Across the world, organizations are realizing the importance of automation. Mechanizing repetitive manual tasks helps to reduce costs and improve their speed and accuracy, resulting in better products and services and more positive customer outcomes.
Companies have been automating since the industrial revolution. From the introduction of the first steam-powered loom, business owners have tried to ease manual labor by transferring repetitive tasks to machines. Just like any other technology, though, mechanized automation constantly improves. Older automation often requires excessive manual intervention, limiting its productivity benefits.
Statistics show just how quickly businesses are waking up to automation improvements, and the central part that robotics plays in this transformation. In its 2022 World Robotics Report, The International Federation of Robotics found the number of industrial robots installed in the Americas up almost a third year-on-year to 50,712 in 2021.
Falling robotics costs have made it easier for small businesses to take advantage of these systems. Market watcher Ark Investment Management predicts that robotics costs will decline rapidly to below $11,000 in 2025 from $27,000 in 2017, causing sales to increase almost tenfold to 3.4 million units.
As smaller businesses flock to upgrade their existing automation solutions with newer robotics, many of them will lack critical expertise to choose and implement the right systems. A skilled partner can help to transition from older automation systems quickly and effectively.
The path to innovative automation
Mexican manufacturer Interplexio was wise enough to work with a partner when upgrading its legacy automotive equipment. The machinery had helped load, unload, and inspect automotive transmission parts for years but was feeling its age, and needed constant adjustment and care. Interplexio worked with local Epson partner Kopar to upgrade its equipment to a more sophisticated robotic system that can move around six axes to be more flexible.
For companies like Interplexio, upgrading automation equipment brings several benefits. One of the biggest was decreased implementation time. The company was able to use Epson’s robot controllers as the main control system, reducing its reliance on programmable logic controllers. This reduced debugging time and enabled the company to get the new solution online within a week.
Once in place, those updated automation solutions keep delivering. Upgrading automation solutions doesn’t replace people, but it does help them to do their jobs more safely and with fewer errors. It also makes tasks more repeatable without manual intervention. Interplexio found six-axis robots could handle more complex tasks than its previous solution, increasing repeatability and accelerating processes.
Technologies like GYROPLUS, Epson’s system for reducing vibration, make robotics solutions faster still. As we outline in our white paper, Taking Robot Performance to the Next Level, GYROPLUS anticipates and adjusts for vibration in the robotic arm, reducing the time that it takes to settle before moving onto the next operation. This equates to significant time savings across hundreds of thousands of repeated movements.
Partnership is key
Epson’s network of systems integrator partners is crucial in delivering this expertise to customers, offering access to advanced robotics technology like GYROPLUS along with assistance in implementing them. Expert partner advice helps customers to get automation right the first time, reducing expensive delays.
Post-implementation, a partner also helps customers to optimize their automation solution as their business conditions change. They can help to adapt and enhance robotics systems, enabling them to scale with business growth and support new production outcomes.
Working with a robotics solution provider gives you more than access to technology; it delivers years of experience that you won’t find in any product manual. This knowledge, and the expertise in applying it, is priceless. Talk to Epson and learn how our global network of integration partners can help you take your automation solution to the next level.
