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Factories of the Future How UK businesses are transforming manufacturing by embracing robotics

16 HELPING 18 CONSTRUCTION 20 WAREHOUSE HANDS ROBOTS AUTOMATION Cobot technology Will the building Could investing developing to industry in automation better serve UK deploy robotic be a game industries… solutions?... changer... - A showcase of the latest technology -

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CONTENTS

LEADER 03 Adapt to Reporter’s welcome to Robotics & Innovation... ROBOTICS NEWS 04 A roundup of the best news stories from thrive... www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk, including: l £7m funding boost for UK robotic projects l BladeBUG’s first lightning protection test elcome to the Oxfordshire microfactory floor space July 2021 with the use of robotic cells, rewriting l Royal Mail drone delivery to Scilly Islands Wissue of the approach to automotive assembly. l MOD creates centre of excellence Robotics & Innovation! And to ensure full traceability, GA Pet l First Spot introduced to Scotland Over the past year Food Partners has installed a range of l Navy tests AI against missiles businesses around the robotic solutions at its sizeable globe have had to adopt new ways of Ingredients Kitchen south of Preston. CONFERENCE REVIEW 04 working, many turning to technology Robotics & Innovation went on virtual Highlights and key takeaways from the first as a solution. site visits of both facilities to find out Robotics & Innovation conference, held Meetings via video call became a how these companies are using virtually on 23 and 24 June... ‘normal’ way of communicating, and robotics to become future-proof. these video platforms have even These businesses are not alone in FACTS & FIGURES 08 enabled whole events and using robotics to respond to Covid-19 The collaborative robot market in numbers... conferences to be held virtually. related issues. According to a recent This includes the first Robotics & Deloitte survey, the pandemic forced COVER STORY: ARRIVAL 10 Innovation Conference, held on companies to rethink how work is The electric vehicle manufacturer showcases Swapcard on 23 and 24 June. The live done. Around three in four (73%) of how it is transforming automotive video conference brought together global organisations are now using manufacturing with robotic cells... global speakers providing insightful automation technologies – such as case studies directly to visitors’ robotics and machine learning. GA PET FOOD PARTNERS 14 screens. Whether viewing while working Furthermore, Deloitte found two This UK supplier has an ambitious expansion from home or – for those returned to thirds (65%) of UK CFOs expect to plan to develop a new dark store warehouse that will operate solely with robots... the office – watching on work computers increase investment in business the conference included thought- process improvements, such and COBOTS 16 provoking debate on current trends, automation, over the year ahead. technologies and future challenges. It is clear from the businesses Helen Norman investigates how cobots are becoming more sophisticated to better serve In this edition, we look at the featured and such studies that the use and support a range of insustries... conference’s highlights which includes of technology is only going to increase Sellafield, NHS and UK Space Agency. as organisations continue to work out CONSTRUCTION ROBOTS 18 Also, we report on two UK what the ‘new normal’ is and what the David Smith asks the construction industry if businesses that are both transforming future of enterprise looks like. As it is ready to revolutionise the sector by what it means to be a manufacturer, restrictions ease, it is perhaps those deploying robotic technology... rebuilding the concept of a warehouse that are the most adaptable that do to ensure they are at the top of their more than survive. WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION 20 individual sectors. Maria Highland looks at the automation Electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival Katie Searles technologies that are set to be game is squeezing every inch out of its Senior Reporter, Robotics & Innovation changers for warehouse operations...

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www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 Virtual Reality Held via Swapcard on 23 – 24 June, the first Robotics & Innovation conference brought he inaugural Robotics & Innovation Conference was held virtually this June with speakers logging in from the together the brightest bottom of their gardens, dialling in from the U.S, India, Malaysia and even on the road to provide invaluable minds from across insights into how cutting-edge robotics, AI and state-of- the robotics value the-artT technologies are transforming industries around the world. Across the two days perceptive presentations, case studies and engaging panel discussions were delivered by some of the biggest chain for two days of names developing and utilising robotic solutions today. What’s more, Industrial Cleaning Equipment (ICE), a provider of presentations, discussion autonomous cleaning robots to the likes of London Luton Airport joined the event as its first official sponsor. and an exclusive first live Day One kicked off with Jonathan Smith, head of development at Three, who ensured viewers that the adoption of robotics in telco demonstration… was more Pixar’s WALL-E than Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. He comprehensive range of autonomous floor cleaning machines, ICE’s explained that previous concerns centred around job roles being presentation focused on the shifting perception of hygiene and how replaced by robotics resulting in “powerful emotions” from workers a robotic solution provides unparalleled cleaning of public across various sectors. Smith added there has since been a cultural environments such as hospitals, rail stations, offices and within shift as businesses discovered the real value of robotics is retail spaces. collaboration and co-production. Smith said: “If you can show the Following the morning networking break, Rav Chunilal, head of people the future of work – they can become the developers.” robotics and artificial intelligence at Sellafield looked at robotic He advises companies start small, control aspirations from the technology for hazardous environments, particularly nuclear sites. beginning and take a “Field of Dreams” approach to automation. Chunilal provided an overview of the testing and trialling of robotic Smith recommended companies “build it and they will come”, and AI systems used to protect workers in highly radioactive through constant demonstration of any innovative idea to its team, environments at the Cumbria site. He explained while currently the businesses will not have to hard-sell the solution and in fact find use of such technology is very much the “art of the possible” he people coming to them with further opportunities. hopes one day these solutions will become “business as normal” For Ricky Smith, head of sales and innovation at ICE it was less with the use of robots talked about routinely. about protecting jobs roles and more a case of robots filling the Also looking to the future was Tony Young, national clinical lead labour shortages created by the current climate – both Covid-19 and for innovation at NHS England. Young spoke passionately and with Brexit creating a “step change”. As the first company to provide a pride explaining that the NHS is world leading in how it embraces technology. More than just explaining its vision for the future and the work its Clinical Entrepreneur Programme does, Young was able to provide the first live demonstration of an AI-powered learning tool used to train doctors through immersive patient simulations. The simulated encounter with ‘Sabine’ showcased the ability to engage with patient avatars to diagnose a range of conditions. He concluded it is through such innovative tools that the NHS is not only able to support its workforce but also empower it. During the Q&A section Young stressed that any technology installed within the NHS will always put the

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION CONFERENCE REVIEW 05

patients first. He said: “Patients need to be involved in every step Dialling in from Ohio, Bollinger reviewed what more can be done along the way, in all we do, every application, has to have patient and to ensure the safe and efficient operation of cobot interaction with public involvement.” human operators. Opening the afternoon session was Yvan Petillot, co-academic And last but by no means least, Jay Newton, HS1 head of lead of the National Robotarium based at Heriot-Watt University, stations engineering and operations, described how the Edinburgh. He looked at how academia plays a leading role in installation of a digital twin, the use of data and cleaning robots developing innovation in industry and highlighted some of the has enabled HS1 to put its customers first. Newton explained the benefits and pitfalls of working with academia. Petillot explained: data provided from the digital twin enables HS1 to provide “clean, “Doing research is great, it is interesting, but it is best when moved clear understanding to the customer. It gives the customer into practical applications.” confidence that we know what is going to happen and we are He was able to provide examples of past and current projects in planning for what is going to happen.”■ marine environments and a case study of its work on Total’s Shetland gas plant. This led seamlessly into the next presentation from Aneesh Chand, head of robotics at Petronas who covered the use of Time to Talk inspection and maintenance robots in the energy industry. Alongside the individual Featuring a number of videos Chand’s slides showcased the use of presentations, Robotics & robots for inspection, maintenance and process optimisation on oil Innovation Conference also rigs. As well as providing insight into its development of delivery brought together experts from drones between rigs and the shore. different industries to discuss hot technology topics during two Back for more panel discussions. The second day of this virtual conference provided further insight While each business had from unique organisations starting with the UK Space Agency. individual approaches, Catherine Mealing-Jones and Dan Jones took the audience through challenges and ideas about the cross pollination of technologies for our journey to space. While deploying technology, these working in space may be an extraordinary environment, the goals specialists were able to share and aims were similar to other industries. The UK Space Agency, like experiences and knowledge on many other industries, is striving to use robots to ensure sustainable a future world run by innovative growth, to guarantee the systems they create limit “the junk up in robotics and the impact of space” and the autonomous solutions developed foster a strong and Covid-19. competitive sector. During the first panel Marco Chacin, robotics, autonomous Environmental impact was also at the forefront of the next systems, factory autonomation and motion control specialist at speaker’s presentation as Captain Georgina Carlo-Paat, Ilfracombe Airbus, Allan Gibson, director of advanced robotics and automation harbour master explained how WasteShark reduces marine at the Estee Lauder Companies and Prateek Kapoor, director of pollution. Featuring stunning images from the Devon harbour, automation & innovation COE at Aon discussed the need for – or Carlo-Paat described the overwhelming community support for the lack of – standardisation in robotics. Each speaker had varying use of an autonomous water vehicle to remove plastics, such as crisp priorities whether that was using robots to ensure quality, to assist packets, from the harbour. with labour shortages or provide agile systems to keep up with Prior to lunch, Professor Joe Harrison from Milton Keynes customer demand. They all agreed that going forward more and University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust also provided a positive more businesses and industries will be looking at automation and engagement study revealing that nine out of 10 patients want to be robots to work more effectively and efficiently. involved in research involving the next generation of surgical robots. Additionally, the panel discussion on day two saw Allan Gibson Harrison explained that while the MKUH has a low-risk appetite return to be joined by Jon Smith, head of development at three, and to limit issues in patient surgery it is also becoming a digital pioneer Saima Ghani, Senior project manager of HSBC to look at how to ensure the best possible outcomes for both its surgeons and the Covid-19 has affected the implementation of AI and robotics. people in its care. Each speaker provided examples of how the manufacturing, telco The afternoon sessions also looked at reducing risks with an and financial sectors have harnesses new technical solutions to important safety presentation from Bob Bollinger, technical director limit the impact of the pandemic. And how in the past 18-months of applied robotics innovation at Proctor & Gamble who looked at their sectors have adapted to new ways of working. the pitfalls of collaborative robotics.

