08 December 2006
Martin Walder, managing director of ABB UK’s robotics division, said: “The potential to improve productivity, increase profitability and achieve substantial growth, is, we believe, well documented.”He continued: “Manufacturing in Western Europe – without improved productivity, through the use of automation – will find it harder to compete effectively against aggressive overseas competitors. Robots can provide the answer. However, UK manufacturers also need to be educated about the long-term benefits of using robots in their plant.”ABB believes robots can reduce overheads, increase productivity and add reliability thereby allowing UK plants to compete with the rest of the world on a more even playing field. The reduction in overheads is claimed to be particularly important for UK companies, where costs for labour and energy are comparatively high. In addition, Walder advocates the use of robots over human operators not just from a wage reduction angle. He said: “Even the most efficient human worker can make mistakes, particularly when working to a tight deadline or on a repetitive task. In contrast, robots offer companies a fantastic opportunity to increase the number of units they produce without adversely impacting on quality, no matter how tedious or unpleasant the task.”
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