COVID-19. The war in Ukraine. Geopolitical fragmentation. Climate change. Even people with little interest in logistics are aware of what's driving today's supply chain challenges—with repercussions like inflation and the energy crisis.
However, equally impacting today's supply chains are the evolving ways in which we live and work. Industrial manufacturers and distributors have long relied on people to man their machines and pack their products. But a surge in e-commerce sales, a rise in remote working, the 'Great Resignation', ageing and retiring workforce all mean it's become increasingly difficult for the manufacturing industry to find enough people to keep up with demand. Without intervention, more than 85 million job roles are set to go unfilled by 2030, which would result in unrealized global revenue of US$8.452 trillion - of which, Singapore and Hong Kong would account for US$5.1 billion and US$2.1 billion, respectively.
Meanwhile, growing labor costs and higher customer expectations are making the work extra demanding. Pick and place requirements can range from a 100 grams envelope to an 8-kilogram box, and tighter delivery deadlines leave little room for error. Until recently, motion control and robotic technologies were simply not advanced enough to keep up with the required variances.
However, fresh breakthroughs in AI and robotics now mean that automated material handling is a genuine option for large-scale supply chains. As a result, manufacturers are turning to 'cobots' to solve some of their biggest workflow challenges.
Collaborative robots
The 'rise of the robots' has been long predicted by sci-fi writers, with countless stories foretelling hyper-intelligent machines not only making humans obsolete but turning on their creators. Fortunately, the reality is far more positive.
Cobots, or 'collaborative robots', are next-generation automation robotics systems that work alongside humans, rather than replace them. Often small, simple to program, and built with additional safety features, these systems can deliver next-level efficiency, resilience, and employee experience by performing consistent and precise production processes, like pick and place. They can do the repetitive heavy tasks as well as work in environments which are hazardous to humans, which helps to reduce injuries and improve overall safety.
Cobots, combined with industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies are important enablers of the industrial digital transformation. IIoT refers to interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices networked together on critical systems, including manufacturing, energy management, healthcare, and aerospace. Enabling more efficiency, accuracy, and safety on the production floor, cobots not only boost productivity but also help to minimize downtime caused by labor shortages, which currently costs factories as much as 20% in productive capacity. And then there are people management benefits, too.
By leveraging cobots, manufacturers can free employees up to do more value-added tasks, as well as different types of work that are more rewarding to the person and valuable to the company, leading to better job satisfaction. Statista research predicts the global market for industrial robots to reach a 26% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2025. Here are some tangible improvements that cobots can make to industrial settings.
Cobots and supply chain challenges
In a recent report on supply chain leaders, Gartner found that businesses that were successfully navigating today's challenges were using technology to put people at the center of their digital transformation. So, cobots have a clear, urgent role to play in helping fill the labor gap and emerge from the current supply crisis. Fortunately, the technologies are becoming increasingly available.
FORTNA (previously known as MHS Global), a global provider of material handling automation and systems integration, has deployed a new robotic solution that transforms efficiency in distribution centers. The PacDrive 3 Delta robots can now work alongside humans to pick and place up to 2000 parts per hour (PPH) in brownfield scenarios, and up to 2500 PPH in greenfield scenarios.
The secret to the success of many of today's advanced cobots lies in the intelligent decision making in their programming. Instead of simply being preset to continuously pick up the same objects, they often harness computer vision software and algorithms to examine each individual item and measure its handling requirements. Then, vacuum-based suction cups, grippers, and arms pick up and organize each item ready for downstream processing.
The benefits of these installations are abundant, and often depend on the organization's priorities. For instance, as part of its digital transformation journey, a slate tile roofing manufacturer recently deployed robotics to help stack tiles, not only to tackle worker shortages and increase production capacities but also to help human workers avoid injuries from repetitive physical movements.
What's most exciting is that all these outcomes can be achieved today—and yet, they're just the tip of the iceberg.
Collaborative software
On their own, cobots can be a valuable addition to any industrial operation. But when integrated into a wider network of smart technologies, they help to unlock data and insights that could transform the productivity, agility, profitability, and employee experiences of industry worldwide.
Open, cyber-secure, scalable IIoT platforms can collect and analyze data from multiple sites and departments. Then, they visualize real-time information on dashboards covering the performances of specific positions, functions, and applications—enabling workers and management to make data-backed decisions that fuel process and profit improvements.
The future of digitalization
Ultimately, industrial automation can empower improvement at every level. And with on-site staff reassured that cobots are here to improve their working lives, rather than replace them, these technologies can be seamlessly integrated into existing infrastructures and workforces, with full workforce buy-in, for instant improvement.
Early adopters of digitization are now seeing measurable benefits. In Singapore for instance, the government's long-term commitment to invest in latest-generation digital technologies - robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and cloud computing - continues to strengthen its industries and economy as the country gets closer to achieving its Smart Nation ambitions. Today, Singapore ranks as the world's second most automated country, driven by its Economy 2030 vision of increasing manufacturing value-add by 50% by 2030.
This can only be possible through the combination of humans, cobots, and smart facility software, which not only help to solve today's labor and supply disruptions but also insulate organizations against the challenges of tomorrow.
Robots really are the future—but in a far more positive way than sci-fi has predicted.
Source: APPR Media