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 06 NEWS ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

Funding boost for UK robotic projects as government invests £7m FUNDING Some 38 robotics and automation The funding forms part of the government’s projects will receive a share of £7m of commitment to invest in and raise economy- investment from the UK government, as it wide investment in research and development works to “build back better” following the to 2.4% by 2027. coronavirus pandemic. Science minister Amanda Solloway, said: Located across the UK, the projects use “We are throwing our weight behind the robotics and AI to transform key sectors, from most transformative technologies because life sciences to offshore energy, making them innovation is at the very core of our plans to safer and more productive. build back better, drive productivity and grow the economy. “From a first of its kind automated rescue service for UK offshore energy workers, to drone technology delivering for our NHS, these robotics technologies could be game changing as part of our continued efforts to tackle global challenges – from pandemic preparedness to BladeBUG completes climate change – all while cementing the UK’s status as a first remote lightning science superpower.” protection test on

and Windracers, will initially focus on helping wind turbine Royal Mail in UK-first to fight the pandemic by delivering PPE and OFFSHORE Offshore repair and maintenance test kits to the islands’ most vulnerable and robot BladeBUG has successfully performed the drone parcel delivery remote communities. first remotely controlled lightning protection test Parcels will be flown to the islands’ airport on an offshore wind turbine. to Scilly Islands in St Mary’s, by a UK-built twin-engine During a recent test at the Offshore DELIVERIES Royal Mail has announced a trial of Windracers Ultra UAV, which can carry up to Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s the first out-of-sight, autonomous scheduled 100kg worth of mail at a time – equivalent to a Levenmouth facility, BladeBUG was controlled drone flights between the UK mainland and an typical delivery round. from the nacelle using onboard cameras. The island. The Windracers drone is also able to robot performed a series of checks and tasks The trial will see Royal Mail use unmanned accommodate mail of most shapes and sizes, beyond the visual line of sight whilst the rope aerial vehicle (UAV) flights to deliver personal enabling more general mail to be transported operator remained in the safety of the nacelle. protective equipment (PPE), Covid testing kits to the islands as part of the trial. According to the project, this latest trial and other mail between the Cornish mainland Furthermore, Windracers, in partnership cements the case for wide adoption of repair and the Isles of Scilly. with the drone delivery arm of air mobility and maintenance robots across offshore wind. As part of the trial, Royal Mail has also company Skyports, will showcase how UAVs The BladeBUG robot was able to carry out become the first organisation to execute inter- of different sizes could be used to complement a Lightning Protection System (LPS) check island parcel deliveries across the Scillies. each other in future. thanks to its manoeuvrable body, which can The UK government-funded project, Thus, a smaller VTO (vertical take-off and move and be positioned independently of the developed in partnership with DronePrep, landing) drone, operated by Skyports, will be robot’s six legs. Skyports, Consortiq, the University of used to transport items to a number of delivery An array of onboard cameras on the robot’s Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services points throughout the islands. LPS probe was able to be positioned and lowered onto the lightning receptor for a conductivity reading to be taken. This was then compared with a manual reading to check and confirm both readings were the same. Director of BladeBUG, Chris Cieslak, said: “Our latest successful test has multiple positive implications for the offshore wind repair and maintenance industry. “From reducing the length of time a rope access tech needs to be outside the nacelle, to giving technicians the ability to focus on larger repair tasks and so deliver more efficient operations our latest test at the ORE Catapult’s Levenmouth facility marks another huge step towards the industry wide adoption of repair and maintenance robots.”

July 2020 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION NEWS 07

Navy tests AI against MOD creates robotic centre of excellence supersonic missiles developing solutions for British Army AI The Royal Navy is using AI for the first time DEFENCE The Ministry of Defence (MOD) current innovative projects, and also assess at sea in a project designed to defeat supersonic plans to launch a centre of excellence for the unexplored, high-risk but rapidly maturing missile attacks. development of robotic equipment to support technologies. During the largest exercise of its kind, the the Armed Forces. Projects include the development of Navy is testing leading-edge software against The Expeditionary Robotics Centre of remote platoon vehicles and nano unmanned live missiles at sea off the coasts of Scotland Expertise (ERCoE) aims to bring together air systems, as well as the study of how to and Norway. robotics and autonomous systems experts and autonomously resupply forward troops and Involving more than 3,000 military knowledge from across defence, government, how defence forms human machine teams. personnel, Formidable Shield tests the ability academia and industry. The centre sits under the Future Capability of NATO warships to detect, track and defeat According to the MOD’s trading entity Group (FCG) at DE&S, the MOD said this group incoming missiles, from sea-skimming Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), has a direct line to market ensuring ideas can weapons travelling at twice the speed of sound the centre will act as a focal point for be rapidly developed. just above the waterline, to ballistic missiles. FCG Head James Gavin, said: “The CoE There are three Royal Navy warships taking concept was borne out of the need and part in the exercise, which runs until early opportunity to bring together separate projects June, including destroyer HMS Dragon and two and people into single groupings to be more frigates, Lancaster and Argyll. efficient and effective. According to the Navy, HMS Lancaster and “Being more effective means a razor- Dragon are trialling AI and machine learning sharp focus on exploitation and operational applications which offer a glimpse of the future advantage as the goal. Co-teaming between the of air defence at sea. Army and DE&S will put the customer at the Staff from the government’s defence heart of what we do, exploring and delivering laboratory Dstl and industry partners from iteratively under an ‘Agile by Default’ mindset.” Roke, CGI and BAE Systems are using the three-week exercise to test their ‘Startle’ and ‘Sycoiea’ systems. Scotland’s first Spot introduced to the National Startle is designed to help ease the load on sailors monitoring the ‘air picture’ in Robotarium’s hazardous environment study the operations room by providing real-time recommendations and alerts. R&D The National Robotarium, based at Sen Wang, an associate professor at Heriot- While, Sycoiea builds upon this, the Navy Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh is set to Watt University and robotics and autonomous added it is at the forefront of automated introduce the first Spot in Scotland, to support systems lead at the National Robotarium, added: platform and force threat evaluation Weapon its hazardous environment research. “Our Spot is unique. We have set it up to be a assignment. It allows operations room teams The robot, created by Boston Dynamics, will moving data collector and data centre, equipped to identify incoming missiles and advise on the be fitted with “telexistence” technology, which with advanced telepresence solutions. best weapon to deal with them more quickly lets humans experience an environment without “When we deploy it on construction sites, it than even the most experienced operator. being there, using devices like microphones and will collect and measure in real time, relaying cameras to relay sounds and videos. the data to multiple experts at once, all around Researchers from the robotics and AI facility the world. This means construction companies, will use this hardware to study how robots can regardless of their location, can benefit from support humans in hazardous worldwide expertise. environments like offshore energy “Using Spot in this inspection and disaster recovery. way has the potential Furthermore, the team will to speed up the fit lidar sensors to the robot construction process, to build up a picture of its reduce costs of surroundings, enabling Spot to re-work, detect detect obstacles. This could be hazards, increase used on construction sites to efficiency and improve avoid rubble. quality control.” Maritime robotic training centre set to open in Southampton FACILITIES Europe’s first maritime training According to the collaboration, together There will also be access to in-person and operations centre for robotic vehicles will they will create a new training entity that will training designed for military and civil marine open in Southampton, with the aim of driving interpret and deliver new standards of training operations at both the NOC facilities in the sector’s digital transition. using the progressive, world-renowned Southampton and at Loch Ness, Scotland. The Royal Navy, SeaBot XR, and the UK’s facilities at the NOC and other satellite sites. A remote operations centre with various National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have Furthermore, the MoU will result in a surface and sub-surface vessels will enable signed a memorandum of understanding combined training and testing site where clients to experiment with different weather (MoU) to create the National Centre for companies can try out their own autonomous and tidal conditions, vessel features and Operational Excellence in Marine Robotics. and remote-controlled vessels. operational practicalities.

