January 4, 2021 Challenges Encountered in the Implementation of Robots

Three significant challenges that manufacturers experience with the installation of robots.

A robotic machine operates mechanically and can easily cop to variations in its surrounding. Numerous businesses are aware of the advantages that come with robotics integration. Robotics enhances productivity and results in immense profitability to a company. Also, there is great flexibility in the way industrial operations happen.

Companies vary in size, way of operating, and in the products, they deal with. Therefore, the needs for robots tend to vary. However, given the benefits that accrue from investing in robots, most businesses have considered installing robots to handle some of the business operations. However, the implementation of robotic automation in firms has not been easy for numerous companies. This article explains three significant challenges that companies experience with the installation of robots.

1. Skillset and Experience

There is a dire need for skilled and experienced personnel in the manufacturing industries. Large companies have a multitude of employees who have worked in the industries for ages and have acquired the skills they have through apprenticeship. There is a growing demand for products by the continually growing population.

Since most of the workers are old and are set to retire, company owners are left wondering who is it that is going to take over. Most individuals seeking industrial jobs are high school diploma graduates. They lack the experience and skills needed to meet the growing demand.

If the company were to provide training to the incoming employees, then it would be costly since the same would have to happen every time there is retiring or outgoing employee.

However, there exists a great solution to this skills and experience gap. The perfect solution is the implementation of a robot. Robots are perfect since they have perfect software that can facilitate their communication with coworkers. Moreover, they have a great memory that enables them to recall all that has been inputted forever, unless it malfunctions or is reprogrammed.

Therefore, by integrating collaborative robots and allowing them to learn from the skilled and experienced industry workers, you can be sure of a successful skills transfer, which will then remain in the company, even after retiring employees exit the company.

2. Costs of Technology

Robots are generally expensive. For the large manufacturing industries, implementing the robotics can be a costly venture to a company. It is, therefore, challenging for businesses to acquire robots. Some companies even fear that the robots may not recoup.

However, the expensive price of robots should not deter companies from investing in robotics technology. There is a group of companies providing robots for hire. That means the firms struggling financially and are unable to purchase them, can still get to use robots to enhance their production. They simply hire robots from the lending companies at subsidized costs.

3. Safety Concerns

Worker safety is a major issue, especially when workers are working along with the robots. The most dangerous robots are the industrial robots, which are often implanted in a specific place which is fenced to prevent employees from getting close to it, since they may get injured in the process. The industrial robotic arm is ever on the move picking, moving, and placing stuff as programmed. Therefore, a single miscalculated move could find you seriously injured.

To solve the issue of workers’ safety, the robotics manufacturers have responded by inventing the collaborative robots. Collaborative robots are also known as cobots. The cobots are designed to work side by side with company employees. They have sensors that they use to detect a person or something approaching, and therefore stop to avoid causing damage or injury.

Conclusion

Even as manufacturing industries continue to expand their operations, it is best for them to consider installing robots to aid in handling cumbersome and harmful business operations. There could be challenges of skillsets and experience gaps, robotics’ costs, and safety. However, the challenges should not weigh you down, as they can all be solved.

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