Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the manufacturing industry in Germany was already highly automated, according to figures from the International Federation of Robotics. This trend is likely to continue after the COVID crisis. This is one result of the current automatica trend index.
The Robot density in the German manufacturing industry ranked third in the world behind Singapore and South Korea even before the coronavirus pandemic. Around 80 per cent of industrial decision-makers consider three aspects to be the most important advantages of robotics. Employees can be relieved of tasks that are hazardous to health and production can be quickly adapted to new tasks using robots, while production costs can also be reduced.
To overcome the crisis, the machine helpers once again in the focus of management. These are the results of the automatica trend index. The survey was conducted in the run-up to the The world's leading trade fair for intelligent automation and robotics automatica (8 to 11 December, Munich), 100 industry decision-makers and 1,000 employees were surveyed by a market research institute in Germany.
„Industrial companies with robots can specifically automate individual work steps to ensure “social distancing' in production. The new requirements for safe workplaces in production can be easily implemented with the help of robotics. As practice shows, robots help to make important manufacturing processes more resilient and implement new requirements quickly." Patrick Schwarzkopf, Managing Director of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association.
Crisis response with robots
„Right at the beginning of the COVID crisis, several pharmaceutical customers in Europe, the US and Asia asked us to support a rapid increase in their production so that they could deliver duplicate lines for diagnostic kits as quickly as possible,“ says Jean-François Bauer, Head of Business Development at the Swiss specialist for assembly solutions Mikron Automation. „At the same time, we expect strategic decisions from the past to be scrutinised following the recent pandemic experience. Dependencies in the supply chains, for example, are likely to lead to companies in Europe or the USA build up new capacities in their home markets with the help of robotics and automation, to reduce recognised weaknesses.“
automatica trend index with a forecast for SMEs
The automatica trend index also shows that flexible production with industrial robots is likely to be increasingly utilised by German SMEs in the future. In their forecast 84 per cent of industry decision-makers that the increased use of robotics in small and medium-sized enterprises is not a question of whether especially of the when is. 81 per cent state that the programming of robots has become easier, thus paving the way for the Use in small and medium-sized companies paves the way. On the other hand, two thirds of those responsible see the fact that their own employees still lack the necessary training for robot operation as an obstacle.
Employees with a positive attitude
Employers can rely on a fundamentally positive attitude among employees: A good three quarters of employees consider the Training for working with robotics for an important offer from (medium-sized) companies. Just as many say that companies with a further training programme for robotics and digital technology distinguish themselves as attractive employers for skilled workers.
On the automatica 2020 from 8 to 11 December in Munich, decision-makers will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the potential of robotics to fulfil their own goals. „The most important providers and experts will be providing information on what robotics and automation can do today to maintain and increase competitiveness in the new market environment, in line with the specific requirements of a wide range of industries,“ says Anja Schneider, automatica project manager.
Virtual panel discussion Let's talk by automatica on 9 July
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on robotics and automation is also the subject of the first edition of the new virtual format the world's leading trade fair for robotics and automation Let's talk by automatica on 9 July at 10 am. The high-calibre virtual panel discussion is freely accessible.
[infotext icon]The automatica Trend Index 2020 was conducted by a market research institute and consists of two sub-surveys. For Part 1, a total of 100 specialists and managers in Germany who make decisions about robotics and automation in industrial companies were surveyed at the beginning of 2020. The participants work in mechanical and plant engineering (37%), the automotive industry (22%), the electrical industry (14%), the food industry (9%) and other industrial sectors (18%). For Part 2, a total of 7,000 participants in 7 countries were surveyed at the beginning of 2020 in a population-representative manner on how robots and digitalisation are changing the world of work[/infotext].Source: Munich Trade Fair Centre