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 08 FACTS ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

By 2023 the mobile cobot market will reach

In 2019 the collaborative robot (cobot) share of the global industrial robot market was

US$ m 209Source: Interact Analysis

% 4.8Source: Statista

Cobot installation grew by

11% last year accounting for 373,000 robots installed Source: International Federation of Robotics IFR

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION FACTS 09

The cobot market will be worth

US$ bn by 2027 5.6 Source: Interact Analysis

Payload <5kg and 5-9kg cobots expected to have

74 % of revenue share by 2023 Source: Interact Analysis

Pick & Place cobots will have a

68% revenue share by 2030

China will be responsible for ½ of cobot shipments by 2023 Source: Interact Analysis

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 10 MICROFACTORY ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

The arrival of the microfactory

UK electric vehicle start-up hist, the Bicester, Oxfordshire home of innovative electric vehicle company, Arrival, may look like Arrival is not only changing a traditional warehouse but what is going on inside is far from conventional. commercial zero-emission When designing its new fully electric van, the start-upW aimed to simplify the design process and rewrite the mobility solutions but traditional automotive assembly line format. “How do we design a vehicle and a new assembly process together also the very factories in – at the same time – in a microfactory?” says Jeremy Offer, chief design officer, describing Arrival’s strategy. which these revolutionary To create this new assembly process, the Arrival team had to change the conveyer belt set up of the 1950s. Currently, a serial vehicles are made. system is in place with robotic solutions responsible for each stage of the vehicle production process. Such a system is unable to Katie Searles takes a produce multiple products simultaneously, as it has been designed for one product, one vehicle. virtual tour of one of these Arrival wants to do things differently. “We are revolutionising all of this – the microfactory fixes all these problems,” suggests trailblazing facilities… Giuseppe ‘Napo’ Montano, chief of mobile robotics.

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION MICROFACTORY 11

Arrival – at a glance

■ 1,200+ employees across Europe and US ■ US$5.4bn (£3.82bn) enterprise value with approximately US$660m (£466m) cash in gross cash proceeds to fund growth ■ Signed contracts with a total order value of up to US$1.2bn (£845m) including 10,000 vans from UPS ■ Microfactories in UK and US expected to start operations in 2021 ■ Four vehicles expected to market by 2023, first vehicle expected to start production in Q4 2021 ■ Profitability expected by 2023 ■ Microfactories lower costs: OpEx of US$120m (£84m) – 100,000 units/year vs. US$240m + (£169m) per traditional OME Low CapEx 2 2 ■ Highly scalable: 20km factories vs. 2,000km + for traditional OEMs

light-footprint-manufacturing concept in a warehouse,” explains Rob Thompson, chief of materials division. “How these steps come together without having to invest in heavy presses, heavy machinery and all of the associated CapEx implications and complications is a really fundamental part of the process.” The robotic cells are essentially factories within a factory. Featuring a range of robotic arms from several different companies, the systems are driven by computer vision and AI-based control solutions to complete a range of tasks without the need for any tool changes. Additionally, the software teams are working to further develop the vision system with the goal of integrating them into the robotic cells. The ultimate ambition is to enable the robots to identify specific parts that are required for a particular process, move them and place them into position.

Arrival’s electric commercial vehicles are designed for robotic Adopting AMRs assembly, with each element including both materials and components coming together in a single production cell And this doesn’t just apply to the cells either. The team is working on what Montano refers to as the “glue connecting all the elements inside the factory” – the autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Furthermore, as a typical vehicle production plant would cover Currently, the moulds are worked on upon static tables, but it is millions of square feet, the initial investment is often staggering and only a matter of time before these are replaced by AMRs, according can lead to the over-production of thousands of vehicles in order to to Thompson. justify itself. “AMRs are fundamental to the microfactory story because they Arrival Automotive’s CEO, Mike Ableson, wants to step away from allow us to configure cells how we see fit. this traditional approach and look at vehicle production in a new “The AMRs provide that linkage. They will bring the kit from the light. “We aren’t really a vehicle manufacturing company,” he kitting cell into the moulding cell, the moulding cell will carry out explains, “and I say that because, if you look at the people in the the consolidation cycle and from there we will take the moulded part company, half of them are software engineers. into the trimming step.” “We are, at our heart, a tech company. That is dramatically The robots travel through each stage of the building cells to different when compared to a traditional vehicle manufacturer,” he manufacture the composite panels for the assembly line. goes onto say. This starts with the raw material, which is cut to shape from the roll “One of the great enablers of the microfactory approach is keeping with factory software indicating exactly what is needed. the capital – the investment in the microfactory – relatively low, “The machines are incredibly responsive because they are being because that is what allows us to build any of them.” driven by our software,” reveals Thompson. “We can make different Arrival’s approach is to only produce what is required, to meet components almost instantaneously, and the factory reconfigures demand without leading to vast amounts of waste, and to use according to need.” technology successfully to get the most out of a factory footprint. Once cut, the fabric is collected by the end effector and deposits it in a stack, something that Arrival refers to as a ‘kit’. The kit forms the Cellular approach foundation of the moulding process. This is achieved through robotic cells. “These microfactory cells As Thompson explains, not a scrap of this fabric is wasted: – which average 20m x 20m in dimension – enable us to build a huge “Everything that runs through this production line has to be utilised. number of different products,” adds Raj Vyas, lead process engineer. All of the waste material that comes off here is collected and is “They give us scalability, modularity and automation. The cell reprocessed back into a material that we can use in our body panels.” architecture is really, really exciting and it is really unique.” After kitting, it’s onto the moulding process. The moulding cell Within these cells, every single stage of the electric vehicle carries out the consolidation cycle and from there it is taken to the production is handled – from the cutting of raw material, kitting, trimming stage, before finally proceeding to the assembly with moulding and trimming. composite panels attached to other panels, metallic parts or other “We have developed solutions for the materials, the moulding structures. In this last stage of composite part production, one robot process and the mechanisms of moulding to achieve a low CapEx, works with tool changes to allow it to go from single panels to

