Smaller, more flexible robots are opening up opportunities that were previously available only to large companies.
November 21, 2023
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Automation technology is creating incredible opportunities for SMEs. Smaller, flexible, collaborative robots (cobots) can be used across a wide range of applications from machine tending and welding to packaging, palletizing, and screw-driving. State-of-the-art software even allows swift reconfiguration of parts, finally making automation attractive to high-mix, low-volume manufacturers. This technology development could not have come at a better time for the industry. Take the talent crunch. Manufacturing especially is having huge problems recruiting and retaining employees. More than 2 million manufacturing jobs will sit unfilled across the United States by the end of this decade and three quarters of European companies already have difficulty recruiting suitable workers – workplaces are crying out for talent and face decreased productivity and unsustainable staff turnover.
Automation is fundamentally changing industries and workplaces. The International Federation of Robotics predicts that in a decade, more than half of production operators will be working with robots. Big companies? They’re already there, harnessing advanced technology and optimizing their output. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? Not so much.
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Kim Povlsen is president and CEO of Universal Robots.
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