Collaborative robots (cobots) are the latest generation of robotic systems that are intended to work alongside humans. Cobots market is witnessing multifold growth that can be attributed to the high RoI and low price of collaborative robots. This is resulting in the growing adoption of cobots by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Cobots are an affordable automation solution and the cobots market is growing at 60 per cent (compared 14 per cent growth witnessed by industrial robots sector), says Pradeep David, General Manager, South Asia, Universal Robots (UR). In this interview with Rakesh Rao, he explains advantages of cobots with case studies and tracks the developments in automation market.

 

How is the market for cobots - globally & in India?

Globally the market is growing at over 60 per cent CAGR and expected to be over $ 3 billion by 2022. India lags is robot adoption with just 3 robots per 10,000 employees compared to an average of 74, so the installed base is small but market potential remains large.

 

What are the difference between robots and cobots? What is the market potential for cobots when compared to the traditional robots?

Collaborative robots or cobots are smaller in size, easy to program and deploy on the shop-floor. They can work side by side with the workforce, unlike traditional robots that have to be kept away from the workforce in protective cages, to produce efficient, high-quality products. Cobots are an affordable automation solution and the cobots market is growing at 60 per cent whereas industrial robots are a mature market growing at 14 per cent CAGR.

 

Are you seeing a convergence happening in these markets (cobots and robots)?

No.  Human-robot collaboration is an inherently different value proposition, not attainable with industrial robots. Human-robot collaboration is different from traditional robots. The idea is for humans and robots to be inter-dependent and achieve what each of them does best, safely. There are a few things requiring human ingenuity that are best done manually, whereas the accuracy, precision and repetitive mass production at higher efficiency is best taken care of by robots. These cobots provide an added incentive to the workforce as consistent quality production is possible with human supervision.

 

Cobots are designed to work with humans and assist them with a variety of tasks which help to automate and streamline repetitive and potentially unsafe processes thus, ensuring safe work environment while increasing productivity and efficiency.

 

Are cobots cost-effective to small & medium scale manufacturers (SMEs)?

Yes. Cobots make automation affordable and are a realistic choice especially for small and medium sized enterprises as cobots are helping them compete more effectively, offering new opportunities for employees, and even improving worker safety.

For example, New Engineering Works (based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand) manufactures hydraulic, pneumatic, and engine components. They deployed their first cobot in 2016. They have installed 6 cobots within 18 months and have seen remarkable results. They have experienced a growth of 40 per cent and consider UR cobots as a perfect fit for them. They can now manufacture 24x7, and the cobots have been seamlessly included in their production processes, leading to cost reduction and increase in productivity and efficiency.

Craft and Technik Industries have been manufacturers of precision components, mainly for the automobile industry. They were facing issues in finding manual workforce and had a high rate of rejections for the components manufactured. After the recent deployment of collaborative robots at CATI for auxiliary operations and auto inspection, their efficiency has increased. They have seen a 15 – 20 per cent increase in production, with no customer rejections or defects.

 

Is Universal Robots catering to SMEs? Are you seeing rise in demand for your cobots from SMEs?

The approach of human-robot collaboration is particularly appealing to the Indian manufacturing industry, especially the India SMEs because labour-intensive conditions and the collaborative robots together can help the Indian market achieve the best of both worlds. The Indian platform is slowing maturing and has begun recognising the significance of inclusion of cobots as a part of manufacturing. Our Indian clientele has seen a visible growth in quality, output, productivity, along with increase in efficiency, absence of error and reduced costs of production. 

 

Shruti Engineers, a MSME based out of Pune, manufactures line items and have employed 10 people. Their production was limited. They deployed a UR10 cobot recently and have seen a 75 per cent increase in their daily production. They realised that cobots are affordable, easy to use and program, increase efficiency and are safe to use around the human workforce. The workers have claimed that operating the cobot is as easy as using a smartphone. Shruti Engineers plan to deploy more cobots to work with their machines and workforce in the near future. 

 

In India, how is the response for cobots from auto OEMs and their suppliers (tier 1, 2 & 3)?

The response for cobots is high with auto OEMs and we are just beginning with tier 1 & 2 suppliers. Bajaj Auto Ltd has been collaborating with Universal Robots since 2010 and has deployed over 170 cobots since. They are now the 3rd largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. They saw a gradual rise in the productivity and efficiency in their production. It also increased the productivity of their employees along with their product quality after associating themselves with Universal Robots. They are of the view that the added benefits of the cobots are easy use, very low annual maintenance and higher energy efficiency. They are now leading by example and encouraging their auto components providers to invest in cobots as well.

 

Can you cite some examples of innovative use of cobots in industries (preferably an Indian example)?

One of the most innovative uses of the cobots in India so far has been in spray painting.

Sri Sai Markers and Engravers have deployed their first UR cobot and witnessed immense improvements in merely 2 months. The cobot fits in a constrained space, right next to a human, and can be flexibly programmed by Sai’s very own employees to carry out various applications on the shop floor, thereby even ensuring no loss of jobs. They hope to deploy more cobots in the future.

 

Can we term cobots as a type of "low-cost automation" solution for industries?

Yes. SMEW Textile Machinery Pvt Ltd collaborated with Universal Robots and deployed their first UR10 robotic arm in January 2017 and the cobots are used for pick and place application. After the addition of the cobot to their manufacturing, SMEW realised that their production had increased from 30 pieces per week to 80-90 pieces per week; a 300 per cent boost in production, over a brief period of 8 months.

 

Many SMEs and MSMEs in India are now looking forward to investing in cobots as they are proving to be an affordable automation solution for them. 

 

How can cobots give a boost to Make in India?

Collaborative robots are boosting Make in India by making businesses in India more productive with far superior quality.  The Aurolab case is a great example.  

 

Aurolab, an integral part of Arvind Eye Care Systems, is a non-profit healthcare organization in India that produces Intra Ocular Lenses (IOL). It is whose products are exported to more than 130 countries worldwide, with focus markets like India, Africa, Latin America, Central America and Southeast Asia. Universal Robots has been associated with Aurolab since 2012. 

Precision and accuracy were extremely pivotal for the entire manufacturing process of the intraocular lenses, for tasks such as material handling and pick and place of the components. Besides fitting in seamlessly with the workforce, the cobots were affordable, reduced power consumption and increased safety.

 

The labour force at Aurolab increased from 15 to 700 and production improved from 150 to 10,000 Intraocular Lenses (IOL) per day. Aurolab have seen a 15 per cent increase in the annual product output. About 90 per cent of the workforce consists of girls who are 18 years old or women with no training who have been easily operating and programming 8 cobots. Their dream of making IOLs available at a price affordable for the rural patients has only been achieved because of UR cobots. 

 

What are your growth plans for Universal Robots in India?

Universal Robots continues to invest in channel partners that can provide domain specific solutions to end users. We have a strong distribution network pan India and Sri Lanka with over 15 distributors with varying capabilities from vision inspection to machine tending to conveyers. 

 

We are looking for to expanding our network through education as well. The Universal Robots Academy is a new online self-training program which provides engaging, hands-on experiences, simulations and interactive robot animations which helps acquire skills to program and operate a UR cobot without further assistance, which is available 24x7. We also conduct monthly hands-on workshops across the country and webinars.