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 12 MICROFACTORY ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

complex multi-part assemblies that are Rob Thompson, chief of materials division (right), oversees one of the robotic cells which makes up the ready for assembly onto the vehicle. light-footprint-manufacturing concept “The composite parts come off a production line finished,” says Thompson. “This is a really important part because it is about how we are able to distribute manufacturing.” Thompson explains that traditional elements of vehicle manufacturing facilities are superfluous. “We don’t have to install the big baths that you would expect with paint lines, with conventional metal body stamp systems. “We can move into a warehouse and have a factory up and running in a matter of months or even weeks. “And it gives us that agility that is so important to our engineering and design approach.” Cutting costs Within each of these stages, Arrival One of the great enablers of has tried to ensure that tooling costs are kept to a minimum while the microfactory approach is keeping the remaining as dynamic as possible. capital – the investment in the microfactory – The systems deployed here also enables them to learn, adapt and relatively low, because that is what allows us to evolve to improve the process. build any of them Mike Ableson, CEO, Arrival “With the way we are now Automotive approaching all of our tooling, jigs, fixtures and processes, it allows us to make changes very fast and “The achievements that have been made through this without significant cost. collaborative approach of engineering, design, assembly and build “The technology cells and the factory itself has to keep up with has given us this amazing vehicle,” he explains. that process – it has to be able to adapt and change.” This microfactory model has been such a success for the start-up Built on a grid-based architecture featuring common robotics, that it aims to repeat the process multiple times across the world, common systems within the platforms and common software developing custom vehicles for each city and region they are in. ensures Arrival can drive an extremely agile approach. The start-up added there is also the opportunity to expand across The team has tried to get as much utilisation out of the footprint of varying manufacturing sectors. the cell as possible and avoid tool change overs. “It is not a question about are there more opportunities – it is, Jigs and fixtures are mounted on A-frames, which are rotating so which opportunities do we want to explore first?” ends Abelson. that the robot is in full utilisation. This modular approach allows the “We are using microfactories – and using the microfactory parts, robots and processes to work in harmony. approach – to produce vehicles but I don’t see why this same idea Arrival is also looking to standardise these robotic processes, as cannot be applied to other manufactured goods. well as the way they interact with the robotic elements and the “The most profound technologies are the ones that become inner software within the cell. woven into the way that you live your life, and the way that society This simplification of the assembly process feeds into the vehicle operates. Eventually they become such an integral part of the way design. Offer says it can be seen particularly on the exterior. things are done that you forget they are there.” ■

The team believes the simplification of the assembly process can be seen in the final design of its electric buses and vans

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CITTI_MAG_AD_2.indd 1 29/06/2021 11:04 14 GA PET FOOD ROBOTICS & INNOVATION Ingredients for success GA Pet Food Partners has collaborated with technology companies from around the world to robotise its Ingredients Kitchen. As Katie Searles discovers, it’s been a recipe that has cooked-up massive efficiency GA’s Camel and Mules are Europe’s first outdoor AGVs which travel at 1m/s on specially designed roads improvements... connecting the facilities two buildings seamlessly

or Lancashire-based GA Pet Food Partners, the decision to When dealing with that number of ingredients, and producing automate its 200,000ft2 warehouse originated from the 75,000 tonnes of pet food a year, GA felt compelled to create what desire to replace components of machinery that were no Whittaker believes is “the most technologically advanced automated longer in use. After reaching out to the manufacturer to ingredients storage and selection facility in Europe”. establish if the equipment could be redeployed elsewhere, Three software companies were involved in automating the plant, Fthat’s when inspiration struck. with a goal to exclude any human error from a “very complex system”. The result of that brainwave is an £80m state-of-the-art In the company’s ‘Larder’, a shuttle transfer vehicle system from Ingredients Kitchen that has seen the company collaborate with a Daifuku has been installed to transport blue finished containers range of technology suppliers to transform its original milling plant (BFCs) to storage. These vehicles move on tracks in a continuous into a cutting-edge facility. loop, collecting BFCs from the ‘Pantry’. “The original milling plants we had were very old – I think the To enable the larder to hold 14,864 boxes, each containing newest is about 21 years’ old now,” reveals Jayne Whittaker, 650-800kg of pet food ready for packing, Daifuku had to create a engineering director for GA. “And the equipment was getting to the mammoth storage system featuring 12 cranes. The company has stage where it was somewhat dilapidated. It was looking for a refresh been working with GA since 2007 and has seen several iterations of and to allow for the future.” its solutions installed over the years. The Ingredients Kitchen has not come together overnight but has The partnership, similar to the solutions, have gradually grown developed over time in many meetings with various equipment over time and in 2016 the UK-based Daifuku design team worked to manufacturer and suppliers. This includes material handling create a scalable solution. systems company Daifuku and food processing machinery “You can add a lot more capacity than it currently has just by manufacturer JBT. adding vehicles,” comments Jeremy Lewis, engineering manager at This collaborative approach enabled GA to transform its original Daifuku. “It’s quite a good starting point. With a bigger loop we can Ingredients Kitchen, removing manual operations from the batching get anything up to 30 vehicles on there, enabling it to move six 700 process as well as the stock management operations. pallets in or around [the facility], which is really quite a lot for a The upgrade was fundamental in guaranteeing the company’s pallet-handling system.” principal aim – traceability. GA is working to ensure that its pet food recipes and products – all 700 ingredients and 800 formulas – are Mobile solutions fully tracked and traced, for a degree of “transparency so everyone Working to this scale – and across two separate buildings – for the can see that traceability”, Whittaker explains. whole factory to run as a single system required a mobile solution.

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION GA PET FOOD 15

Europe’s first outdoor AGVs Joining Arthur and Henry, GA’s indoor automated guided vehicles, are its Camel and Mules. These first outdoor AGVs installed in Europe are designed to operate like a small van or truck but using a magnetic gyro system for navigation. The pet food manufacturer even built a road specifically for the outdoor AGVs featuring barriers and an in-house designed traffic light system. The route – which has heat pads to keep it frost-, GA’s 200,000ft2 Ingredients Kitchen has been designed to be the most technologically advanced ice- and snow-free – enables two-way traffic with three crossing storage and selection facility in Europe paths for other site vehicles. Jane Whittaker describes this route as a ‘diverse ecosystem’ with both personnel, site traffic and the outdoor AGVs all moving around the site. The Larder, capable of holding up to 12 million kgs of pet food, features 12 warehouse cranes and a shuttle tranfer After the larger of the indoor AGVs, Arthur, has followed its vehicle system from Daifuku to move finished containers dedicated pathway around the far side of the pantry, completing its journey at a conveyor in the station area, the batch containers are loaded onto the Camel. Travelling at up to 1m/sec, the Camel can transport up to three batch containers to pre-extrusion in just one journey. When a recipe has been manufactured, it is placed into a blue finished container and sent via a Mule, an AGV shuttle system, to the parlour area into the Ingredients Kitchen building. So, it is really these outdoor AGVs that complete the cycle, providing a further link between all the site’s buildings – “the interconnectivity in the campus”, as Mark Stevenson describes it. “The outdoor AGV is where the cool stuff begins – to go look at it and see this outdoor vehicle running through the elements is really quite a sight.” Yet again the design and implementation of the outdoor AGVs was a collaborative effort between GA and JBT. This came right down to what the roadway would look like as well as bigger concerns over the reliability of the system and required infrastructure. “It’s been a very two-way, very respectful in both directions process, lots of ownership on every piece. Then we get into the details of best of breed technology, and what makes the most sense,” concludes Stevenson.

Enter Harry and Arthur, the firm’s two indoor automated guided There are two types of these indoor AGVs in action at GA. “Henry vehicles (AGVs). and Arthur are distinguished by their carrying capacity and their lift Designed and built especially in Leicestershire by food and height capacity,” Stevenson confirms. beverage machinery manufacturer JBT, the AGVs are guided by laser Henry is capable of travelling at 2m/sec and weighs 1.5 tonnes, strips installed to navigate them along a designated route. transferring containers to and from the pantry. Arthur, at 2.5 tonnes, They are fully monitored by a control room using GA’s own covers 1.8m/sec, moving containers between the cellar and the proprietary IT software, which monitors, manages and controls station in preparation for extrusion. every aspect of the Ingredients Kitchen. For battery recharging, the AGVs move into a ‘keep-alive’ zone Mark Stevenson, director of sales at JBT, explains that working that enables them to maintain power while another vehicle replaces with GA on the AGVs was more than just providing an autonomous their battery with a fully charged one. free roaming horizonal transport solution. “All of the inherent benefits of having the software that manages Room to grow these fleets and the tracking and traceability, which is inherent to Akin to Daifuku’s shuttle system, the AGVs are designed to be any AGV system, fits right in with the challenges in the Ingredients scalable. “This idea of scalability is just woven within the fabric of Kitchen,” he says. the vision of GA,” reports Stevenson. “This fit between the various The system provides what Stevenson suggests is “absolute tracking suppliers offers us the capability to integrate, along with the and traceability of every single ingredient and every attribute that’s capability to scale and grow and be part of that vision.” relevant to that ingredient”. The panel agree that GA’s vision has been decades in the making. Although the term ‘smart factory’ is a buzzword right now, “if we buy into that buzzword, I would say that GA, [chairman] Roger Bracewell All of the inherent benefits of having and his team have had that vision for 20 years. It is the absolute the software that manages these fleets and definition of smart factory,” Stevenson stresses. “We were doing Industry 4.0 in 1999,” Whittaker adds. the tracking and traceability, which is And with the help of its partners and suppliers, GA fully intends to inherent to any AGV system, fits right in with continue this vision, to continue to innovate. The family-owned pet food manufacturer’s ambitious expansion plans will ultimately the challenges in the Ingredients Kitchen. result in a new dark store approach with a warehouse that one day is Mark Stevenson, director of sales, JBT solely operated by robots. ■

