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Saudi Arabia announces spectacular $100 billion investment to establish industrial robotics and automation business

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Alat – a PIF company launched on February 1, 2024 by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alat – has announced the establishment of a strategic partnership with SoftBank Group to establish a next generation industrial automation business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that will manufacture groundbreaking industrial robots.

PIF is short for the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. PIF is one of the largest investment funds in the world, with approximately $776 billion in assets.

Alat, headquartered in Riyadh, has been established to create a “global champion” in electronics and advanced industrial segments and mandated to create world class manufacturing enabled by global innovation and technology leadership. [Read more…] about Saudi Arabia announces spectacular $100 billion investment to establish industrial robotics and automation business

Stäubli invests in company developing robot for solar industry

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Stäubli, one of the world’s largest industrial robot suppliers, says it has become involved in innovative Computer Vision, AI, and robotics solutions development with the California-based OnSight Technology.

Active since the early beginning of the Photovoltaic industry, Stäubli is a pioneer for durable and robust PV DC connectors. The Original MC4 PV connector has set the industry benchmark and is currently the most installed worldwide, connecting more than 50 percent of the global PV capacity.

Based on Stäubli’s longstanding expertise, the company says it is committed to sharing its knowledge and investing in future technology to increase safety in the solar industry. [Read more…] about Stäubli invests in company developing robot for solar industry

Epson releases new SCARA robot

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Epson Robots has released its new GX-B Series SCARA robot models. The company says the new robots are engineered to help users “develop powerful automation solutions easily”.

The GX-B Series delivers optimal performance and is equipped with industrial-rated safety features, taking SCARA robot performance to the next level with ultra-high performance and flexibility for today’s medical device, electronics and consumer electronics markets.

Scott Marsic, group product manager, Epson America, says: “The latest GX-B Series is our most advanced lineup to date, enabling integrators to meet a wider range of customer needs with high-performing, reliable solutions that fit seamlessly into workflows for a range of industries. [Read more…] about Epson releases new SCARA robot

Fanuc America unveils new industrial robot

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Fanuc, the world’s largest industrial robot maker, has introduced the new M-710iD/50M robot, representing the company’s first update to the popular M-710i robot series in 17 years.

Eric Potter, general manager, general industries and automotive segments, Fanuc America, says: “The high-performance of the M-710i robot series has made it a great choice for a variety of applications over the years.

“The new model includes all of the best features of the long-standing series with several key enhancements that will expand its capabilities.” [Read more…] about Fanuc America unveils new industrial robot

ZenRobotics launches new waste recycling robots

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ZenRobotics, a specialist in robotic recycling, has launched ZenRobotics 4.0, its fourth generation of waste sorting robots.

The company says the latest robots have new features and upgraded Artificial Intelligence to optimise and improve the efficiency of waste sorting operations.

Jarmo Ruohonen, general manager, ZenRobotics, says: “Our commitment has always been to work with forward-thinking recycling companies to automate their waste management processes and make outdated, inefficient and unsafe manual sorting a thing of the past. [Read more…] about ZenRobotics launches new waste recycling robots

Nauticus Robotics raises $12 million in new investment

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Nauticus Robotics, a developer of subsea robots and software, has raised an additional $12 million as part of a second tranche of investment.

The new investment will expedite certification of Nauticus’ flagship robot, the Aquanaut, which facilitates the transformation of tethered ROV (remotely operated vehicle) operations to fully autonomous operations.

It is expected to perform numerous tasks in water depths ranging from 200 to 2,000+ meters during February in preparation for an inaugural job inspecting a deep-water production facility of a major oil and gas company in the Gulf of Mexico. [Read more…] about Nauticus Robotics raises $12 million in new investment

SpartanNash introduces ‘retail innovation’ with in-store robot from Simbe

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Food solutions company SpartanNash has agreed plans to implement Simbe Robotics’ autonomous inventory robot Tally in 60 additional company-operated stores across the Midwest USA.

This opportunity to generate actionable, real-time inventory insights represents SpartanNash’s continued investment in technology to enhance the store guest and Associate experiences.

Tom Swanson, SpartanNash executive vice president, corporate retail, says: We first piloted Tally in 15 stores, and the success of that launch motivated us to expand Tally across more locations to help Associates save time in inventory tracking and spend more time on the floor serving our store guests. [Read more…] about SpartanNash introduces ‘retail innovation’ with in-store robot from Simbe

Kuka launches ‘dynamic, cost-effective and reliable’ new industrial robot

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Kuka says its new KR Fortec industrial robot delivers “great versatility in a small footprint”. With high dynamic performance, it achieves short cycle times – and its compact shape – makes it ideal for tasks such as handling and spot welding. The speedy KR Fortec tackles all this with low energy consumption.

The new KR Fortec is now available with an extended arm that handles loads of 240 kg across a reach of 3700 mm. Technically, this heavy-duty robot fits between the KR Quantec and KR Fortec ultra. Cross-model modularization ensures a high transmissibility of robot series components.

Maximilian Pettkuhn, portfolio manager at Kuka, says: “We developed the KR Fortec to achieve a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and to launch a resource-saving product on the market. The KR Fortec is up to 700 kg lighter than its predecessor.”

For customers, modularization means lower costs for spare part storage, he adds. [Read more…] about Kuka launches ‘dynamic, cost-effective and reliable’ new industrial robot

Universal Robots reports strong end to 2023

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Universal Robots, the Danish collaborative robot company, has reported Q4 revenue of $103 million, up 21 percent on Q4 2022. The quarter was the company’s largest revenue quarter to date. 2023 annual revenue was $304 million, down 7 percent on 2022.

The company’s president, Kim Povlsen, says: “2023 was characterized by a difficult economic and business environment for many of our core customers with global industrial activity slowing in the first half of the year.

“Nevertheless, we saw growth in our focus accounts and key segments, including palletizing, and in our strategically important OEM channel. We ended the year strong and enter 2024 with a great foundation for further growth.” [Read more…] about Universal Robots reports strong end to 2023

2023 North America robot orders down 30 percent from record high in 2022

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After record orders in both 2021 and 2022, robot sales in North American declined by 30 percent in 2023, according to the latest report from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Companies purchased 31,159 robots in 2023, compared to 44,196 ordered in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. These 2023 orders were divided almost equally among automotive (15,723 robots sold) and non-automotive companies (15,436 robots sold), a 34 percent drop in sales to automotive OEMs and automotive suppliers over 2022 and a 25 percent total decrease in all other industries.

Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, says: “While robot sales naturally ebb and flow, the return to more typical robot sales after the last two record years can likely be attributed to a few obvious issues: a slow US economy, higher interest rates and even the over purchasing of robots in 2022 from supply chain concerns. [Read more…] about 2023 North America robot orders down 30 percent from record high in 2022