Robotics – Enhancing Productivity & Flexibility of Manufacturing Industry
Published on : Saturday 09-04-2022
Rajesh Nath provides an overview of the application of robotics in India and its potential in various segments.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, 3,84,000 robots were sold in 2020 worldwide. China is a big market, and its sales was about 1,68,000. There is a term called ‘Robot Density’, which means the number of robots used per 10,000 workers. So, the global robot density is about 126. It means 126 robots per 10,000 workers. When we look at the scenario in India, globally, we are ranked 12th when it comes to robot installation. Hence, the peak of robot sales in India was in 2018 that is around 4771 robots.
China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Germany remain the five major markets for industrial robots. These countries account for 76% of global robot installations (a plus of 3% points). China has been the world’s largest industrial robot market since 2013 and accounted for 44% of total installations in 2020. Robot installations in Japan dropped roughly, but still accounted for 10% of global installations. The United States accounted for 8% of robot installations in 2020, holding a narrow lead over the Republic of Korea (almost 8%). Germany is the fifth largest robot market in the world, accounting for almost 6% of the global robot installations in 2020. [Source – International Federation of Robotics (IFR)]
However, the pandemic certainly impacted the sale of robots in India as around 3,212 robots were sold in 2020. India undoubtedly has a long way to go, and when we look at the robot density, though the world average is about 126 robots per 10,000 workers, in India, it is about six robots per 10,000 workers. So, I think India needs to catch up with the world conditions of using robots, but we are gradually seeing applications of robots being used in industry.
Another change I would like to highlight is that, whereas, traditionally, it was the automotive industry, which was the biggest user of robots, in 2020 there is a slight change in trend. Now, the electronic industry has overtaken the automotive industry. Hence, the application of robots in the electronic industry has increased, and it is now higher than in the automotive industry.
In India besides the application of robots in the automotive industry, there are other areas like the electronic industry, application in the glass industry, handling high-temperature products in the foundry and the metrology industry also.
Therefore, these are all the areas where we will see the growth of robotics. In addition, Cobots are being introduced in India, and indeed, cobots are more flexible than industrial robots. The number of applications of cobots would also increase in India in the times to come.
Usefulness of robotics for MSME/SME sector
When we look at small-scale and midsize industries, as per my knowledge, it is a good application area for Cobots which are basically collaborative robots. These are a little different from the traditional industrial robots. Cobots work hand in hand together with the human. And results have also shown that Cobots have been applied in the manufacturing process in such cases. In fact, the productivity has increased; I think a study done showed that the productivity had risen almost 35 to 40% when Cobots have been used in the manufacturing process. Additionally, not only the productivity but, because of the application of the Cobots, the output quality has also increased.
Hence, cobots fit well into the application area for small and midsize companies. Another advantage of the cobots is also they do require limited space when compared to industrial robots. The traditional industrial Robots once installed, cannot be easily moved to another location because there's foundation and other civil work required. In comparison, cobots can be mounted on tables; the table's position could be moved from one end of the factory or the line to the other end of the line. That is why I strongly feel that the cobots should fit well in SME operations.
Moreover, the last advantage is the cost-benefit. It is because cobots are not so costly. One can get as per the application, and they can also perform jobs where lifting up to say 20 kilos is required
Robotics has improved manufacturing
As far as the manufacturing domain is concerned, we are looking at increasing productivity, flexibility, and resilience and sustainability of operation, especially after Covid. When we look at all these factors, robotics can support such operations. The typical application of robots in manufacturing can be summed under the five D's. The first D is operations that are dangerous in nature. The second one is difficult operations which perhaps humans cannot perform. The third D is conditions which are dirty, where there is a hazardous condition, and there robots work well. Fourth, D is a delicate operation that is very critical in nature. In addition, after the pandemic, the fifth D is for distancing, where you have to maintain social distance. So, when we look at these five D's for such operations, the robots have good application and can work in manufacturing.
Robots in non-traditional application areas like inspection
Here we can clearly see the advantages of robots. Inspection requires laborious and manual job and hazardous conditions where there is toxic gas or heat or temperature application, even conditions are generally inaccessible for humans. For example, going into the pipeline would be very tough for humans when the diameter is small. So, the robots fit very well for an inspection operation in such cases. And also, what we have seen, if you have a vision system for cameras mounted on the arm of the robot, it gives added flexibility. Unlike the normal inspection process, where you have only sample parts that can be inspected, the robot is not constrained only to sample parts, and it processes quite fast. Hence, in that way, you can inspect all the parts rather than confining yourself only to sample parts. As it helps the whole production process, it will help in productivity, and better quality, because you're checking all the parts. For the inspection process of pipelines, storage tanks, the automotive sector, the aerospace sector, to name a few, the robotics application is quite useful.
Mr Rajesh Nath has more than 32 years of experience working in various industries in Germany and India. He has been accorded the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’ – the highest civilian award from the German President, for promoting Indo-German Trade in the Engineering Sector. He has a degree in Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with distinction. He also has a Business Management Degree (First Rank, Gold Medal). Further he did an International Business Program from the reputed Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Joka in 2004.
Mr Nath joined the Indian office of The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) as General Manager in 1999. He was appointed Director of the company in 2002. Since 2008, he has been heading the organisation as Managing Director. During this period the export of German machinery to India has increased almost 6 fold and the number of VDMA members in India now stands at around 600.
Mr Nath started his professional career in Germany with Rheinische Kalksteinwerke,
Wülfrath where he worked from 1991-1993. He then joined KHD Humbold Wedag, Koeln in the Environmental Technology Division and worked there from 1993 till 1997. Mr Nath is a Fellow Member of International Council of Consultants, Member of Institution of Engineers in India, Fellow Member of Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute (MGMI) and other well known bodies in India. He is also on the editorial board of several reputed industrial publications and a committee member of The Quality Council of India. He is also actively involved in social work with the NGO – KADAM which provides livelihood solutions to women and youth in the rural areas. Further he has been connected with Rotary International since many years.