AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS
LARA ( Lightweight Agile robotic assistant ) mounted on MAV ( Multi-Sensing Autonomous vehicle ) palletising products © NEURA Robotics GmbH .
Robotics skills in high demand established practice . In this respect , the pandemic has proved to be the biggest single driver for change in industry .”
The world ´ s ‘ Top 10 ’ automated countries
According to IFR , the average robot density in the manufacturing industry hit a new global record of 113 units per 10,000 employees . By region , Western Europe ( 225 units ) and the Nordic European countries ( 204 units ) have the most automated production , followed by North America ( 153 units ) and South East Asia ( 119 units ).
The world ´ s top 10 most automated countries are : Singapore ( 1 ); South Korea ( 2 ); Japan ( 3 ); Germany ( 4 ); Sweden ( 5 ); Denmark ( 6 ); Hong Kong ( 7 ); Chinese Taipei ( 8 ); USA ( 9 ) and Belgium and Luxemburg ( 10 ).
“ Robot density is the number of operational industrial robots relative to the number of workers ,” explained Milton Guerry , President of the International Federation of Robotics . “ This level measurement allows comparisons of countries with different economic sizes in the dynamic automation race over time .”
The country with the highest robot density by far remains Singapore with 918 units per 10,000 employees in 2019 . The electronics industry , especially semiconductors and computer peripherals , is the primary customer of industrial robots in Singapore with shares of 75 % of the total operational stock .
South Korea comes second with 868 units per 10,000 employees in 2019 . Korea is a market leader in LCD and memory chip manufacturing , with companies such as Samsung and LG on top , and is also a major production site for motor vehicles and the manufacture of batteries for electric cars .
Japan ( 364 robots per 10,000 employees ) and Germany ( 346 units ), rank third and fourth respectively . Japan is the world ´ s predominant robot manufacturing country - where even
A FANUC cobot on display . robots assemble robots : 47 % of global robot production is done in Japan . The electrical and electronics industry has a share of 34 %, the automotive industry 32 % and the metal and machinery industry takes 13 % of operational stock . Germany is by far the largest robot market in Europe with 38 % of Europe ’ s industrial robots operating in factories there . Robot density in the German automotive industry is among the highest in the world . Employment in this sector rose continuously from 720,000 people in 2010 to almost 850,000 people in 2019 .
Sweden remains in fifth position with a robot density of 274 units , operating with a share of 35 % in the metal industry and another 35 % in the automotive industry . Robot density in the United States increased to 228 robots . In 2019 , the U . S . car market was again the second largest car market in the world , following China , with the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles . Both USA and China are considered highly competitive markets for car manufacturers worldwide . Today , China ’ s robot density in the manufacturing industry ranks 15th worldwide . Next to car production , China is also a major producer of electronic devices , batteries , semiconductors and microchips .
“ Governments and companies around the globe now need to focus on providing the right skills necessary to work with robots and intelligent automation systems ,” said Milton Guerry , President of the International Federation of Robotics . “ This is important to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that these technologies offer . The post- Corona recovery will further accelerate the deployment of robotics . Policies and strategies are important to help workforces make the transition to a more automated economy .”
According to the “ automation readiness index ” published by The Economist Intelligence Unit ( EIU ), only four countries have already established mature education policies to deal with the challenges of an automated economy . South Korea is the category leader , followed by Estonia , Singapore and Germany . Countries like Japan , the U . S . and France are developed and China was ranked as emerging . The EIU summed up the order of the day for governments : more study , multi-stakeholder dialogue and international knowledge sharing . Robot suppliers support the education of the workforce with practice-oriented training .
“ Re-training the existing workforce is only a short-term measure . We must start much earlier – curricula for schools and undergraduate education need to match the demand of the industry for the workforce of the future . Demand for technical and digital skills is increasing , but equally important are cognitive skills like problem-solving and critical thinking ,” added Dr . Susanne Bieller , IFR ´ s General Secretary . “ Economies must embrace automation and build the skills required to profit - otherwise they will be at a competitive disadvantage .” n
Below : Universal Robots offer cobot models .
ISMR May 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 19