Interview with Pradeep David, General Manager, Universal Robots – South Asia. Universal Robots

Please tell us briefly about Universal Robots in terms of its size, its presence in various countries, its revenues, etc.

With the intent of making robot technology accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises, Universal Robots was officially founded in 2005. Our first collaborative robot / cobot (UR5) was launched in 2008 and since then we have experienced substantial growth. In 2010, the company expanded its operations to include all of Europe and followed by a year in 2011, we entered the Asian market. In 2014, we established a subsidiary in Barcelona, Spain and in 2015 a new subsidiary for the APAC region was opened in Singapore. In 2016, Universal Robots opened its regional offices in Delhi and Bangalore, India, Munich, Germany, and Prague, Czech Republic. We also established our Sri Lanka and Bangladesh operations in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Our cobots are marketed internationally via an extensive network of 200 distributors in 50 countries and so far, we have deployed around 21,000 cobots globally. We have been doubling every year for the last 2 years in India. The multi-fold growth is attributed to high ROI rates and low price of collaborative robots leading to growing attraction from SMEs, and increasing investments in automation by industries to support Industry 4.0.

Throw some light on the company's India journey and its presence in the automotive industry. Besides, the auto industry which are the other industries where these cobots are in use?

As stated above, we entered the Indian market in February 2016 and since then have been successful in deploying 400 cobots majorly in the automotive industry and its ancillaries, followed by FMCG, Electronics, and R&D centers. We believe that the Indian market has lot of potential. The demand for cobots in India is increasing as Indian manufacturers are looking forward to inculcating latest technologies in their production processes.

How do you describe a cobot? How different is it from a robot? What are the different features or characteristics that differentiate the two?

Cobots are light – weight, easy to use robotic arms and their latest technological advancement are in sync with Industry 4.0 – automated revolution in manufacturing industry. Cobots are easy to program, install and their collaborative in nature allows them to work side-by- side with the workforce for high-quality output and handling them requires no special training. They work as a ‘helping hand’ that helps the workforce in carrying out monotonous tasks, increases productivity and efficiency. The primary goal of Universal Robots is to empower workers by enabling them with smart manufacturing solutions which involves the utilization of collaborative robots’ technology and automation.

The human-robot collaboration is different from traditional robots. The idea is for humans and robots to be inter-dependent and achieve what each of them does best, safely. There are a few things requiring human ingenuity that are best done manually, whereas the accuracy, precision and repetitive mass production at higher efficiency is best taken care of by robots. These cobots provide an added incentive to the workforce as consistent quality production is possible with human supervision. The company has seen the evolution of robot arms from the UR3, UR5 and UR10, which are built for respective payloads of 3kg, 5kg and 10kg.

UR3: The ultra-flexible Universal Robots UR3 delivers high-precision accuracy for smaller production environments. The UR3 can modulate payloads of up to 3 kg (6.6 lbs), bringing value to scientific, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and electronics and technology facilities.

UR5: The lightweight and flexible Universal Robots UR5 lets you automate repetitive and dangerous tasks with payloads of up to 5 kg. Low-weight collaborative processes, such as: picking, placing and testing are all perfect for the UR5. With a working radius of up to 850 mm, the UR5 puts everything within reach, freeing up your employees’ time to add value to other stages of the production.

UR10: The Universal Robots UR10 is our largest industrial robot, designed for bigger tasks where precision and reliability are still of paramount importance. Automate processes and tasks that weigh up to 10 kg. Heavier-weight collaborative processes, such as: packaging, palletizing, assembly and pick and place are all well suited to the UR10. And with a reach radius of up to 1300mm, the UR10 is designed to be more effective at tasks across a larger area. This can save time on production lines where distance can be a factor. 

In the auto industry, in which segment have these cobots become popular? Is it more in the bigger OEM segment or the small and medium companies encompassing auto component players? Do name a few clients in these different segments of the industry where you have a presence.

The history of robotics has always been closely tied to the automotive industry. In fact, in 1962 General Motors was the first-ever company to deploy industrial robots and from the 1970s onwards, the whole automotive industry was characterized by the comprehensive use of large robotic systems in their production lines. The automotive industry has evolved and the customers are increasingly demanding that their cars be customized and thus, batch sizes in production are becoming smaller and smaller. For car manufacturers and all their suppliers, this development means they always have to be prepared for changes in their production layout in order to address the new changes in customer demand. Therefore, next to precision and efficiency, flexibility has also become a key factor in the industry. Flexibility, however, is not considered a core competency of traditional industrial robots that stay bolted down in a cage, dedicated to one task only. This is why many manufacturers are now using collaborative robots in their production.

Although the need for flexibility is steadily gaining importance for manufacturers, it is not the only reason why leading automotive companies opt for cobots. The opportunity of releasing human employees from strenuous and health-damaging activities is also an important factor. Not only manufacturers, but also their suppliers count on cobots. Large multinational companies are not the only examples from the industry that cobotized their production, cobots are also finding their way into production lines at smaller companies.

