changes in infrastructure. A typical traditional industrial robot is built for sheer power and speed, hence potentially threatening employees’ safety. On the other hand, cobots have revolutionised the concept of industrial automation. The integration of cobots has amplified the benefits of manufacturers such as reliability, consistency, higher productivity, reduction in waste, and many more.

Maintaining the efficiency of the workforce is important for any organisation. Performing repetitive tasks after a prolonged period of time can cause fatigue, resulting in human errors and material wastage. Cobots are designed to perform repetitive tasks with precision, ensuring that human errors and product wastage are significantly reduced. Besides, cobots are capable of working 24/7 with consistency in each task. With fewer human errors caused by fatigue and operational disruptions, projects can be completed within a short lead time.

One of the best features of a cobot is the ability to be deployed and redeployed to perform various tasks, adding value to manufacturers. Besides increasing efficiency, cobots are solving labour shortage challenges. The efficiency and output of the production line can be increased by assigning repetitive tasks to robots and freeing the human workforce to focus on more valued tasks.

As the market has evolved over the past few decades, quality remains a priority that a consumer looks for in a product, and maintaining quality is the primary concern for the manufacturers. This is where cobots come in. While companies are focused on making profits, quality assurance has been highlighted as one of the key contributors to increasing profitability. As the demand for product quality rises, cobots have become a solution for manufacturers to reduce human errors and improve quality.

Cobots are capable of working alongside human employees without the need for safety fences. They are deployed in the production lines after essential risk assessment to ensure workers’ safety. Additionally, cobots are designed to perform high risks and injury-prone tasks such as heavy weightlifting applications. Extreme conditions, high-temperature and applications such as detailed precision work and spot welding are deemed fit for cobots. As cobots helped to perform these tasks, it maximizes operator abilities and talents to perform higher qualitative tasks and reduces workplace injuries caused by accidents. This provides a safe working environment for workers, further increasing their morale to work efficiently.

Traditional industrial robots often require large space and changes in infrastructure before utilisation whereas cobots can be deployed in the limited floor space. In many instances, small and mid-sized enterprises do not have large space settings for the installation of bulky machines. Hence, cobots have become an option for these small enterprises. They are flexible, versatile, lightweight and compact. A single cobot can perform multiple tasks, saving space and saving the hefty sums required in deploying traditional robots.

When companies are exploring automation, the cost is one of their key considerations. Automation or specifically, cobots, reduce material waste and hindrances that occur in the production processes. As the costs associated with defective products can be significant, cobots are assisting manufacturers in reducing costs that come from defects. In addition, traditional industrial robots often require professional engineers to program and maintain the robots. Whereas cobots are easily programmable, even employees with limited robotic or programming backgrounds can operate a cobot. Hence, no additional cost will be required to have a professional on board to operate the cobot. 

Cobots are a fraction of the cost of traditional robots to purchase outright and typically provide a return on investment as short as 12 months. Universal Robots has lowered the financial burden through UR Financial Services, enabling manufacturers to instantly reap the benefits of cobot automation without worrying about cash flow and seasonal fluctuations.

With the advancements in technology expanding the world of industrial robots, the world has seen a revolution in the manufacturing industry. Collaborative robots have changed how manufacturers operate in the production line. The myriad applications for industrial robots have led to a positive impact and major growth in the adoption of robots. Automation has been successful in various operations reaping several benefits for the manufacturers. Now, automation and cobots are highly-utilized and industries embracing cobots will continue to gain a competitive advantage.

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Views expressed above are the author's own.

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