In addition to the many hardships it brought to the business world and the global economy, 2020 also left a key lesson: automation supports productivity and business continuity. Those who had already embraced technological transformation were able to "survive" the business shutdown due to the pandemic by maintaining operational facilities, albeit at a low volume.
The World Robotics 2020 Industrial Rob ots report by International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed a record number of industrial robots - 2.7 million - operating in factories all over the world, with an increase of 12%. Italy is the second largest robot market in Europe after Germany, thanks to highly productive sectors such as metals, industrial machinery, automotive and food.
Despite a difficult year like 2020, the outlook is positive and, as highlighted by Interact Analysis, the industrial robotics sector will return to growth as early as 2021, with an expected increase of 9.2% in terms of revenue and 9.6% for deliveries.
On this market operates OnRobot ItalyEnrico Rigotti, Area Sales Manager of OnRobot, says: "The majority of OnRobot's Italian customers come from the metalworking market, with around 40% of its products destined for this sector. However, we see great growth in the world of packaging, specifically in activities such as palletizing, where there is an increasing demand for flexible and easily relocatable solutions".
OnRobot is specialized in collaborative solutions and is working to integrate new technologies that further enhance the functionality of robots and end-of-arm tools: we are talking about artificial intelligence software combined with vision and sensing systems, which can support the realization of new activities, thanks to more intelligent capabilities related to the analysis of materials and processed elements.
The future of robotics is collaborative and multitasking
In order to meet the new production requirements, it is necessary to be able to constantly increase agility, flexibility and scalability and in this sense robotics assume an even more relevant role at a time when the human factor is essential to ensure the health and safety of operators.
Collaborative robots, in particular, can be deployed much faster than traditional robots, with lower production expenses, which also reduce the final cost of products, resulting in increased demand and, therefore, production. They are also energy-efficient solutions, reducing energy consumption in production. Because they are more accurate, they also produce less waste, which has a positive impact on the ratio of resource inputs to outputs.
There are many companies that have understood the importance of process automation through collaborative robotic applications to develop new business opportunities and thus expand their range of action. As Rigotti concludes: "In the smart factory it will be possible to go beyond the traditional production line, entrusting different activities to the same collaborative application, which is able to select, assemble or palletize products thanks to a simple and fast tool change".