Universal Robots work towards making robotic technologies accessible to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).  People in India, especially the small and medium OEMs, still believe that robotic technology is very expensive. But with cobots, there are many reasons for its emergence: Manufacturers, (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) are eager to adopt this technology because they can be placed alongside humans in small-spaced electronics assembly lines, they are affordable, highly adaptable, almost plug-and-play, and are flexible to handle short runs, repetitive and boring jobs, and ergonomically challenging tasks. Some analysts expect this segment will see massive growth in the next few years.

Application areas for car manufacturing robots:

Our three different collaborative robotic arms are easily integrated into existing production environments in the automotive and subcontractor industry. A robotic arm from Universal Robots can be used in robotic car manufacturing systems just like any other car manufacturing or automobile robot. They can be used in dangerous environments where high quality and precision are business critical including: engine foundries, laser-cutting rigs, forming presses, moulding machines and packaging and palletizing lines. In addition, our cobots can also be used in screw driving, assembling, labeling, handling and quality control process.

Bajaj Auto Ltd. saw a gradual rise in the productivity and efficiency in their production. It also increased the productivity of their employees along with their product quality after associating themselves with Universal Robots. They have deployed over 150 cobots since 2010 and are now the 3^rd largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. They are of the view that the added benefits of the cobots are easy use, very low annual maintenance and higher energy efficiency.

SMEW Textile Machinery Pvt. Ltd. has been in the Textile Machine Manufacturing since 1958. They collaborated with Universal Robots and deployed their first UR10 robotic arm in January 2017. The UR cobots are used for pick and place application. This was a new addition to the workforce but the simplicity and operator friendly features of the cobots made the completion of tasks easier and faster. For a 24-hour production, SMEW has deployed the UR10 by Universal Robots. This has enabled them to continue unmanned production after factory working hours.

After the addition of the cobot to their manufacturing, SMEW realised that their production had increased from 30 pieces per week to 80-90 pieces per week; a 300% boost in production, over a brief period of 8 months. The staff too, is extremely satisfied with their new co-worker as the cobot is easy to program according to their requirements, and are enjoying working alongside robots.

In a populous country like India, can we afford large levels of automation? Or are the manufacturing processes so technologically advanced that the presence of robots/ cobots is inevitable and is the need of the hour? 

The heavy industry manufacturers have viewed automation not only as means of improvement in quality and increasing quantity of the production but way to downsizing the workforce. The main aim of automation is to mass-produce high quality goods and increase the supply to market; which is not possible manually, as error rate can be too high. The human mind and body tire after certain repetitive actions and this is where automation comes into play. Automation should help the labor force and not displace it.

Automation has become the competitive advantage in today’s manufacturing world. It has allowed companies to mass produce at an outstanding speed and with great repeatability with efficient quality. Automation has become a determining factor in whether or not a company will remain competitive within the manufacturing industry. The Indian Automation Industry is growing at an annual rate of 20 to 25 per cent as per Automation Industry Association of India (AIA). Automation allows businesses to scale for faster growth and collaborative robots (cobots) are the ideal solution because of their adaptability to various industries and tasks, their fast and efficient programming and rapid return on investment.

This approach is particularly appealing to the Indian Manufacturing Industry because labor-intensive conditions and the collaborative robots together can help the Indian Market achieve the best of both worlds by making precise use of this distinctive technology. This has been seen with some of the collaborators of Universal Robots, which include Aurolab and Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Where are these cobots manufactured in India? Are cobots and robots being used to manufacture cobots in your own plant in India? 

Our cobots are manufactured and assembled in Denmark. The Denmark plant has a capacity of producing and stocking 33,000 cobots.

For small automotive players, is it an expensive affair to buy cobots? Typically how much does one cost and how many are used in an area of manufacturing?

Traditional industrial robots are fixed installations that require huge spaces along with safety fences, light curtains, safety scanners and a 3 phase power. The additional costs incurred by the manufacturers include the cost of programming experts. On the other hand, our co-bots are easy to program, flexible, and work within a limited space, with negligible maintenance costs. Thus, deployment and installation of these cobots is a one-time investment. They have a payback time of 195 days globally.

How do you see the global and Indian automotive industry panning out in the next few years in terms of acceptance of cobots in an industry moving rapidly towards electric vehicles, autonomous driving, etc? 

The use of robotics in the automotive industry has been expanding. Cobots hit the Indian manufacturing sweet-spot since they permit HRC (Human Robot Collaboration).  This technology is expected to grow at a CAGR of 60% for the next several years as SME’s begin to adopt this path breaking technology that improves productivity & quality dramatically – safely.

There is no denying that the new Robotic technologies are all set to change the way things are done in industries in which they are being implemented. All the entrepreneurs are optimistic about the use of Robotics in various industrial segments and its future in India.  The automotive manufacturers have been adapting latest technologies in their production and cobots have made a significant value-addition to the manufacturing processes.

India’s automotive sector is one of the largest and fastest growing in the world. Automation offers opportunities which are beneficial for the auto industry from responding faster to market requirements, reduce manufacturing downtimes, and improve the efficiency of supply chains and increase productivity.

We are looking forward to further expanding our client base in India as we believe that the market has a huge untapped potential. Along with increasing our business, we will also be spreading awareness in the market about the collaborative technology.