Robots offer efficiency, flexibility, safety on the plant floor

Learning objectives Understand why you can’t talk about robotics and efficiency improvements without also talking about flexibility and safety. Learn what it means to have greater flexibility on the plant floor. See how robotics can create a broader safety net for less obvious risks and concerns. Robot insights Robots help manufacturing plants improve efficiency and profitability while also achieving two key byproducts in the process — more manufacturing flexibility and broader safety improvements. A collaborative robot, or “cobot,” can help human workers complete more work safely and effectively. When you think about robots on the plant floor, you may likely still picture the large, expensive orange and yellow robotic arms used by auto manufacturers. While there is still a place for such machines, the industry has evolved quite a bit since those robots were first introduced in the 1960s. But they have never evolved as quickly as they have over the past 14 years. According to a report from the International Federation of Robotics, robotics usage across industrial and manufacturing settings has recently reached record highs. As of 2024, more than 4 million robots were installed in factories across the globe, a 10% increase from the previous year.That unprecedented level of adoption and engagement has driven manufacturers of all sizes to more closely consider how they can incorporate robotics in their operations. Identifying opportunities to glean new efficiencies is often the top priority, given the challenges that exist across the manufacturing landscape — most notably thin margins, skilled labor shortages…

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