Italy leads the way in robot application
Italy leads the way in robot application
Keywords: Robots, Statistics, IFR
Recent figures published by the IFR again show that using the usual measure of robot density (number of robots per 10,000 people employed in manufacturing)the UK is still falling behind the pack (Figure 1). Analysis performed by the British Automation and Robot Association, based at the University of Warwick,questions the validity of that measure as in some countries the automotive industry can skew the figures greatly and the differing methods of calculating how many people work in manufacturing also leads to inaccuracies.
Instead it suggests that the percentage of the operational stock in non-automotive applications (Figure 2) is a better measure of the level of investment and innovation being performed in general manufacturing. If a comparison of this figure is made then Italy comes over as the leader with Sweden coming an admirable second and the Germans in third place. Sweden being well up the list is not surprising, as they adopted robotics very early due to the lack of available labour. Germany's high ranking is also no surprise as they have a highly trained, highly paid work force so the use of robots is both possible and easily justified. Italy's position is not so easy to explain.
Figure 1 Robot density
Figure 2 Percentage of robots non-automotive sector
While the UK still does not become a star by this measure we do rise above both Spain and also France. Recent advances in automation technology are helping robots to penetrate markets outside of the automotive industry. The availability of low cost vision solutions and their ease of integration with robots is opening up opportunities in new areas. The use of these vision sensors is allowing the picking of components off moving conveyors and even out of bins. The increased accuracy of robots is allowing them to handle components to static tools rather than having to move the tools to fixtured parts. This reduces costs by eliminating fixturing but also by removing the need for much of the materials handling system as the robots move the parts from one task to the next.
The British Automation and Robot Association predict a growth over the next few years of applications outside the automotive industry fuelled by difficulty in recruiting manufacturing staff. Already system integrators from abroad are seeing the UK as a market worth moving into and areas such as pharmaceuticals,plastics and food will be the big growth areas.
For further information contact British Automation and Robot Association (www.BARA.ORE.UK).
