Robotic advancements that can help make industry more sustainable

Marga Hoek, the author of The Trillion Dollar Shift, details how advances in robotics can help businesses become more efficient and sustainable.

Our world is changing rapidly, and the robotics industry is responding to this increasingly urgent need for adaptation.

Robotics has revolutionised business models and is on the precipice of enabling economic growth on a global scale.

With robots being utilised beyond industrial production and beginning to adopt the roles of personal assistants, surgical assistants, delivery vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and crewless aerial vehicles, among many other uses, the market is experiencing an unprecedented transformation.

There is huge potential to bring dramatic enhancements to the world in many different sectors of business. Adapting to and using robotics in your business is going to become even more important during this new decade, as it will allow your company not only to survive and thrive but also to transition to a more sustainable business model.

Intrigued? Here’s how you can harness the transformational power of robots.

An increasingly affordable option

Bringing robotics into your business isn’t as expensive as you might think. As robot production has increased, costs have gone down – the average robot price has fallen by about 50% during the last 30 years, and even further than that in comparison with labour costs.

The automotive industry, widely considered to be the most critical application sector of industrial robots, significantly increased investments in industrial robots worldwide which has had a knock-on effect for all sectors.

The market for automated robotics is growing rapidly, as annual unit sales are set to double within six years. Despite the large deployments already, the peak global point is expected to hit around 2024, as it’s estimated that more than 1 million robots will be sold between 2020 and 2030.

The robotics market is likely to drop in cost even more as demand from emerging economies guides the production of robots in shifting to lower-cost regions.

Streamlining processes

Once robotics are integrated into your business they can instantly help to reduce running costs. Advancements in technology such as distance, force, and proximity sensors enable robots to recognise and respond to their environment, which in turn can be extremely beneficial to streamline industrial processes and conserve resources.

Robots can also use software and algorithms (including artificial intelligence) to interpret the data collected and to further enhance processes.

Automating more and more tasks using robots improves efficiency and lowers production costs, in addition to reducing the number of human operators required.

These automated production systems are becoming increasingly flexible and intelligent, continuously adapting their behaviour to maximise output while also minimising cost.

A great example of this is GE Appliances, which completed a $125 million investment project at its Decatur refrigerator plant.

This allowed the company to increase production to meet the growing demand for its top-freezer refrigerators and create 255 jobs, bringing total employment at the plant to 1,300.

The project boosted production capacity by 25% and ensured early compliance with 2022 refrigerant changes, making the Alabama plant a super site for GE Appliances top-freezer refrigeration production.

GE Appliances reports that Industry 4.0 technology additions at the Decatur facility provide the operations team with real-time data to make better and faster decisions.

Unlocking new opportunities

While companies have initially focused on using robotics to streamline processes and reduce costs, it’s becoming increasingly evident that they are also a key player in the move towards a more sustainable economy, particularly in the areas of climate change, recycling, and energy use.

Through improved recycling via robots, for example, more of the earth’s natural resources can be reused. As companies generate an increasing amount of goods that need to be recycled, they continue to try to fulfill the volume needs of their customers but often lag behind demand when using only targeted collection methods.

Bring robots in, however, and you instantly can sort far more recyclable components. The sorting robot at the Recon Services recycling plant in Austin, Texas has two arms with ‘smart grippers’ and has increased the recycling rate by up to 70%.

These impressive pneumatic arms are programmed to separate and pick 12 different kinds of materials, including plastics based on polymer, colour, shape, and size.

Robots are also breaking through into the manufacturing sector in a big way by reducing waste and energy. Approximately 60% of manufacturers are using robotics to help them in their processes and increase productivity, efficiency, and product quality.

Robots also aid businesses with energy-saving because they don’t require as much energy to operate as humans do – whereas we need facilities with sufficient lighting and heat, robots can work under cold and dark conditions.

This drastically reduces the amount of energy used in the manufacturing production process. In fact, it’s estimated that swapping robots for humans can save up to 20% in lighting energy alone.

Our current decade is often referred to as ‘the decade of sustainability’. If we are to meet vital targets to mitigate the effects of climate change and work towards a fairer global economy for all, businesses are going to have to adopt new methods of working – and quickly.

The good news is that moving towards a more sustainable economy has the potential to unlock USD 12 trillion in market opportunities, so there’s no longer an issue about choosing between profitability and sustainability.

And the other piece of good news is that robotics are the key to reaching these targets – and their potential is truly exciting.

Prepared by Patrick O’Brien.

About the author: 

Marga Hoek is a global thought-leader on sustainable business, international speaker, and the author of The Trillion Dollar Shift, a new book revealing the business opportunities provided by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Trillion Dollar Shift is published by Routledge, in hardback and e-book. For more information go to www.margahoek.com

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