How industrial robots have stepped up during lockdown

This article originally appeared in the December '21 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications.

Modern consumers have grown accustomed to being able to order an expanding range of goods and have them delivered in a variety of formats in timeframes that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Today, it is usual for an order placed on the internet to be delivered in under 24 hours, with customers able to select a range of delivery options, from doorstep through to click and collect or at-store.

For the logistics and distribution sectors especially, the ability to meet these expectations is being tested to the maximum. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to put operators under pressure to meet exploding demand whilst simultaneously finding ways to tackle issues such as staff shortages that have affected their ability to process and deliver orders.

The last two years have seen a massive shift in consumer behaviours, as restrictions such as lockdowns led to more people shopping online. The magnitude of this change is widely seen as a turning point, with COVID-19 predicted to have accelerated the growth of e-commerce by four to six years.

A catalyst for change

While COVID-19 has undoubtedly been a major game-changer, it has also served as a catalyst for changes that were already taking place. Even before the start of 2020, both the retail and logistics sectors were already witnessing a move away from conventional store-based shopping as a growing number of consumers switched from the physical retail environment to the internet to purchase their goods.

In addition, shifts in global trade policy, the changing nature of consumer demand for bespoke products, and the expectation of next (or even same) day delivery were already leading forward-thinking operators to reappraise their approaches and look for new ways to tackle trends using the latest technologies.

The impact of the changes described have combined into three key trends, specifically workforce shortages, the shift to omni-channel distribution and the growing power of e-commerce. Together, these factors have been steadily influencing a shift towards the use of new technologies in the logistics sectors to help manage their impact.

The next three sections cover key areas that have been impacted following the above changes in the industry.

Workforce

Prior to COVID, workers in logistics and distribution centres were being faced with handling steadily growing numbers of orders as more people switched to e-commerce to buy an expanding range of goods.

To help manage the increased demand and speed up fulfilment, companies were already beginning to introduce robotic automation to handle a range of tasks, from automated guided vehicles to move goods around warehouses through to the use of industrial robots to pick, handle and palletise goods.

This transition has been further accelerated by the impact of the coronavirus, which has had a severe impact on supply chains, logistics and fulfilment, shutting down businesses and economies and exposing key structural weaknesses.

Omni-channel distribution

The transition to omni-channel distribution was already in full swing before the pandemic, with growing numbers of shoppers switching their preferences to online outlets. With the impact of the pandemic this move has accelerated considerably, particularly amongst younger consumers demanding convenience and fast delivery of a wide range of goods, with transactions being carried out through a variety of platforms including vendors’ own websites, marketplaces such as Amazon, and physical retail sites and social channels such as Instagram and Facebook.

To handle the extra demand that this is creating – and to reap the rewards of a potentially simplified distribution strategy, given the benefits of multiple channels being streamlined into a single process – new methods of order handling and fulfilment are needed. This is to ensure that goods are picked and packed in the rightcombinations and despatched to their destinations.

E-commerce

Having enjoyed steady growth even before 2020, the already-significant rise of e-commerce over other shopping channels was turbocharged by the disruption caused by COVID-19.

The growth of e-commerce has realised earlier predictions – in terms of how products would be purchased, processed and delivered – over the years since they were made.

For instance, in 2013, global consultants McKinsey correctly identified a trend in which ‘click and collect’ has driven more consumers towards online ordering.

Poignantly, the report also highlighted the need for retailers to do more to improve their supply chains. Doing so is vital to satisfy the high demand that has resulted from a switch to online ordering – and the importance of this has been brought into sharp focus by the pandemic.

How is robotic automation helping to tackle these trends?

Shortly before the COVID-19 outbreak, demand for warehouse automation, especially robots, has been predicted by Interact Analysis to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% by 2023. The research company’s analysis indicated strong growth in the adoption of piece-picking robots, with a predicted CAGR of 98.7% due to the expanding capabilities arising from developments in areas such as automated picking, machine vision, and gripping systems.

Recent developments in technology have seen the emergence of new robotic solutions capable of handling an expanded range of tasks. Such robots include the following.

Collaborative robots

The greatest benefits will come, not in eliminating humans from distribution centres, but by replacing non-value-added movement with automation and robotics that can speed up processes and make them more efficient.

Following advancements in the speed, payload and safety of collaborative robotic technology – particularly both the hardware and software used to control them – new possibilities are opening for the deployment of robots, alongside people, to handle an expanded range of tasks.

Higher payload Delta picking robots

Since their introduction in the 1990s, Delta robots have established a reputation for fast and accurate performance, with thousands of units deployed in picking and packing applications in a range of industries, from logistics through to food & beverage and pharmaceutical.

The performance of these robots has been augmented over time, with the latest generation offering improved productivity through faster performance, as well as the ability to lift heavier payloads. ABB’s recently introduced IRB 390 5-axis robot, for instance, is capable of lifting loads up to 15 kilograms.

Mobile robots

Mobile robots are increasingly being used in a wide variety of industries, from automotive and metals manufacturing through to food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and logistics. As a way of quickly and repeatedly conveying items between different stations in a process, they offer several advantages over conventional intralogistics techniques – saving time, minimising errors, and reducing the risk of injuries to human workers.

Omni-channel supply chains and their complex demands are well served by the capabilities of modern intelligent robots. With advanced navigation and traffic management systems and built-in sensors and scanners, autonomous mobile robot (AMR) systems can find their way to any location in a warehouse, retrieving items and taking them to any desired destination.

AMR systems can work in a safe way with humans and other industrial vehicles. They have the potential to bring extra flexibility as it means AMRs can easily adapt and scale to new layouts and facilities. The creation of industrial-grade robotic function packages – which incorporate advances in enabling technologies, such as vision, AI and machine learning – presents new possibilities for the high-speed processing of randomly presented products.

AMR systems are able to perform tasks such as autonomous gripping, singulation and sortation.

Delivering change

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the retail landscape, it has also provided the opportunity for companies to rethink their operations to look for new and efficient ways to deliver products. Companies’ collective desires for greater certainty – and a realisation of the implications of not being properly prepared – present a justified incentive for them to invest in new automated technologies that may previously have been either deferred, or even deemed unnecessary.

What is certain is that companies that invest in the latest automated technologies, especially robots, are most likely to be the best positioned to deal with the ongoing changes wrought by the growth of e-commerce and omnichannel distribution. This is in addition to any future times that, like the COVID lockdowns, will make it difficult or impossible to conduct ‘business as usual’ using outdated methods and equipment.