Robotic automation is becoming increasingly popular among companies as they seek to increase flexibility, build resilience, and make their operations more sustainable. According to Marc Segura, ABB Robotics President, the impact of global labor shortages is being felt by many businesses as they struggle to keep up with customer demands. This, coupled with global uncertainty, disrupted supply chains, and rising energy costs, has resulted in more companies turning to robotic automation to help improve their supply chain resilience.
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In response to these challenges, Segura predicts that three key trends will emerge in 2023. First, there will be an increase in demand for robots as companies seek to re- or near-shore their operations to help improve their supply chain resilience. Second, the use of AI and autonomous technology will make robots easier to use, integrate, and access, enabling them to take on more tasks in new industries. Third, more specialist partnerships between industry and educators will help equip current and future workers with the skills to thrive in a new era of automation.
The impact of labor shortages is already widely felt across all industries and will continue into 2023. By 2030, it is predicted that more than 85 million positions will be unfilled, hampering economic growth and presenting companies with the need to find new ways to plug gaps in workforces. Demand for robots will be particularly strong in countries where companies are seeking to re- or near-shore their operations to help improve their supply chain resilience in the face of global events.
According to a survey of 1,610 US and European companies carried out by ABB Robotics in 2022, 74 percent of European and 70 percent of US businesses said they are planning to re- or near-shore their operations, with 75% of those respondents in Europe and 62% in the USA indicating they would be investing in robotic automation in the next three years.
Segura believes that robots will increasingly perform the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks that are no longer appealing to humans, helping to solve the issue of global labor and skills shortages. The expanding capabilities of robots, including the development of collaborative options with larger payloads such as ABB’s GoFa™ and SWIFTI™ cobots that can be deployed safely alongside human workers, offer new possibilities for companies to both address skills gaps and make better use of their existing workforces.
“We will also see robots taking on tasks in new sectors such as food service and healthcare, particularly in laboratories and dispensaries,” said Segura.
ABB robots are already in operation in the Haidilao restaurant chain, where the meal prep process has been automated, while at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in the USA, ABB robots have revolutionized antibody research by automating the testing process, increasing the number of tests done per day from 15 to 1000. We will see robots taking on more roles in similar settings in 2023 as labor shortages continue to impact businesses.
The use of AI and autonomous technology is making robots easier to program, operate, and maintain, and more companies will make their first investments in robots or find ways to deploy them in new applications. Autonomous navigation technology powering ABB’s range of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is already enhancing productivity while making operations more flexible and faster. Solutions like these enable manufacturers to move away from traditional production lines towards integrated scalable, modular production cells, while optimizing the delivery of components across facilities.
Developments in artificial intelligence are powering autonomous grasping and positioning, which will expand the range of tasks robots can perform. This greater use of AI in robotics helps with tasks like screwdriving, which is already in operation at ABB’s Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai, where AI-powered robots build new robot models. At the same time, continued simplification of the
If you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits of robotics in your manufacturing process, then now is the time to act. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and find out how we can help you transform your production process with the power of robots.
Photo by Daniel Lerman
