5 Trends in the Increasing Adoption of Robotics

This edition of 5 Quick Manufacturing Insights features leaders from A3 - Association for Advancing Automation , the leading global automation trade association of the robotics, machine vision, motion control, and industrial AI. You can catch these folks throughout the year at great events like the Automate Show and this week's Robotic Grinding & Finishing Conference in Minneapolis.

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As someone that talks to manufacturing leaders every week on Manufacturing Happy Hour , I feel safe saying that robotics is the technical topic that comes up most frequently on the show. Workforce might have it beat for the top overall slot, but really, the two are intertwined anyway. That's a topic for a different edition of this newsletter...

Today, with all the buzz about robots, we're breaking down this flashy topic to some of the areas that really matter: who's buying them, how are they being used, and what are some of the more pragmatic technologies that are accelerating their adoption. While robot sales are down in North America in 2023, this temporary softening doesn't take away from their rapid rise over the past years (just look at the 2022 numbers as an example).

Let's dive into 5 reasons why robots are on the rise:

1) Small- to mid-sized manufacturers are leveraging robotics

At one point it felt like Fortunate 500 manufacturers were the only groups that could afford robotic technologies for their massive assembly lines. However, in recent years, multiple factors have made them more accessible. There are new business models for purchasing robots, like robots-as-a-service, or RaaS. Decreasing costs of the technology have also helped. There were a record-setting 44,196 robots sold in North America alone in 2022, and these weren't just being sold to the big automotive manufacturers (more on that in a second).

If you're a mom-and-pop manufacturer, the purchase of your first robot can feel daunting. Not just financially, but maybe more so from a "Will I have the expertise and know-how to make this work?" standpoint. Plus One Robotics Founder and CEO Erik Nieves has appeared on Manufacturing Happy Hour multiple times and in Episode 78 shared his approach for helping first-time robotics users overcome "technology hesitancy."

Part of the recipe for continued robotics adoption at SMB manufacturers will be listening and truly understanding why someone might be hesitant to implement a robotic solution. That's Step 1 before you ever get to a successful implementation.

2) It's not just automotive manufacturers that are investing in robotics

While robotics sales soared above the 40K mark for the first time in 2022, it wasn't just automotive manufacturers that were driving that number. Last year marked the 2nd highest year of sales for non-automotive applications as well. Metals, food & beverage, CPG, and the semiconductor & electronics industries are a few examples.

Various applications have also experienced a surge. Early this year, A3's own Alex Shikany shared with us that coating and dispensing applications increase 43% in 2022. FANUC America's Jerry Perez - another regular on the podcast - is actually speaking this week on automation and robotics strategies for grinding & finishing applications. As we continue seeing robotics expand beyond some of their traditional markets, you can hear Jerry share even more exotic applications for robots on Episode 96 of the podcast:

3) Increased cloud adoption is providing the infrastructure autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) need

I have to thank the industry's original "Robot Ninja" Melonee Wise for getting this next topic on my radar. I still need to explore this more, but I just learned that the manufacturing industry is the most advanced in cloud adoption, and that's helping technologies like autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) gain more traction.

In our 2-part mega-interview at last year's AMR & Logistics Conference in Boston, we featured over 10 leaders in the robotics space, including Melonee. Here are Melonee's candid thoughts on how she's perceived the adoption of cloud technologies and AMRs:

The biggest leap is the customer-adoption of cloud-based systems. It's been night and day, and I think that matters because if you look at manufacturing...they've been very centered around PLC-controlled workflows that are real-time. When you walk in with autonomous robot technology and you're like "We're going to be in the cloud," they were like "NOT POSSIBLE!"

For the first probably 6 years of this industry, it felt like an easing trend. And then, all of a sudden, it's been like an avalanche.

Sometimes, adoption just takes a bit of time before it really starts to accelerate. You can hear more about AMR adoption from Melonee and other robotics leaders in this bonus episode:

4) ...and now there are specific technologies for managing fleets of robots

Earlier we talked about what it's like implementing your first robot. But what about when you have a fleet of robots on your hands?

Startups like InOrbit, co-founded by Florian Pestoni , are streamlining robot operations with a cloud-based robot management platform. They're helping robot users get the most out of every robot in their fleet.

In one of our most unique interviews ever that took place in a noisy beer garden in Berlin, Germany, Florian explains how they're streamlining operations in this 1-minute video. As more robots enter the field, solutions like this will be critical not only to streamlining operations, but streamlining growth as well.

5) AI will take use cases for robots to the next level

This wouldn't be a complete article on robotics right now if we didn't talk about artificial intelligence, now would it? KUKA's Nate Brazelle talked about this on Episode 105 almost a year ago. In one of KUKA's recent articles, they highlighted that AI could soon be used to automate new tasks without the need for explicit step-by-step reprogramming.

That's not exactly the "Terminator" scenario that comes to mind when some people think about robotics and AI. We'll also look to SCHUNK's Milton Guerry to wrap up this segment with some of his thoughts on the current state of AI from the 2022 Automate Show:

Everybody kind of has a different version of AI, as if this robot is now going to think for itself. What AI is really doing is it's allowing a vision system to do better in its imaging. It's allowing a pick to happen over-and-over again if something changes in that environment. Make an adjustment for it! That's what it's doing.

It's not allowing a robot to be...where you just walk in and you say "Hey, go pick and place that part!" and now the robot works, but those technologies are going to widen applications in a great way. Those things are really here now and they're in applications and running. For me, that's impressive.

How are you seeing use cases for robotics expand? Are you seeing new adoption in your market, be it for new applications, new industries, etc? Keep the conversation going in the comments.

Thanks for reading. For more insights on robotics (and beyond) in manufacturing, make sure you're subscribed to Manufacturing Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty,

-Chris

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Chris Luecke is a Podcaster, Marketer, and Content Creator in the manufacturing industry and the host of the top-ranked podcast Manufacturing Happy Hour. Described as "TEDx meets 'How It's Made," Manufacturing Happy Hour goes beyond the buzzwords and dissects real-life applications and success stories through candid interviews with executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. To date, Chris has interviewed over 200 leaders in the industrial sector in an effort to simplify and explore the latest trends and technologies impacting modern manufacturers. Beyond manufacturing, he believes Green Day embodies customer appreciation and is seeing them twice this year.

5 Quick Manufacturing Insights is the official LinkedIn newsletter of Manufacturing Happy Hour. After well over 200 interviews with industry leaders on the Manufacturing Happy Hour podcast, this monthly newsletter summarizes 5 of the best actionable pieces of advice that can help you take your manufacturing career and your business to the next level. From cybersecurity to Industry 4.0 to creating a more diverse, equitable, & inclusive workforce, each issue focuses on one of the biggest trends, technologies, or opportunities facing modern manufacturers.

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