Robotic Automation has been gaining popularity in the different facets of manufacturing including production, packaging, and assembly. More business owners are leveraging assembly line robots for a broader number of tasks but that is because they have already seen the light.
If you as a business owner have not taken advantage of these machines, you are missing out. However, we understand that you may be skeptical about adopting the same with questions like, can your business afford a robot? Is the business big enough to benefit from robot automation? Will the robots make your workers redundant?
Well…
The answer here is that regardless of the size of your manufacturing business and the budget you have, it could benefit from assembly line robots. Here are some of the reasons why you should embrace these machines for your enterprise.
They save Time and Money
If you are just finding out about assembly line robots, then you are late to the party. Why? Because they first started being used in, the manufacturing industry as early as the 1960’s and they have evolved over the years. For instance, the latest models now cost less and can be installed faster compared to earlier versions.
Of course, that has led to increased sales and this has in turn, reduced the prices of these machines significantly. Crafted in ultra-modern facilities, assembly line robots come with advanced improvements that will help your business save on unplanned downtime and labor costs.
Cobots are also able to work round the clock without needing to take breaks for meals or rest so you get to minimize downtime and increase production.
They Are Scalable
Robots are usually used in big businesses where production is high but that should not scare you away if you have a smaller business. This is because they can be scaled down to fit into your small business. Newer robot models can easily fit in low to medium-volume production businesses.
This is due to the latest advancements in technology that allow them to be set up for tasks faster and programmed easily. They also come with portable bases that facilitate their movement from one production area to another.
They are Versatile
As a factory owner, you know that most of your employees specialize in the tasks they will be performing at your plant. However, this does not work well when you want them to perform tasks in different departments. This is because they are likely to mess up when sent to work in a department that is not familiar to them.
With a robot, you never have to worry about seeing as it can be programmed to work in any department without making mistakes. This also makes it easy to avoid hiring temporary employees that will take your company back financially.
They Are Easy to Program
If you are thinking that you or your staff needs to enroll in programming language lessons before acquiring a collaborative robot for your business, then you are wrong. You see, modern robots are easy to teach and you can do so using two easy techniques.
The first one involves offline programming, where a work area, a complete cell, or a user develops the series of moves that the cobot is supposed to do to complete a task.
The second method that you can use to teach a robot has to do with a teach pendant. With this method, you simply guide the machine through a sequence of steps to follow. After a bit of fine-tuning, the robot can store the instructions.
After this, the robot then runs slowly through the program to check for collisions with humans or objects and after several test runs, the assembly line robot will begin operating as expected.
They Create More Jobs
Most manufacturers have been forced to send tasks offshore simply because they cannot compete with cheap foreign labor. However, robotic automation is now making it possible to compete since it creates jobs in robotics and related fields.
Contrary to what many people think, getting robots for a business does not render its workers redundant. If anything, it creates more jobs because once you get a robot, your business will need professionals like data analysts, design operators, engineers, and programmers. Besides, human help is always required when it comes to servicing robots.
They are Safer
Some of the tasks that need to be performed during production are dangerous. Now, from a business perspective, you could either end up with injured workers who will be away from work to treat their injuries thus serious downtime and losses, or you could simply have to face a lawsuit for putting your employees in harm’s way.
With collaborative robots, you can avoid all that by assigning potentially dangerous tasks to the machines. Of course, they are not human and the worst that could happen is that they might be damaged while performing tasks. This can be taken care of by a simple repair or replacement.
They Reduce Monotony
As you can imagine, the tasks that need to be performed during production are the same day in, day out. This can be monotonous for workers and it can greatly reduce their productivity. To counter this, you can use robotic automation.
The machines will not get tired or bored performing the same tasks over and again so you may want to use them for those repetitive tasks in your plant.
They Are Accurate
While running a manufacturing business, you need your tasks to be performed to perfection otherwise you risk losing money and credibility. Now, however, skilled and qualified your employees are, they can make mistakes.
With cobots, this is highly unlikely to happen once you have done the programming unless the machines experience glitches. Even then, the glitches do not happen often.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, robotic automation presents manufacturers with the opportunity to compete with other manufacturers in the same business, improve production, and save money and time. By purchasing an assembly line robot, you get a return on investment that not only increases profit but creates jobs as well.
With that said, you should not shy away from getting one for your business. It will be worth your while.