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 16 COBOT TECHNOLOGY ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

Part of ABB’s GoFa range, the CRB 15000 is designed to Createc harnesses cobot arms in force-feedback control continuously share workspaces safely with people applications for real-time human interaction

Helen Norman investigates how cobot technology is becoming more sophisticated to better serve and support users in a range of industries…

Professor Andy Cooper, director of the Materials Innovation Factory at the university, explains, “The robot scientist was originally developed as part of a PhD project led by Benjamin Burger from 2016 to 2020. It was built to search for new catalysts for solar fuels production, and we are still using it in that research area, although we are now broadening to other areas, too. We currently Help at have two of these mobile robots, with two more to be installed soon.” The robot is 1.75m tall, has humanoid dimensions and works in a standard laboratory, using instruments like a human researcher does. The robot’s brain uses a search algorithm to navigate a 10-dimensional space of more than 98 million candidate experiments, deciding the best experiment to do next based on the outcomes of the previous ones. hand For its first project, the robot conducted 688 experiments over he global collaborative robot (cobot) market is set to grow eight days, working for 172 out of 192 hours. It independently carried from US$475m (£337m) in 2020 to approximately US$8bn out experiment tasks, such as weighing out solids, dispensing (£5.7bn) in 2030, according to global tech market advisory liquids, removing air from the vessel, running the catalytic reaction, firm ABI Research. Furthermore, 2019 research by and quantifying the reaction products. During this project, the robot Interact Analysis has predicted that sales of cobots by even discovered a new catalyst that is six times more active. 2027T will account for around one-third of the total market for According to Cooper, the team is now looking at how this cobot robotic solutions. can be used in different applications. “A more prosaic but still useful With such great growth potential, it is clear that cobots are set to application might be to do routine analysis of chemical processes, revolutionise the way humans work. They offer a number of benefits exploiting the fact that the robot can work 24/7,” he explains. “These to businesses of all size, including increased productivity, robots could also be used for small scale materials or chemical contributing to improved ergonomics, and flexibility, as they are manufacturing, or biomanufacturing. often able to be redeployed for a number of different tasks. “A different use case is to perform particularly hazardous Cobot sophistication is advancing fast and nowadays these chemical processes where you would not want to expose a human robotics solutions are being used to serve and support end-users researcher. There are a wide range of possible applications across across many industries, such as health and beauty, logistics, food multiple sectors, not only university research, and for this reason we and beverage and even nuclear applications. set up a spin-out company, Mobotics Ltd, to develop this technology for industry use,” Cooper concludes. Chemical reaction Researchers at the University of Liverpool have, for example, Test the water developed a first-of-its-kind 400kg intelligent cobot scientist, which Outside of the chemistry lab, technology development company can work around 22 hours a day with a two-hour recharge time, and Createc, which specialises in applied imaging, sensors and robotics, carry out experiments by itself. The solution even makes its own is currently focusing on using cobots in force-feedback control decisions about which chemistry experiments to perform next and applications, especially ones with real-time human interaction. uses a combination of laser scanning coupled with touch feedback “These solutions are either much harder to develop or simply for positioning. unsafe without cobots, and they cover a huge range of applications,”

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION COBOT TECHNOLOGY 17

The University of Leed’s cobot scientist features a robotic Universal Robots recently launched an upgraded cobot arm from German manufacturer Kuka with an increased payload of 12.5kg (27.55lb.)

explains Matt Mellor, CEO of Createc. “Right now, we’re looking at flexible industrial collaborative robot arms, has recently launched applications that require contact with irregular and unknown an enhanced version of its UR10e cobot, which has an increased objects; in-field weld inspection, manipulating hazardous objects, payload of 12.5kg and is suited for applications such as palletizing, and applying force-sensitive cutting techniques are the main focus.” machine tending, and packaging. One specific application the company is focusing on is nuclear According to Mark Gray, country manager, UK and Ireland, decommissioning. For this, Createc teamed up with Fortis Remote Universal Robots, the sophistication of cobot technology is Technology to develop the Underwater Cobot Decommissioning exemplified by the versatility of applications. “We’re seeing every (UCODE) project, which will see Fortis design and develop a industry from automotive to plastics and medical implementing ‘waterproof jacket’ enabling Createc’s cobot to function effectively cobots to deliver efficiency and flexibility,” he says. “During the underwater. The UCODE trial aims to demonstrate that a cobot, pandemic, we saw an increase in small business owners looking to protected for use in shallow water, can carry out underwater automate in order to keep their product lines flexible. For example, a operations in the decommissioning of a nuclear reactor. small company called Bloom-in-Box used our cobots to switch its Mellor believes that software developments are making it easier to production line from manufacturing flower boxes to making masks.” build adaptive, human oriented systems. “For example, there are Gray believes that cobots have the potential to accelerate growth some really interesting developments in force-based collaborative and productivity in many sectors of the economy and reduce the interactions with robots coming from R&D groups that we think are impact of labour gaps from an aging population. He concludes, going to enable a lot of new commercial applications of cobots in the “Almost every industry can benefit from cobot technology. We’re near future,” he adds. “We also believe that cobots will become more seeing increased demand for cobots in Covid-19 testing centres, for dextrous and delicate, while becoming more tolerant of externally example, where the process of picking and placing samples can be imposed force – or to put it another way, their characteristics are automated in order to provide rapid results. Cobots can also be used going to get ever more human-like.” as servers to clean surfaces and even as baristas. Furthermore, advances in connectivity and machine learning means that Industrial cobots ultimately robots will be even easier to set up and deploy.” Robotics company ABB launched a range of new cobots in February 2021– the CRB 15000 GoFa and the CRB 1100 SWIFTI. GoFa, which recently won The Red Dot: Best of the Best award, has a reach of 950mm, a Has Covid driven cobot deployment? top speed of 2.2m/s, and the ability to handle payloads of up to 5kg, meanwhile SWIFTI has a reach of 580mm, A survey carried out by ABB in December 2020 identified Covid-19 as a key factor a payload of up to 4kg and operates at over 5m/s. For influencing companies worldwide to consider an investment in robotic automation. maximum safety, GoFa also features intelligent Surveying 1,650 companies across multiple industries in the UK, USA, China, Italy, sensors in every joint that stop the robot within Sweden, Switzerland and Germany, the survey revealed that 85% of respondents said milliseconds if contact is detected. their business had been impacted by Covid-19. Asked how they felt that robotic Both solutions have been specifically designed to automation could help to address the impact of the global pandemic, a majority assist workers with tasks including material handling, identified factors including enabling social distancing and avoiding cross machine tending​, component assembly​ and contamination (51%) and helping to cope with staff shortages or self-isolation (34%). packaging. The new solutions are in addition to ABB’s The survey also asked companies that weren’t currently using robots the reasons YuMi dual- and single-arm robots, which were why. Of 636 companies that responded, lack of knowledge about how to use robots launched in 2015 and 2016, respectively. (24%), lack of experience and in-house technical expertise to operate robots (19%) According to ABB, AI and machine learning will and a belief that robots are difficult to use (12%) were cited as key reasons for having play a huge role in the future for cobots, where they shied away from investing in robotic automation. will be able to think for themselves and create According to ABB, its new SWIFTI and GoFa cobots have been designed to diminish solutions with minimal programming. They will learn the need for customers to rely on in house programming specialists or programming from doing the task and solve problems resulting in knowledge. Customers can now unbox their cobots and have them operating within greater efficiency. minutes of installing them, with no specialised training required. This lowers the Meanwhile Universal Robots, a manufacturer of barriers to entry for any industries looking at robotic automation.

