“Automation is the only possibility for the manufacturing industry to hold out in the future.” This is the prospective vision, based on analyses of existing challenges and global trends in the sector, depicted by Dr. Tech. Bahadur Ibrahimov, Head of Manufacturing DX & Robotics of Konica Minolta Solutions Development Centre.

“In 2050, about 30% of the European population will be over 65 years old, according to the European Commission’s report on The Impact of Demographic Change.

This means that there will be 60 million fewer working people in Europe, in comparison to the almost 300 million we have today. And this is a huge loss. Even though there will be fewer active people, we will need an increase of productivity to have stable economic growth, to increase living standards in the long term and augmenting the need for Occupational Health and Safety.”

This perspective is confirmed by the McKinsey report on the industrial potential of robotics and automation, which states that the three significant challenges for manufacturers are the inflation and the associated surge of material costs, the talent retention and skills gap, as well as the supply chain disruption. Dr. Ibrahimov goes on: “If we add that the consumer-driven demand for quicker deliveries and customized products needs more work and that the shortage of manual workforce leads to wage escalation, we can’t conclude anything else: automation is the solution.”

THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATION

“There are tasks in the manufacturing industry which are either too complex, or need human sense and intelligence, or dexterity to tackle,” says Dr. Bahadur Ibrahimov, “and for me personally, Collaborative robots (cobots) have bridged this gap very well, because you can automate these tasks by collaboratively navigating the cobot. The employee covers the more cognitive parts, whereas the cobot takes over the more repetitive and mundane activities. Thus, they can work together hand in hand.”
Due to the pressure to decrease costs, many companies outsource production in different countries, complicating logistics and supply chains. However, by increasing automation and avoiding this shortcut, it is possible to enable manufacturers to reduce costs and ensure the supply chain for production.

FOUR BENEFITS FOR COMPANIES USING COBOTS

1. Overcoming labour shortages.
2. Increasing operational and cost efficiency.
3. Mitigating the effects of inflation and diminishing supply chain disruptions.
4. Keeping the IP knowledge within the company.

PERCEPTIONS OF AUTOMATION WITH COBOTS: A POSITIVE SHIFT

“Cobots are designed to assist humans rather than replace them”, says Dr. Ibrahimov addressing the common fear of job loss usually associated with AI and industrial robots. “With the ever-increasing reduction of the labour force and the preference for intellectually engaging work among younger generations, there is a positive shift in the perception of cobots in the workplace. Even though these machines have some limitations (they can handle approximately 20 kilograms and cannot work in a fast-paced environment), they are the perfect co-worker for trivial, reiterant tasks”.

Furthermore, the costs associated with purchasing a cobot often pleasantly surprise customers which tend to believe that robots are prohibitively expensive.  It is essential to dispel this myth, especially when it comes to collaborative robots. In the automotive sector, for example, we have witnessed a Return on Investment in less than six months. A crucial factor to consider.”

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR A WORKER TO RUN A COBOT?

“Recent technological advancements and research have been strongly geared towards making the use of robots and cobots more intuitive, requiring fewer and fewer specialized skills. Our primary goal as roboticists is to ensure that operating a cobot is as simple as using a smartphone, and we are very close to such a result.”

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A COMPANY TO EMPLOY COBOTS?

“Just be open-minded and confide in the experts (like the ones in Konica Minolta) who developed our cobot solutions: CoboSense, FORXAI Cobot, and CoboVox. We just need to brainstorm with customers, using Design Thinking to guide our conversation, to identify their needs and co-develop the perfect fit for them.  Customers know best how to optimize and automate their workflows, and as a roboticist, I am there to support them in identifying the right technologies.”

WHAT IS COBOSENSE AND WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?

CoboSense is a multi-application cobot platform automating surface inspection and testing workflows in various industrial settings. It enables workers to put their testing samples in batches and get an overnight report with all necessary data.

“CoboSense needs human interaction to get its job done,” Dr. Ibrahimov explains, “and you can do your work and teach the robot what to do. So once CoboSense has learnt its part, the human can focus on other tasks and does not need to wait for the end results. Once the task has been completed, the worker can examine the results, verifying them with analytics and other data collected during the process by the machine.”

COULD YOU MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF A USE CASE FOR COBOSENSE?

“Wherever there is a repetitive, time-consuming, or boring task performed by humans, collaborative robots can step in for easy automation. This process enhancement opens opportunities for users to focus on other aspects while ensuring greater precision. Thanks to the unmatched accuracy of CoboSense, the valuable data which is generated with its help can be harnessed for further development and data analytics.

For instance, CoboSense excels in automating surface inspections, such as Visual Quality Inspection, or verifying the resistance to usage or chemicals of plastics, leather, or textile surfaces in cars, conducting tests with various sensors and visual methods, making it the ideal choice for streamlining the inspection process.

Another very practical example is the stain test, used to verify the resistance to oil and wine stains of a material (a plastic surface in a car, a laptop or the fabric of your T-shirt).”

HOW ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TO THE WIDER ADOPTION OF COBOTS?

“Automation and especially cobots will be a great help to overcome the challenges of today and future manufacturing industry. To ensure the right approach to this topic, however, I really think international collaboration is of great importance.

That is why I am part of IFAC, the International Federation of Automatic Control. It is a renowned non-governmental, nonprofit organization with around 50 national member organizations, shaping the development of automatic control in education, organizations, and industry for almost 70 years. Currently, I lead the national member organization of Azerbaijan and chair Technical Committee 9.5, focused on technology, culture, and international stability. Through research, events, and expert collaboration, we drive progress in this field for a brighter future.”

CONTACTS

Get in contact with Dr. Bahadur Ibrahimov to learn more about automation or send an inquiry about CoboSense – cobosense@konicaminolta.eu.