Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for December 5, 2018

Webcast: Mass customisation and the apparel industry

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In this presentation and interview, Eric Zhang, VP of engineering at Scalable Press, provides an insight into how mass customisation is applied in the company. (See video below)

Scalable Press can supply manufactured goods in batches of 10,000 or any number. But it’s the fact that it can also supply that “batch of 1” that makes its process an example of mass customisation.

A vast number of Scalable Press’ customers are individuals who may be buying a T-shirt online, through a store of some kind, and selecting their own, individual design preferences.  [Read more…] about Webcast: Mass customisation and the apparel industry

Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

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While many people might credit Henry Ford with the creation of the assembly line, it was actually one of his employees, Charles Sorensen, who “examined the relationship between people, machines, tooling, and products and organized them to achieve a continuous flow of production”, according to an article by Daniel Theobald, published today on Robotics and Automation News.

Sorensen’s innovation – albeit in Ford’s employ – could be seen as the first example of a cyber-physical system which optimised, indeed launched, a new era of mass manufacturing which emphasised efficiency and productivity.

Sorensen’s assembly line enabled Ford to build a Model T car in two-and-a-half hours instead of the 12 it had previously taken – without compromising quality, and possibly even improving it.  [Read more…] about Mass customisation makes itself at home alongside mass manufacturing

Capgemini study reveals barriers to electric car adoption in US

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Capgemini has released a study showing that battery capacity and availability of charging stations for electric cars are the two biggest concerns of U.S. consumers that might deter purchases.

According to Capgemini’s Cars Online Trends Study, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retailers must collaborate to address these and other concerns to meet governmental expectations, increase electric car sales and develop new services for consumers.

“OEM investment in electric cars has led to exciting technological breakthroughs and the promise of reduced emissions, yet so far sales figures have been lower than initially predicted,” said Mathew Desmond, Principal Automotive Domain Specialist at Capgemini.

[Read more…] about Capgemini study reveals barriers to electric car adoption in US

DHL Supply Chain invests $300 million in North American technology upgrade

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DHL Supply Chain, part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, plans to deploy emerging technologies in 350 of its 430 North American facilities and transportation control towers, as part of a $300 million investment.

Accelerating the implementation of selected technologies such as robotics, augmented reality, robotics process automation, IoT and DHL’s proprietary end-to-end visibility solution – MySupplyChain – is the objective of DHL Supply Chain’s global digitisation strategy.

DHL Supply Chain North America CEO Scott Sureddin said, “This investment is about a holistic view of emerging technologies that enables our customers to achieve their growth and profitability goals.

[Read more…] about DHL Supply Chain invests $300 million in North American technology upgrade

World’s first autonomous offshore robot tested in North Sea

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A four-legged robotic platform, ANYmal, has autonomously performed various inspection tasks in a one-week pilot installation on an offshore converter platform in the North Sea, making it the world’s first autonomous offshore robot.

The robot maker, ANYbotics, is partnering with TenneT, a Dutch-German transmission system operator, to evaluate robotic inspection and maintenance on offshore converter platforms. TenneT connects large-scale offshore wind farms to the onshore grid over a high-voltage DC connection.

In periods of unmanned platform operation, a mobile robot helps to reduce the risk of disruptions and ensures the security of the electricity supply.

[Read more…] about World’s first autonomous offshore robot tested in North Sea

Robotic Solutions: The Next Phase of Lean Manufacturing

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By Daniel Theobald, CIO and co-founder of Vecna Robotics

This article takes a deep dive into the history and present state of Lean Manufacturing in materials handling. It focuses on the pioneers and innovations that brought us to the current state of material flow and the practice of waste elimination. It is part one in a four-part series focused on robotic integration in the material handling value stream.

Lean Manufacturing reduces production time and costs by eliminating waste (non-value-added activities). Its origins trace back to the concept of interchangeable parts; its evolution brings us into the term and process we know today.

Lean Manufacturing was molded by leading scientists, industrial engineers, and innovative organizations such as Ford and Toyota. The core concept behind Lean Manufacturing, waste elimination, is a valuable strategy to increase the bottom line while speeding up the rate of production. [Read more…] about Robotic Solutions: The Next Phase of Lean Manufacturing