The problems experienced by manufacturers over the last year and a half have taught us a lot. Many lessons were learned, ranging from the need for supply chain resilience to the usefulness of remote monitoring. When you include changing customer expectations and ongoing technological advances, you have a wealth of data to sort through and perhaps use for future improvements.
MANUFACTURING HURDLES
Manufacturers are discovering the benefit of being able to produce high-quality components in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing cycles as customer demands change. Versatile robots are being used to meet stringent demands, such as greater operational flexibility, faster product changeovers and improved order fulfilment times, among other things.
Workforce
Finding competent workers remains a major challenge for many companies. Companies prefer to implement robust but easy-to-use robots to alleviate this burden. Machine tending, pick and place, palletising and depalletising are jobs where robots excel.
Security
With the global pandemic, there is a renewed focus on employee safety. Finding ways to keep production stable while keeping workers socially detached and healthy remains a key priority. Collaborative robots are making it easier for manufacturers to adapt to low-volume, high-mix processes safely.
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Notions of remote monitoring and device management are permeating the industrial environment along with supply chain management and worker safety. Manufacturers with easy-to-use device management systems monitored equipment performance remotely in secure environments at the beginning of the epidemic, when virtually everyone seemed to be working from home.
Yaskawa Cockpit perimeter server solutions use a leading OPC-UA interface to enable an integrated, intelligent and innovative approach to data analysis. This approach helps decision-makers see current and historical production volumes, as well as the operational status of any connected devices (including robots) in real time.
Robotic automation can make a big impact on your operations with the versatile HC20XP collaborative robot – the industry’s first IP67-rated cobot with a payload capacity of 20 kg. Plus, experience easy robot programming with the flexible HC10 collaborative robot.
If you need more information, please, contact us: we will be ready to help you and to discover the best solution for your project.