Collaborative robots, i.e. cobots, are a cost-effective solution that can work alongside an existing workforce to increase efficiency and profitability and improve employee safety.
In response to the immediate business challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Universal Robots has created a free online suite of resources that can be accessed from anywhere over Wi-Fi to support Irish businesses to fully understand how cobots can play an integral role in building resilience and futureproofing operations.
As part of this new online offering, Universal Robots will partner with one of its Irish distribution partners, Cobots.ie, to present 'Why Automation? Why Now?', a webinar that is ideal for businesses at the beginning of their automation journey.
The live webinar, which takes place on Wednesday May 20th, will discuss how automation can give businesses a competitive edge and how businesses of any size can easily integrate and program a cobot to work alongside the human workforce safely and effectively. It will also reveal how cobots can improve consistency and efficiency and be easily redeployed as business needs change. It will also discuss the cost of a cobot and how quickly a business can expect a return on its investment.
[ To register to attend the ‘Why Automation?, Why Now?’ webinar, sign up here.Opens in new window ]
Irish development lead at Universal Robots, Samantha Cummins-Byrne, is encouraging businesses across a wide variety of sectors to avail of the free learning opportunity.
“The impact of the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted that complacent businesses will unfortunately not survive. Now is the time to adapt and harness the power of automation and Universal Robots is here to help businesses understand how best to go about that. Our cobots are the very peak of innovation but also accessible, and it’s this powerful combination that allows businesses of all sizes to be part of the new revolution and build resilience.
“With the current crisis in mind, we’d urge businesses, regardless of size, to begin their journey in automation by taking advantage of our new suite of online resources, to not only discover how cobots work but how they can give your operations a competitive edge.
"Over the last two years, along with the support of our local distribution partners, Reliance Automation and cobots.ie, we've made a significant impact in terms of changing the perception of automation and educating businesses here.
“We’ve built a thoughtful suite of resources which can be accessed from the office or your home and includes informative webinars, online consultations with our experts, real-life case studies and an online academy which is a formal upskilling opportunity where you can follow our modules and learn how to programme one of our cobots.”
The Universal Robots suite of free educational resources includes:
Online meetings
Avail of a 45-minute, one-on-one online meeting with a local expert from the Universal Robots team. You’ll have the opportunity to confidentially discuss your business operations and learn how a collaborative robot could improve the efficiency, consistency and profitability of your operations.
Online academy
These easy-to-follow, step-by-step, modules are suitable for beginners and novices and allow you to formally upskill in automation by learning how to program a Universal Robots’ cobot. Participants receive an official certificate on completion.
Webinars
Taking place weekly, webinars will cover various topics related to the functions and benefits of cobots.
Case studies
Discover the real-life impact cobots are having on businesses in Ireland across the world.
LinkedIn – Universal Robots A/S
Stay in-the-know on automation trends and updates from Ireland by joining Universal Robots on LinkedIn.
Cummins-Byrne says that it is the reliability, cost-efficiency and versatility of a Universal Robots cobot that has resulted in the company’s success here in Ireland.
“Our cobots are extremely cost-effective. Customers experience the financial benefits of their investment in just a couple of months. We offer a leasing programme too to combat cashflow and seasonal fluctuations which is great for SMEs.
“One of the main attractions to our cobots is how easy they can be programmed. With just basic training, our cobots can be programmed to perform any task in just a couple to hours. Our cobots have been programmed to complete just about everything – from stacking boxes to slicing pizza to polishing steel. Interestingly, the ease of programming also means that our cobots can be redeployed to different areas as required, supporting peak production times or unexpected staff shortages.
“Consistency is a real draw for businesses who use our cobots. For example, tightening screws or sanding a piece of wood will always be done with the same tension and pressure, removing the risk of human error.
“Our cobots can be situated in small spaces and are intentionally built to interact or collaborate with humans. In-fact, our customers tell us regularly that their human workforce feels motivated and rewarded by the arrival of a cobot as it means they are given the opportunity to upskill in automation programming, while also no longer having to complete harmful or repetitive tasks.”