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 18 CONSTRUCTION ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

Built Robotics has upgraded off-the-shelf heavy From the equipment with AI-powered guidance systems ground up

Construction robots can do everything from prepare land for building works to laying bricks, but David Smith asks is the industry ready?...

obotics has revolutionised the automotive sector Humans are still good at lots of things and robots will carry out specific tasks. I don’t and there are claims it could transform think we’ll ever see an all-in-one construction robot, but I expect robots to usher in a Rconstruction. But a closer look reveals a complex new era of rapid building that will change the landscapes of cities.” picture. Construction robots tend to carry out specific tasks in safely controlled environments, such as Ready or not digging trenches. Meanwhile, many new technologies Outside private enterprise, some experts sound a more pragmatic note. Mark – from bricklaying, surveying, welding and Ireland is chief engineer for technology strategy at the Manufacturing Technology drywalling – are still a rare sight on commercial Centre (MTC) in Coventry, which operates some of the world’s most advanced projects. There are a myriad of solutions, but how to manufacturing equipment, including robotics. For example, the MTC’s Fanuc make best use of them remains an open question. M-2300i is the world’s biggest, commercially available, industrial robot capable of One successful company using robotics on major lifting 2.3 tonnes and assembling offsite building modules. “We have seen a lot of projects is San Francisco start-up Built Robotics. discussion around robotics and automation developments for the sector, but we Founded in 2016 by former scientists from NASA and haven’t seen much on building sites yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but we Google, Built’s technology converts existing need to temper expectations,” says Ireland. construction equipment, including excavators and Ireland, however, sees a lot of value in the Built approach of operating robots in bulldozers, into autonomous robots that dig trenches, un-sensitive and controlled environments. But he contrasts them with projects on excavate foundations and grade building pads. Built more complex sites such as those seen on HS2. “Over the duration of the project the has US$100 million of committed contracts, mainly in team will have had to relocate tens of thousands of graves, for example. Robots mass excavation on wind and solar farms. aren’t sensitive to that sort of thing. There are also major safety issues, as soon as “We started with a broad focus, but we’ve narrowed people are involved working alongside heavy robots that could kill them if it to trenching and earth excavation on greenbelt sites. appropriate safety systems aren’t in place. So, there is much more investment and Robotics is complex and it helps to focus,” says Gaurav development needed than just the robot system itself” Kikani, vice president. “Sites are geofenced and robots Ireland uses NASA’s Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to evaluate progress. will step over obstacles. Self-driving cars always seem Categories 7, 8, and 9, are used to describe the development of technologies five years in the future because they’re navigating deployed in the real world on commercial projects. A new technology working day dynamic areas, whereas we’re operating now.” in and day out across multiple companies would be a Level 9, whereas the first Robotic equipment operators (REOs) set up Built’s commercial application on a first product or project would be Level 7. robots, then monitor them. “They work in tandem and Meanwhile, the first three TRLs describe technologies in academic development, coordinate the symphony. This is the future for robots. and the middle three – 4, 5, and 6 – are operating on real world applications, but

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION CONSTRUCTION 19

only in safe environments, to make sure the Rest of the world business case stacks up, before being used on Japan has emerged as a centre of a commercial project. Automotive inspiration construction robotics to address Ireland positions most bricklaying robotics its chronic skills shortage. at about TRL 6. Although they are operating Influenced by the use of robotics in automotive factories, Contractor Shimizu has trialled on real projects, there is often an element of UK contractor Laing O’Rourke is creating a highly three robots – a carrier of highly skilled technical support in place and automated construction factory. Laing O’Rourke has spent materials, a welder, and a it could take a few years before the systems years thinking about how to adapt automotive strategies to multi-purpose “buddy” robot can be made to work day in and day out, the different demands of construction. The UK government with two robotic arms. without the level of expertise needed to allow is supportive and has provided a £22.1m grant. Meanwhile, Japan’s Advanced the commercial world to embrace them. “Laing O’Rourke is one of the few contractors investing Industrial Science and Another example of a TRL 6, he says, is the a huge amount in automation and robotics,” says Mark Technology Institute (AIST) has Spot robot developed by Boston Dynamics in Ireland, chief engineer for technology strategy at the designed the HRP-5P that can partnership with laser scanner company Manufacturing Technology Centre. “Most of the industry is pick and drill in a drywall. Trimble. Spot has been fitted with Trimble’s still operating on a model of sub-contracting. The In the US, San Francisco- GNSS laser sensors and field control sub-contractors then use machine hire companies. So, it’s based Canvas has also created a software. Trimble says it will improve hard to see where the investment would come in design robot for finishing drywall. It productivity, give seamless control of data and manufacturing with robotics.” has already worked on projects, collection and ensure worker safety. In developing their ideas, Laing O’Rourke visited several including the San Francisco “Before a robot is ready for the outside automotive plants, including Jaguar Land Rover. Laing International Airport and Chase world, rigorous testing is essential in O’Rourke will provide its own version of JLR’s Virtual Arena. Also operating in the US controlled environments. Unpredictable Customer Experience which allows potential buyers to is Advanced Construction incidents happen even if they seem unlikely. specify their vehicle and view a full-size projection on a Robotics’ TyBot, which How will the technology perform when being screen. The company also visited the McLaren factory in automates tying of steel programmed and operated on real sites? How Surrey, JCB’s high-tech factory in Staffordshire, and Ford’s reinforcement bars. Meanwhile, will it cope with very cold or hot weather, rain, Transit plant in Turkey. in Australia, Fastbrick Robotics snow and ice? Does it have sensors that detect To develop the technology, Laing O’Rourke is working has designed the Hadrian X hostile behaviour? For example what if you with companies that have delivered automated robot that uses a 98-foot robotic have a disgruntled employee who keeps manufacturing solutions for major car makers. The robotics arm mounted on a truck to place kicking a robot down the stairs? Without data will be designed by Comau, a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler customised blocks 12 times the it could appear that this terrain is too complex Automobiles; the computer-aided design and size of normal bricks. for the robot to navigate,” he says. manufacturing tools will be supplied by Dassault Systèmes Ireland recognises the British start-up Construction Automation in France; the control systems by Siemens in Germany. potential but he believes the had an unexpected setback when they tasked industry needs high-level their automated brick-laying robot (ABLR) thinking about how best to take with building a three-bedroom house in Everingham, Yorkshire, in September. advantage of robotics. “The problem with construction Company director David Longbottom says there were problems with the track. “It is every building and project is different and that was engineered to fine tolerances and started sinking, jamming and sticking. But drives the need for hugely flexible ways of working. we’ve learned lessons and built a new track and we’re ready to have another go.” It’d be great to see the large tier 1 construction Longbottom makes several strong arguments for the usefulness of the ABLR. companies investing in new methods of manufacture, Firstly, it improves safety. Most accidents involve falls from scaffolding and then using proven industrial robotics in offsite operatives work in scissor lifts fastened to the track. Second, the robot guarantees factories, rather than trying to apply new technology quality. It measures bricks and blocks with lasers and records every detail digitally. to the existing construction processes. It seems less Meanwhile, it should be cheaper. “We eliminate scaffolding and there’s no wastage. risky and more achievable,” he says. We halve the build process from four weeks to two, saving fees on site managers.” Ireland offers a vision of house manufacture as a A further advantage is the ability to “build a house with a tablet rather than a potential example. “Imagine if someone designed an trowel”. The robot requires two operatives. A skilled tradesman puts in complex amazing house which was mass manufactured, in a elements like the insulation and lintels. A semi-skilled person places the bricks facility like a car factory. You could choose the colour on a cassette. But there is no heavy lifting. “There’s a shortage of construction and features, know exactly how much it was going to workers and the average brick layer is around 50. If you’re at school cost and it had been specified and tested as part of the contemplating a career, seeing apprentice bricklayers on their hands and knees is development process. It would take a character like unlikely to appeal. The robot helps deal with the death of skills and improves Elon Musk to say ‘you can have this amazing product inclusivity,” he argues. but they’re all the same’, but you could get a standard The government wants to build 300,000 homes a year, but there is a big shortfall. product with features which you could never retrofit It’s pushing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) as a way to address the to an existing property or incorporate into standard problem. But Longbottom says the short lifespans of modular homes makes it hard construction, they would all have to broadly be the to get mortgages. “We prefer to use robots to build brick and block houses that last same.” he says. at least 150 years,” he says. Changeing consumers mentality would drive this changes, he adds. “Rather than buying a house based on We have seen a lot of discussion around robotics location, consumers would and automation developments for the sector, but we choose houses based on haven’t seen much on building sites yet. That doesn’t quality, performance and features. The industry will mean it won’t happen, but we need to temper then respond, this would expectations Mark Ireland, chief engineer for technology unlock the enormous potential of robotics in strategy at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) construction,” he concludes.■

