Universal Robots reaches industry milestone

Collaborative robots remain the fastest growing segment of industrial automation, projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.37% between 2020 and 2025. Cobot maker Universal Robots (UR) yesterday announced that it has delivered the 50,000th UR cobot, which was purchased by a German manufacturer to enable higher productivity and improved employee safety.

The cobot was specially handed over to VEMA technische Kunststoffteile GmbH and VEMA Werkzeug- und Formenbau GmbH located in Krauchenwies-Göggingen, Germany, at a ceremony held at VEMA.

James McKew, Regional Director of Universal Robots Asia-Pacific, said that this is a momentous occasion for the company and showcases Universal Robots’ commitment to the market.

“COVID-19 has certainly accelerated the need to automate and we have seen an increased demand for cobots in the ANZ market,” he said.

He attributes this increase to a number of influences as a result of the pandemic.

“The change in labour availability due to borders being shut has certainly played a part in this uptick. Further we have seen so many customers pivoting their production to adapt to new consumer demands. The flexibility of cobots to move from one application to another makes them very well suited for quick changeovers.”

According to McKew other factors such as the ease and affordability of adding a cobot to production has seen companies that need to increase productivity in the same footprint with a smaller workforce (due to social distancing requirements) embrace cobots as a cost-effective solution.

Over the past 15 years, the company has worked hard to develop an entirely new market segment with a mission to enable especially small and medium-sized companies to automate tasks they thought were too costly or complex.

This further emphasises how UR has created a new global distribution network, a new ecosystem of developers and ultimately a completely new business model. As a pioneer in this market, Universal Robots has put a lot of work into creating awareness, influencing standards and changing customers’ perceptions influenced by their experience of traditional robots.

UR says that VEMA GmbH is an example of UR’s mission realised. VEMA was looking for a cost-effective, flexible, easy-to-use automation solution they could implement, program and manage on their own. They say they found exactly that in the UR cobot.

Cobots enhance both productivity and quality

VEMA’s new cobot will join a fleet of three other UR cobots already deployed in pick-and-place tasks in end-of-line applications at the company.

Christian Veser, Managing Director at VEMA GmbH, is thrilled to be the recipient of the milestone cobot and explains how the cobots have enabled the company to add a third shift, now operating around the clock.

“We have enhanced our productivity remarkably and also achieved better quality,” he said. “Our employees are freed from ergonomically straining work to focus on quality testing. In navigating COVID-19 challenges, it has also been a great advantage that the cobots don’t need to keep a safe distance or undergo quarantine. They always work!”