INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS: DON'T OVERLOOK THE RISKS

Thomas Fuhrmann, MD, TÜVRheinland India speaks on the growth prospects for industrial robots in India, talent gap in the sector, and how it helps companies address the potential risks and hazards to ensure the overall safety of robotic products

- Soma Tah

Interesting times ahead for the industrial robotics market, as Artificial Intelligence has made it easier to train robots now and thereby, making them more accessible to a wider array of industries besides traditional manufacturing. Today the collaborative robots which are designed to work alongside humans have made the adoption of robots easier for industries which are not traditionally associated with the use of robots, such as construction, retail, logistics, healthcare, etc.

What kind of business transformation and market growth opportunities for industrial robotics do you see here in India vis-a-vis globally?

Globally, the Industrial Robotics sector has been on the upswing for the past few years. Industrial robots are improving in terms of capability and performance, and their use is rapidly growing across manufacturing and associated industries where fast, accurate and repetitive work is the norm. In India too, Industrial Automation is on the rise, marking a significant increase in the adoption of human-machine collaborative tools primarily in the automotive and electronics sectors.

The demand for industrial robots has been witnessing a huge upsurge over the past decade due to the rising adoption of smart factory systems. Global manufacturers, who would like to set up their smart factory production facilities in India and be a part of the Government’s marquee ‘Make in India’ initiative, will definitely look at deploying industrial robot ecosystems in the country. As per published market research, robotics is a desired necessity for making the Indian industry globally competitive and for attracting the right domestic as well as global companies to invest in the ‘Make in India’ dream.

How has been the adoption among discrete and process manufacturing sectors?