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 20 WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION ROBOTICS & INNOVATION

Decisive factors Investing in automation could be a game changer for warehouses, however businesses must ensure they have the right solution writes Maria Highland…

he global pandemic and resultant restrictions exposed Connected to the WMS, these robots can find the location of pain points across supply chains, especially warehouse ordered goods and bring them to workstations. “This enables fast operations, as most transitioned to e-commerce. That and accurate fulfilment and improved delivery services,” adds shift subsequently highlighted the vulnerability of hugely Houghton. “By letting robots organise inventory in real-time, it manual processes as well as the need for capable, scalable improves the ability to adapt while automatic self-charging enables fulfilmentT and picking/packing warehouse operations. 24/7 automated operations to help businesses flexibly manage “This accelerated shift has impacted everything from how we periods of high throughput.” consume to how we do business,” offers Simon Houghton, head of “Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) offer tremendous flexibility sales & marketing at Geek+. and, importantly, scalability in traditional labour-intensive tasks This new way of shopping appears to be the new normal for the such as order picking and put-away,” says Whitehouse. “Combined foreseeable future and “with fulfilment operations under increasing with pick-to-light technology, they can boost order picking pressure to perform across multiple peaks, automation of key performance from under 100 units an hour using traditional warehouse processes would appear to be the only viable or methods to up to 400 picks an hour, with an ROI that can be as little sustainable way forward,” explains Craig Whitehouse, managing as 12 months.” director, Invar Integration. “Additionally, the ability to continuously optimise and flexibly The automation technologies that are set to be ‘game changers’ scale operations in line with business growth will help businesses will be “the ones that can support businesses with the flexibility and mitigate many of the above-mentioned challenges and achieve ROI agility needed to strengthen their e-commerce capabilities,” within three years,” Houghton says. believes Houghton, noting that “mobile logistics robots help Automation technologies that help take the strain off workers are businesses tackle these challenges and bring efficiency, accuracy also a turning point. “For the customers we work with, goods-to- and cost-saving benefits, too.” person picking robotics and autonomous vehicles are proving to be a game changer,” says David Carroll, CEO of Cheshire-based Breathe Technologies. “They allow customers to be more flexible and agile – rather than reserving Seven-point checklist space and labour to one particular Before investing in warehouse automation, it is technologies requires technical knowledge. aspect of their operations.” beneficial to know exactly what you need and Invar suggests seeking objective input from an what results you are looking to achieve. Invar independent systems integrator that is not AI-powered Integration offers a seven-point checklist for bound by any one technology or in-house Investing in AI is another way to get the design success. manufactured solution. most out of an automation solution. ■ Understand future business goals: ■ Model outcomes/scenarios: Simulation Houghton explains: “Although robot- Understand what problems you are trying to software helps bring a concept to life and compatible racking allows for high- solve and gain insight into the strategic review how it performs. density storage, AI enables optimised ambitions of the business. ■ Design-in flexibility and scalability: Most inventory management and storage. ■ Examine your pain points: Establish where automation investments are aimed to “During peak periods, AI will allow us the technology will best be applied in the accommodate businesses growth and to pack racks with goods randomly to warehouse to deliver maximum benefits. expanded to grow with a business. make sure that as many robots can ■ Analyse the data: Understand the ■ Select an experienced partner: Efficient travel different routes. In times of lower performance of each process to help determine integration of processes, technologies and demand, it enables the robots to the shape of the final solution. intelligent software ensures a trouble-free organise slow-moving inventory further ■ Review appropriate technologies: Finding the future and fast adoption, letting you start away from the workstation and ideal solution among all the available making ROI. fast-moving inventory closer for better route management.”

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION 21

Look out for blockchain Data capture such as 2D barcoding is an integral part of any operation and is used to capture everything from vendor, batch, serial, weights and dimensions to weblinks to certificates of authenticity. “This information can then be extracted, reviewed and shared both by the business and its partners across the supply chains,” says Delaware’s Rory Clarke. Businesses are now increasingly using barcodes to capture digital signatures and blockchain. Clarke says “blockchain in this context allows businesses to send information about activities in the warehouse, the completion of a goods receipt, for example, and do a cryptographic stamp of the relevant information with the previous block of data.” Blockchain data cannot be changed or edited by a third party, This leads to improved picking rates: “The separation of tasks which helps establish and promote the security of the products allows human operators to focus on picking and robots to automate through the supply chain. “This provides reassurance to customers redundant activities such as moving inventory for more efficient that activities are happening as part of an uninterruptible sequence operations,”Houghton says. of events, effectively authenticating that a string of transactions He continues “robots are essentially IoT devices”. Therefore, as have taken place.” businesses and solutions move away from on-prime server to cloud-based management and leveraging 5G connectivity, it enables more data to be gathered to share optimisations in real-time across deployments. This will generate more intelligence and efficiency, bringing proactivity and control to business operations. Carroll supports this, noting that “the better automation investments are usually the ones that come with some level of built-in intelligence, such as robotic process automation, which will perform repetitive, high-volume data processes to free up your workforce to focus on higher-value tasks.” In particular, “AI-enabled automation technologies with high- level software integration will deliver greater benefits, allowing businesses to learn from their operations and improve through the data they receive,” Carroll adds. Businesses should also consider the scalability of a particular solution before investing. “Today, most can’t predict what the Choosing wisely demand will be one year from now,” says Houghton. “Companies When considering automation technologies, businesses need to thinking of investing in automation and concerned with achieving a thoroughly assess the attached risks, as well as how quickly they fast ROI should steer away from systems built on fixed infrastructure want to achieve ROI – particularly as the latter is heavily dependent that offers little opportunity for adjustment,” he cautions. on the solution and setup. “Designed around a particular footprint, throughput and product, “Automation requires a substantial investment, so you need to be heavy iron is difficult and expensive to adjust if you want to expand sure you are dealing with a well-established technology”, says Alex operations to manage underlying growth demands or build Schmidt, ProGlove’s senior communications manager. Therefore, operational capacity for peak.” businesses need to consider how reliable a solution is and how it fits The digital element of automation technology should not be in with their specific business needs. forgotten either. “It is always a good idea to be wary of proprietary “The consumer demand for an ever-decreasing delivery time formats and technologies,” notes Rory Clarke, project director, requires automation technology to be constantly available for solution architect & delivery specialist at Delaware. “If a business is operation,” says James Smith, managing director of AutoStore UK. using a 2D barcode, it is important to ensure it is one that is “Any technology that requires regular unplanned maintenance due supported ideally with an industry-relevant schema.” to failures will negatively impact availability and, in turn, the He recommends against investing in unsecure technology: “There customer experience.” is no problem in running old equipment but make sure it’s secure,” It is also worth assessing how the technology will perform with he advises. “Accept the fact that it will be expensive to change, but existing solutions, how all technologies will come together and the understand the true cost of a compliance failure and do an ROI level of flexibility they have for future upgrades. “There is no doubt calculation regularly to work out whether you have reached the point that the use of robotics in warehouse operations will continue where making an investment in new technology outweighs any rapidly over the coming years, especially in the area of robot piece potential drawbacks.” ■ picking to automate the picking process,” continues Smith. However, he warns, “businesses considering AI-enabled automation technologies with this technology should also consider high-level software integration will deliver the supporting technology and its greater benefits, allowing businesses to learn reliability, as a robot picking arm that can operate 24/7 at close to 100% from their operations and improve through the availability will require an automated data they receive. David Carroll, CEO, Breathe storage system that has the same level of availability.” Technologies

