Budget will have a positive impact on robotics industry: Pradeep David

Many large global firms are outsourcing product development to low-cost destinations to reduce manufacturing costs. Robotics in India has already made significant inroads in electronics assembly in the recent past. Industrial robots are on the verge of revolutionising manufacturing. As they become smarter, faster and cheaper, they are being called upon to do more. They are taking on more ‘human’ capabilities and traits such as sensing, dexterity, memory and trainability. As a result, they’re taking on more jobs - such as picking and packaging, testing or inspecting products, or assembling minute electronics.

As legions of robots and other automation technologies find their ways into production facilities and distribution centers - as well as through supply chains - manufacturers will grapple with an advanced level of participation of human and machine. Indeed, manufacturers could be looking at an awkward period of systemic human-resource change as they introduce robots to more varied manufacturing tasks, and as they call for greater human-machine collaboration. The CAGR of the global collaborative robot market is slated to be in the range of a phenomenal 60 percent over the next 5 years.

A new generation of ‘collaborative’ robots ushers in an era of shepherding robots out of their cages and literally hand-in-hand with human workers who train them through physical demonstration. Especially for small and mid-sized manufacturers, a question is arising sooner than most probably expected: “If prices keep declining and capabilities of robotic technologies keep expanding, is now the time to hire some automated help?” Indeed, many have already answered this question. According a PwC survey of manufacturers, 59 percent of participants (in the survey) were already using some sort of robotics technology. 

The union budget 2017 will certainly give a positive impact to robotics companies in India as the government is committed to ensuring conducive labour environment & legislative reform to simplify labor laws. 

Apart from the investment the government has announced in electronics, we would have liked to see some incentives for manufacturers in their need to embrace automation and robotics to improve productivity & quality. 
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Pradeep David is the country head of Universal Robots, India