ISMR February 2022 | Page 14

INDUSTRY NEWS

Modular construction market

The global modular construction market size is expected to reach US $ 138.9 billion by 2028 , according to a new report by Grand View Research , Inc . The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.4 % from 2021 to 2028 . Increasing emphasis on improving productivity and rising focus on workplace safety at construction sites are expected to drive the market over the forecast period .
“ The process involves the prefabrication of modules at a different location from the actual site in a controlled environment , resulting in reduced timelines for completing building projects . This process allows planned inventory usage and limited wastage of raw materials , thereby significantly reducing the investment required for building work . Assembly lines for modular construction help producers to streamline raw material purchasing and inventory management ,” explained the analyst .
Modular constructions are monitored regularly , ensuring a better quality of final products . They can be easily replaced or recycled during renovation activities , making them more user-friendly . The permanent modular construction segment dominated the
industry in Sweden and accounted for 69.20 % of the overall market share in 2020 .
“ Industry players are expected to target developing economies such as India , China and Southeast Asian countries to tap robust opportunities resulting from the rapid growth of the building sector . Increasing efforts by companies to adopt the latest technologies , such as 3D printing and building information modelling ( BIM ) for optimising offsite module construction activities , are expected to have a positive impact on industry growth . However , fluctuations in transportation costs is anticipated to hamper the market growth over the forecast period ,” added the analyst .
“ In Asia Pacific , the residential application segment is expected to progress at a CAGR of 7.5 % over the forecast period . In India , modular construction in the healthcare application segment was valued at US $ 543- million in 2020 . The commercial modular construction segment in North America accounted for a market revenue of US $ 951.4- million in 2020 , due to rising investments in the establishment of offices , hotels and restaurants ,” it continued . n

EuroBLECH 2022 in focus

Don ’ t miss this year ’ s EuroBLECH exhibition in Hanover , Germany , from 25-28 October 2022 . It is the largest trade exhibition for the sheet metal working industry and attracts top industry professionals from all over the world . It targets sheet metal working specialists at all management levels in small and mediumsized companies as well as large enterprises .
EuroBLECH 2022 will be occupying halls 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 26 and 27 at the world ’ s largest exhibition grounds in Hanover , Germany . The new hall 26 will host exhibitors of joining technology , as well as surface and tool technology which were previously located in hall 13 .
“ As a vertical trade show , EuroBLECH covers the entire sheet metal working technology chain and offers the industry sector a unique marketplace for knowledge transfer , individual manufacturing solutions and worldwide business contacts ,” said the show organiser , Mack Brooks Exhibitions . n
www . euroblech . com

KUKA defines long-term growth plan

KUKA management and Midea have developed a joint growth strategy to significantly sharpen KUKA ’ s role as a leader in robot-based automation by 2025 . To achieve this , they plan to increase investments in research and development in the Augsburg ( Germany ) facility from 2021 levels by at least 15 % by 2025 .
KUKA CEO , Peter Mohnen , explained : “ KUKA has achieved the turnaround and is embarking on a clear growth path . Our financial figures underline this success . For 2021 , we are expecting sales of around € 3.1 billion and EBIT of around € 60 million . Initial indications also give us reason to be optimistic about the development of business beyond 2021 . For 2022 , we are optimistic that this positive trend will continue .”
As part of the strategy , Midea plans to delist KUKA from the stock exchange following a Squeeze-Out to “ facilitate a more effective growth path , allowing clear focus on the operating business .” KUKA will strongly focus on bringing together its
Smart production with KUKA robots .
robotics and application expertise globally and across all parts of the company to further improve its products and market position . This includes an overarching portfolio with regionally adapted products and solutions for growth industries in robotics and logistics ( such as e-commerce and retail ). Fast-growing markets for KUKA and Swisslog will further be strengthened in a targeted manner and coordination between countries will be even closer aligned .
This growth plan is aligned with KUKA ’ s ambition to make automation simpler , more intuitive and more available to everyone by
2030 . Programming a robot , it told ISMR , will then be “ as easy as working on a laptop or mobile device today .” It is working on an operating system of the future with a focus on simple operation and the intuitive handling of automation solutions .
“ With the joint decision to take the company private , we are also paving the way for greater efficiency , speed and competitiveness to achieve KUKA ’ s growth targets in Europe , the Americas and especially in the growth region of China . We will continue to respect and honour the terms and conditions of the Investment Agreement and the Ringfencing Agreement concluded in 2016 . The ‘ A ’ in KUKA will continue to stand for Augsburg – we recognize this as a responsible and long-term oriented owner ,” explained Dr Andy Gu , Chairman of the Supervisory Board , KUKA AG , and Vice President , Midea Group . n
www . kuka . com
14 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR February 2022