The need for Robotics is more now in this Pandemic period than ever before. Your comments.
We have seen an increase in customers adopting robotics over the last few years. This is because robotics provides them with increased productivity and helps to streamline operations. The gradual rise in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technology is directly related to companies seeking increased productivity. Our customers have expressed to us the criticality of accelerating the adoption of robotics and automation, both to protect the health of their employees and to enhance business continuity, with businesses increasingly focused on flexibility and simplicity (of installation and use). In the current times, with a shrunken shop floor staff and the need to ensure business continuity, that’s where robotics comes in. With the help of cutting-edge robotics applications and solutions, companies will be able to recognise and handle a greater variety of products in a more agile and flexible way, thereby increasing productivity and output, which is key in the business recovery phase of the current global crisis. Robotics will also take menial tasks off the list for employees and help them focus on more complex decision making tasks. A number of customers have discussed with us about efforts to bring production closer to home, so called nearshoring, and how automation technologies can help make production and logistics flexible and keep running in key segments, especially Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Logistics and Food & Beverage.
While the current scenario has been the greatest single catalyst for change in the industry in a generation, the global lockdown has not necessarily started any new trends on its own, but rather accelerated existing trends – such as reshoring/nearshoring to improve supply chain resilience; having production lines that are more flexible and better able to cope with significant changes in demand; or processes without human contact, for example in food & beverage. All of these trends existed before, however, perceptions and priorities for customers have now changed and the need for solutions that increase flexibility and simplicity is accelerating.
What are your offerings for the warehousing sector, especially warehousing catering to e-commerce?
At ABB, we offer a comprehensive range of solutions to meet the logistical challenges faced by e-commerce companies such as accurate order picking, singling individual packages out of large volumes and effectively handling complex pallet loads. We provide our customers with strong application knowledge, modular solutions, and a wide service support network. ABB is the only major robotic manufacturer able to offer a complete portfolio of automation, controls and safety products that are used in logistics systems. The range of our offerings includes Robotic sequencing, order consolidation and labeling systems for retail and e-fulfilment, Depalletizing and palletizing modules for single and mixed SKU pallets, Autonomous singulation and sorter induct for order fulfilment parcel sorting hubs and Collaborative robotic solutions with ultra-high-resolution 3D vision.
What are the features of the Robotics you offer for the warehousing sector? Please elaborate more on the IoT and AI?
ABB has applied cutting-edge technology to combine robotics and AI, providing robots the intelligence they were lacking. Now, our AI-enabled robotics solutions are used across a broad range of applications such as logistics, warehousing, including parcel and mail sorting. Typically, robots were suited for repetitive tasks and lacked intelligence. However, now with our combination of AI, they can keep up with constantly changing products in a typical dynamic warehouse operation.We are developing a robust AI solution that will support autonomous material handling and enable robots to handle items of infinite variety.
How are these Robotics assisting in warehousing operations, management and timely processing of deliveries?
ABB provides a portfolio of flexible and modular robotic solution, that tackle a variety of challenges in warehousing at the inbound, order picking, sequencing, buffering, sorting and despatch. These solutions can be easily scaled to meet customer needs in terms of capacity and functionality.
It requires special skills to operate Robotics. What are the skill nurturing training you provide?
With dedicated and professional training centers in more than 30 countries, ABB Robotics ensures that our customers’ employees are professionally trained. ABB offers in-house training center education, as well as site based training on customer premises. Our training is flexible and includes web-based training and in-class face-to-face training for the best fit basis customer needs and preferences. One of the important trends that we see in Robotics is Simplification, which is the concept of making robots easier to install, program, and operate. This helps offset talent shortages and is helping increase adoption among SMEs, thereby lowering barriers to increased penetration.
Lead-through programming, which means that even someone without specialized training can program the robot and have it running in minutes, is something that ABB possesses expertise in. ABB’s RobotStudio® and virtual commissioning enables simplification, which reduces the cost and risk associated with new product lines, and the time it takes to plan and implement a new production line. Today, we offer function packages – pre-engineered solutions (eg, welding, packing) that can be downloaded and used ‘off the shelf’. In the future, machine-learning and AI will enable robots to self-learn and self-adjust, enabling improved performance with less need for human intervention.
Customer satisfaction is an important parameter for the growth of organization. What are the after sales services you provide?
ABB Robotics offers 24/7 global support with dedicated Digital Operation Centers (DoCs) for immediate response. Our experienced Field Service Engineers are available round the clock for the best possible uptime. We offer technical support, preventive and corrective maintenance, as well as installation, commissioning and programming services. In addition, ABB Ability Connected Services enables Condition Monitoring & Diagnostics, Backup Management, Remote Access, Fleet Assessment, and Asset Optimization for our customers anytime, anywhere in the world.
To keep ahead of the competitors an organization has to innovate and improve on its products. What are the R&D efforts you are taking in this regard? What are the new products in the pipeline for the warehousing sector?
ABB - Robotics & Discrete Automation takes a global, collaborative approach to innovation, and has technology experts in all three global regions. Customer-focused innovation is a crucial element of ABB’s strategy, and therefore, we aim to be as close to our customers as possible, in order to understand their needs and develop suitable products and software that fulfils their requirements of today and the future. At a global level, ABB invests heavily in R&D and has partnerships with more than 70 universities. Apart from our own R&D, we also have global partnershipsfor our digital platform ABB AbilityTM with industry-leading companies such as Microsoft, HPE, Ericsson, and Dassault Systèmes, to enable further leaps in innovation and growth.