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 22 ORDER PICKING ROBOTICS & INNOVATION Pick and tricks Michelle Mooney explores the implementation of robotic picking solutions in fulfilment centres, enabling them to keep up with fluctuating demands…

istribution centres are continually having to adapt to disruptions in their supply chains and must be fleet of foot when reacting to changing consumer behaviour patterns. Covid-19, as the prime example, influenced what people purchased (more electronics and IT) and Dwhere they purchased products from, while in the DCs themselves managers have had to contend with labour crises, social distancing challenges, inventory shortages, delivery backlogs, and countless other pain points. Warehouses have never previously been in a position where they had to innovate in order to survive… until now. Technology has long been one of the deciding factors in whether or not an operation succeeds, as being able to keep up with the competition and provide the best customer experience is a prerequisite. Using new picking technologies such as robots and AGVs – which can cover a large area in a short time – inevitably helps in terms of efficiency gains. However, it isn’t just physical technologies that are helping to improve the warehouse. ‘Digital Transformation’ – which may sound like jargon from a marketing book – is increasingly becoming a transformative necessity. In the case of inventory management, for instance, operators are relying on new digital technologies to reduce errors. In the past few years, DHL Supply Chain has witnessed an exponential rise in the order picking operations needed by its customers, driven by what Jon Hinton, vice president solutions design UKI, suggests is an “increase in direct-to-consumer sales, Knapp’s Pick-it-Easy industrial solution features a robot growth in convenience retailing as a result of the Covid-19 cell containing an articulated robotic arm with pandemic, and tighter control over stock levels”. changeable grippers for automatic picking tasks As a result, Hinton goes on to say, DHL is seeing stock that was once transported in full pallets now being moved in cases and Prioritising good processes individual sale units. “We have always had an ambitious You can have all the bells and whistles offered by new warehouse digitalisation agenda but these changes have made it even more technologies but this doesn’t necessarily translate to success, as the important to ensure we’re investing in the right technologies to quality of the process is really what counts. “There is a lot of support our picking operations,” he confirms. technology available for order picking and warehouse managers can become preoccupied with solutions promising especially high pick Value adding AMRS rates,” believes Eric Carter, solutions architect at Indigo Software. Autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles in the warehouse can be a boon, something that you won’t find Joe Daft, head of robotics at OW Robotics, arguing with. “Capable of operating 24/7, AMRs or AGVs can work up to three times longer than the Investing in the future average eight-hour shift and have proved to be worthwhile There is a misconception that Industry 4.0 technologies such as investments during the pandemic as many businesses pivoted their AMRs, collaborative robots, etc, are the reserve of the big boys in operations to take advantage of online demand. And that demand is intralogistics. But this is no longer the case, according to Harry only going to grow.” Watts, managing director of SEC Europe. He should know – he’s Compared to traditional warehouse equipment and/or manual integrating them for clients all of the time. “What we’re seeing processes, “AMR and AGV solutions provide maximum flexibility through our design work is that these technologies are increasingly and scalability, and it’s also easy to change the design or layout of accessible and affordable,” he says. “You wouldn’t think twice about your warehouse space”, continues Daft. “The robots can adjust to spending £50,000 on a forklift, and not many people know that you new routes in seconds, even in the most complex operating afor instance, that deliver much more for roughly the same cost.” conditions and environments.” And the ROI is so much quicker, too, these days, reports Watts. Not only does this “prevent bottlenecks or backlogs in orders”, Daft “Some automated solutions can pay back in under two years. You reveals, but it also means that orders can be shipped within hours of can also put in what you need today and scale-up as your business being placed. “With this technology there is still very much a human grows. One of our KPIs working with clients is that we integrate role to play in the warehouse, despite fewer staff being required on the systems that have a ROI of 18-24 months, whether automated or warehouse or factory floor. Instead, businesses can focus more on not. It’s not always possible but our average is 18 months.” adding value and growing teams elsewhere within an organisation.”

July 2021 www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk ROBOTICS & INNOVATION ORDER PICKING 23

Obeta’s picking robot AI is enabling Knapp’s Pick-it-Easy Robot to fulfil orders quickly and accurately for electrical wholesaler, Obeta. The company’s DC in Ludwigsfelde, on the outskirts of Berlin, operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, to ship more than 5,000 orders daily on a next-day delivery service. The latest generation of Pick-it-Easy Robot from Knapp was installed as part of an automated logistics operation that focuses on the OSR Shuttle automated storage system. With Obeta’s warehouse receiving hundreds of new products each week – from light bulbs and electrical sockets to smoke detectors and circuit breakers – the company needed a system that could easily handle new items without disruption. That’s when it looked to Knapp for help. The automation expert installed its Pick-it-Easy Robot alongside Obeta’s manual fulfilment stations, picking and placing products from storage containers into order boxes. The technology was deployed with minimal downtime and started picking orders within days. It achieves speeds of 600 items per hour – depending on order flow – and works without breaks. It currently handles 70% of pickable SKUs and picks with an accuracy of 99%, despite having to learn new items each week. In addition, as the lack of warehouse staff in the Berlin area was only intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic – with German firms unable to recruit workers from nearby countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic – the robot has relieved some of the stress of labour shortages for Obeta.

integrated with the latest digital solutions in order to create a better operation that can keep up with demands. “Advances in artificial intelligence are enabling robots to progress from completing repetitive tasks in the warehouse to handling random tasks,” states Phil Houghton, business development director for Knapp UK. “Combining the latest AI with the power of the internet means robots can learn much more quickly and dynamically than ever before. This increases exponentially as robots around the world are sharing their know-how with one another, enabling them to learn how to grasp unfamiliar objects incredibly quickly.” The capability to adapt in this way will be essential to most companies, particularly in e-commerce, as more brands go digital. “Ultimately, efficient order picking is governed by processes and Of utmost importance, what was once a potentially expensive systems. You need good processes to ensure stock comes back into investment for companies is now becoming more readily available, the business quickly and efficiently, and good systems to ensure you even for smaller businesses. Daft explains that the cost of are picking from the most appropriate locations. Clearly, quality of autonomous robots or vehicles is no longer a “blocker for processes should be the priority, otherwise a company could end up businesses”, as this technology continues to evolve. That’s because, spending a small fortune on new technology and equipment that these days, the cost of either an AGV or an AMR is roughly may just lead to higher costs. “Although technology is important, comparable to traditional systems, with a complete ROI usually having the right processes and systems in place are most critical,” achieved within an 18-36-month period,” Daft says. Simplicity need Carter stresses. not be compromised either, as the systems integration of AGVs and For e-commerce companies, in particular, operations are difficult AMRs is becoming easier. “It is a lot more simple than you might enough because everything is done digitally, and returns can be think, as a standard implementation using robots works to non-fixed made more difficult by a lack of working processes. As a way to infrastructure, making adaptation as your operation changes, counteract such failures, Carter believes that warehouse operators diversifies and grows a lot easier,” he concludes. “A robotics should look to methods tested by e-commerce giants such as implementation team will come to site and either map your Amazon. “We have seen and advised customers to try to adopt an warehouse in 3D for automated forklifts and AMRs and install the Amazon-style, ‘chaotic’ picking and putaway stock management flexible infrastructure upon which the robots run. The belief that it system, which prioritises picking from the returns areas first. is complex is all smoke and mirrors. It’s never been easier.”■ This will automatically accelerate the throughput of returned items, which are more Ultimately, efficient order picking is governed time consuming to process and by processes and systems. You need good processes would in most cases be the to ensure stock comes back into the business oldest stock in a warehouse.” quickly and efficiently, and good systems to ensure Integrated ideology you are picking from the most appropriate locations. Physical technology advances also need to be carefully Eric Carter, Solutions Architect, Indigo Software

www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk July 2021 8th November 2021 Hilton on Park Lane, London

Supply Chain ENTRY DEADLINE FRIDAY Excellence 9th JULY 2021 Awards Enter the 25th Supply Chain Excellence Awards, Supply Chain’s Premier Awards Ceremony

Enter the Best Use of Robotics category today

The entry process is now open Celebrating 25 years, the awards are a highlight in the supply chain calendar, taking place on the 8th November 2021 at the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel in the UK.

Entry Information: Daniel Jessop E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 20 8037 1779

Sponsorship Opportunities: Neill Wightman E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 20 8065 0464

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