Plastics & Rubber World - May/June 2019 - 24

automation

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both support existing customers and prepare for a market rebound. As for competitors, he believes there are two alternatives: "[Low-cost companies] will either
stay in China, where there is a market. Or
if they start to export, they will have to
offer premium technology and services. I
think they will have more problems adapting to our world than we will adapting to
theirs."

AUtomAtion in tHe UK

As market uncertainty due to Brexit has
started to bite, a number of industries
have reported difficulties related to sourcing skilled and non-skilled labour. The labour shortage has also affected the plastics industry; the negative media related
to plastic waste has further undermined
efforts to attract new blood.
It could be expected that the labour
shortfall could be a boon for automation
providers - if you can't get the necessary
number of people, then robotics could
fill those roles. It's a solution a number of
sectors have leveraged, including automotive and food production.
But there are issues to be dealt with
before plastics producers in the UK can
access this apparently easy fix. Sepro's
Renaudeau: "[The UK] is like France in that

Supporting mass customisation

BB is a global supplier of industrial
robots and related software with a
customer base that extends across
automotive, electronics and biopharma.
With UK headquarters in Warrington, the
company offers a series of 3- and 6-axis robots for plastics producers.
Nigel Platt, business unit manager for
robotics in the UK and Ireland, talks with
PRW about the company offering and wider
industry trends.
PRW: What specific tech do you offer
plastics manufacturers?
Nigel Platt: We have automated machines for tending cells and a wide range of
post-process applications, including milling,
dispensing, clipping assembly, screwdriving,
ultrasonic welding, flaming and painting applications.
How have market changes influenced
the ABB product range?
As plastics processing evolves from mass
production to mass customisation, ABB has
been improving simplification, making robots easier and more intuitive to program
and use. We also focus on collaboration between people and robots, and digitalization,
connecting robots and systems to improve
plant efficiency and reliability.
What trends have you seen over the
past 12-18 months?
More frequent changeover and smaller

respect, the level of industry has declined
over the past 20 years. Investment used
to be higher and now it has declined. In
Germany and Japan, countries which export worldwide, you have to be competitive on the worldwide level, and to do that
you have to invest."
He continues to explain that in those
countries, you will rarely find a moulding
machine which is "above a certain age".
While Renaudeau didn't have numbers
for the UK, in France the average age of
a moulding machine is 14 years. It's difficult, if not impossible, to automate these
machines, simply because they weren't
designed to support supplemental robotics.
Then there is the argument that automation doesn't suit the short production
runs commonly performed by plastics
companies in the UK. Barry Hill believes
this reasoning simply doesn't hold up
anymore.
"Companies say shorter runs mean a
lot of tool changes and robots can't manage that type of production environment.
Those days are gone," he says. With quick
gripper changeovers and saved robot
choreography ready to go at the touch of
a control panel, Hill sees robotics as wholly capable of supporting short runs.

WWW.PRW.COM | May/June 2019

batch sizes, automation across post-production assembly, increased integration across
machine and robot providers.
Any concerns voiced by UK plastics
manufacturers with regards to
automation?
Smaller batch sizes and mass customisation
requires even greater manufacturing flexibility. But there is a demand for automation
to support talent shortages, a lack of people
willing to do dangerous, dull, dirty, or delicate jobs.
Some people believe that automation
replaces jobs. How does ABB rationalise
that concern?
We believe that jobs are protected and created when manufacturers are competitive,
efficient and flexible. Countries which have
invested in robotics have lost fewer manufacturing jobs than those which have not.
Does ABB produce 'cobot' systems?
In 2015 we introduced the YuMi, the world's
first collaborative robot. That has been
well-accepted by plastics customers requiring collaborative solutions where people
and robots work side-by-side without barriers. SafeMove 2 is another collaborative offering, which supports humans and robots
working together.
Can any company use some level of
automation, or should the decision still

ABB automation at Array Plastics, a
Barcelona-based parts specialist
be based on a cost/benefit analysis?
We have customers ranging from global tiers to family-owned companies. The
investment should always be based on a
customer's expectation, the best economic
solution meeting their requirements.
How is ABB planning to compete with
low-cost automation solutions?
Our customers look to us for domain expertise in specific applications, strong
implementation and service support.
We offer a one-stop-shop from a trusted
brand, from naked robots and software to
complete manufacturing lines. That's ABB's
USP.

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Plastics & Rubber World - May/June 2019

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