By Arvind Kakru, Vice President – Industrial Automation, Greater India, Schneider Electric.
As the world enters Industry 5.0, which is the fifth phase of the industrial revolution, companies across sectors seem visibly confident of their expansion strategies and realisation of key business objectives. While Industry 4.0 was centred around understanding how businesses could boost their operational efficiency by integrating state-of-the-art technologies, however, during this phase, business output could not be maximised owing to several challenges.
The first of these hurdles has been the of availability of skilled workers who can harness the technology, particularly in the industrial segment. According to a recent report by Manpower Group, 75% companies functioning in the industrial sector are struggling with scarcity of tech-savvy talent. Rising input expenses attributed to unpredictable supply chain disruptions, ongoing geopolitical tensions in various parts of the world, fluctuating demand of certain products and services, and the global commitments to minimise energy consumption have further hindered progress in this direction. Together, these factors are contributing to stalled growth and continue to pose significant barriers to sustainable development. So, what’s the key solution for industries to address these issues in Industry 5.0? Undoubtedly, it’s the implementation of multifaceted robotic solutions.
Embracing automation on a comprehensive scale emerges as the pivotal strategy for industries to surmount these obstacles. By integrating robotic technologies across various operational domains, enterprises can adapt swiftly to dynamic market conditions, thereby paving the path towards sustainable growth in the era of Industry 5.0.Top of Form
How industrial robots address bottlenecks
In the realm of industrial manufacturing, the integration of robots revolutionises operations across various domains, from the factory floor to logistical operations and hazardous environments. These mechanical marvels serve as invaluable assets, adept at streamlining processes, mitigating skill shortages, enhancing operational and energy efficiency, and empowering the existing workforce. Human-robot interaction has the potential to change the business environment in Industry 5.0 completely.
Human workers can concentrate on higher-value activities by delegating labour-intensive and repetitive jobs to robots. This not only increases efficiency but also stimulates innovation by freeing up human workers to solve problems and be creative.
Moreover, workplace safety receives a significant enhancement with the deployment of robots. By assuming hazardous duties or tasks in risky environments, robots help minimise the potential for accidents and injuries, thereby fostering a safer work environment for employees.
The integration of robots also simplifies operations and maintenance procedures. Through data analytics and machine learning, robots can adapt in a real-time basis which helps optimise workflows, ensuring a smooth and efficient production process. Such integration automatically results in cost reductions and operational efficiencies, which ultimately drives overall productivity gains.
Beyond these immediate advantages, the marriage of digital technologies and robotics facilitates improvements in operational and energy efficiency. By monitoring and programming robots for energy-efficient operations, industrial businesses can significantly reduce energy consumption, waste, and environmental impact. Additionally, robotics offers precise control over processes and material usage. This leads to minimal errors and rework, and resource optimisation can be achieved seamlessly while reducing wastage.
Therefore, in order to yield a higher return on investment (RoI), businesses should increasingly look at the adoption of robotics in industrial manufacturing. Robotics offers minimal disruption to existing production layouts, takes less time to set up, has lower operational costs, and seamless integration into existing systems, thereby accelerating the recovery of investment costs. Coupled with the long-term benefits of enhanced productivity and energy savings, robotics has cemented its position as the cornerstone of modern industrial operations.
Key aspects to consider before employing robots Top of Form
The industries, while integrating robotic solutions, should focus on some critical aspects to ensure a better outcome. Seamless performance and movement of robots is crucial to consider to ensure smooth human-robot interaction. Features like sensitive collision detection minimise the risk of incidents and enhance safety in shared workspaces. Additionally, companies should also take note of how easily and quickly workers can train robots and utilise their efficiencies. There should not be any need for extensive training for workers to train robots. This saves time and money. Investments in such an efficient robot can facilitate achieving targets.