Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for November 16, 2017

Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

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Adient, a provider of automotive seating, has broken ground on a new automotive seating prototyping and testing facility in Pune that the company says will be “the largest of its kind ever to be built in India”.

Construction of the new facility marks a major expansion of Adient’s existing technical center in Pune, already a world-class facility with the largest workforce among the automotive seating suppliers global network of tech centers.

The new facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2018, will provide physical testing to augment the capabilities of the existing technical center in Pune, a global Center of Competence at Adient for computer-aided engineering, computer-aided design automation and finite element analysis simulation expertise.  [Read more…] about Adient breaks ground on ‘largest-ever’ automotive seats prototyping and testing facility in India

Omron Microscan releases new ‘high-performance smart camera’

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Omron Microscan Systems, has launched its newest smart camera, the Hawk MV-4000, which the company says has developmental roots stretching back to automotive and robotics development.

Omron says the Hawk MV-4000 has “exceptional processing capabilities in a compact form factor”, is easy to use, and constitutes a “golden middle” between PC-based devices and the average smart camera on the market.

Omron says the new smart camera could be used in a wide range of industries to streamline companies’ operations.  [Read more…] about Omron Microscan releases new ‘high-performance smart camera’

Cognex launches new real-time monitoring system for factory automation

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Cognex, a provider of machine vision and industrial barcode reading, has released a new monitoring system for factory automation.

Cognex Explorer Real Time Monitoring aggregates and reports trends in data captured by DataMan barcode readers and provides instant facility-wide feedback to identify process errors, minimize no-reads, and maximize throughput, says the company.

The company says RTM tracks trends in barcode quality, monitors configuration changes, and analyzes data from every DataMan barcode reader to quickly identify the causes of low read rates and other errors that threaten the efficiency of an operation.  [Read more…] about Cognex launches new real-time monitoring system for factory automation

Collaborative industrial robot market in China forecast to grow to almost $200 million by 2020

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The market for collaborative industrial robotic arms in the Chinese industrial sector is forecast to grow to almost $200 million, according to a report on ChinaDaily.com. 

Quoting statistics in the Blue Paper of the Cobots Industry for 2017 – a report produced by Universal Robots and the Shenzhen Gaogong Industry Research Consulting Company – China Daily says the total market size for collaborative robots will exceed $196 million.

Small and medium-size businesses are expected to drive much of the growth. In total, some 12,000 units are forecast to be sold in China by 2020 – although this might sound like an understimate to some.  [Read more…] about Collaborative industrial robot market in China forecast to grow to almost $200 million by 2020

Fujitsu launches ‘IntelliEdge’ platform for Industry 4.0

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Fujitsu says it has expanded its Industrial Internet of Things capabilities with its new “IntelliEdge” ecosystem, which includes network edge processing capabilities.

Fujitsu says the IntelliEdge edge computing appliance enables the optimisation of industrial processes for Industry 4.0, securely connecting data and resources to people and devices and bridging the gap between operational technology in the field, and on-premises and cloud-based information technology.

Fujitsu is introducing the IntelliEdge appliance to manage OT devices, giving enterprises an unprecedented end-to-end view of the entire production processes to achieve a breakthrough in monitoring and managing optimised individual production lines at approximately the same cost as mass production.  [Read more…] about Fujitsu launches ‘IntelliEdge’ platform for Industry 4.0

Volvo unveils driverless truck aimed at ‘hub-to-hub’ intralogistics operations

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Volvo has unveiled a new driverless truck which it says is an “innovative transport solution to drive safety and productivity”.

The company says that the self-driving truck, driving autonomously from one hub to another, is part of a development project exploring how automation can contribute to increased productivity, enhanced safety and lower environmental impact.

Volvo says that, in showing the truck, such aims and goals have for the first time been demonstrated to a broader audience.  [Read more…] about Volvo unveils driverless truck aimed at ‘hub-to-hub’ intralogistics operations

STMicroelectronics partners with Asratec to demonstrate humanoid robot

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Chipmaker STMicroelectronics and robotics company Asratec have partnered to develop and demonstrate a humanoid robot at a recent industry event in Japan. 

The companies say the development is in recognition of the observation that the internet of things is becoming a part of people’s lives.

This means that network-connected embedded systems – such as robots – “are growing more important than ever”.  [Read more…] about STMicroelectronics partners with Asratec to demonstrate humanoid robot

Market research reports roundup: Teach pendants; Cutting and deburring; Collaborative robots

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Another three reports making the headlines on the web

Report: Global Collaborative Robots Market Outlook, Trend and Opportunity Analysis, Competitive Insights, Actionable Segmentation & Forecast 2023
Company: Energias Market Research
Our comment: Collaborative robots are of massive interest at the moment, and this report values the market at $177 million in 2016, and says it will rise to $4.238 billion in 2023. That’s a hefty increase of more than 57 per cent a year.

Report: Robot Teach Pendant Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017-2025
Company: Transparency Market Research
Our comment: This company doesn’t reveal any figures for market size and growth in its press release, but it mentions leading companies, such as ABB, Fanuc, Yaskawa Motoman and so on.

Report: Global Robotic Cutting, Deburring, and Finishing Market 2017-2021
Company: 360 Market Updates
Our comment: Another report which doesn’t release any headlines figures, but makes the observation that accuracy and productivity are driving this market.

Report: Sensors for Robotics: Technologies and Global Markets
Company: BCC Research
Our comment: Global market for robotics sensors is said to be around $510 million this year, and is forecast to reach .approximately $840 million by 2022.