Assembly lines adopt flexible robotics to meet rising consumer expectations

Consumers’ tastes and preferences are changing rapidly, putting new pressures on product makers. As new-age consumers demand more variety, customisation, and refreshed product range every few weeks, global manufacturers are increasingly adopting flexible production systems. 

These systems can be deployed across various industries ranging from pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods to the automotive sector. 

Delhi NCR-based Addverb Technologies is deploying many robotics-based production systems in companies across the world. Addverb creates end-to-end robotics and industrial automation solutions for factories. This includes automating the manufacturing and warehousing processes within the same system. 

According to Addverb, robotics is introducing new opportunities in the manufacturing process of customisation. Assembly lines are now being replaced with flexible production systems, enabling manufacturers the flexibility of adding anything to a product with minimal cost. This, in turn, allows the companies to offer effective customisation without having to change assembly lines for upgrades or make changes to various products. 

Lenskart is a good example of a technology-led flexible production system redefining manufacturing. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution hub in the Bhiwadi industrial area near New Delhi caters to both physical and online customers and manages an inventory of more than 110,000 SKUs. 

Addverb says it helped Lenskart reduce the order consolidation time significantly by using its carton-shuttle system for automated storage and retrieval, along with Goods-to-Person (GTP) stations that allow for accurate picking. Lenskart can now manage surges in market demands without sacrificing the accuracy required for delicate items like eyewear. Addverb also created a flexible production unit for a Japanese automobile giant and automated its assembly processes. 

The global smart manufacturing market is projected to reach $228.2 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5 per cent, according to a report by research firm MarketsandMarkets. Globally, players in this segment include Siemens, Bosch, Rockwell Automation and Fanuc. “Growing adoption of Industry 4.0, rising emphasis on industrial automation in manufacturing processes, increasing government involvement in supporting industrial automation, growing emphasis on regulatory compliances, increasing complexities in the supply chain, and surging demand for software systems that reduce time and cost are the major factors boosting the growth of this industry”, says the report. 

“Gradually, businesses are moving away from traditional fixed automation solutions to either hybrid or modern flexible automation solutions that can be scaled easily by adding to the fleet of robots with minimal infrastructure changes. The beauty of our solutions does not lie just in our products, but our solutions capabilities,” says Sangeet Kumar, CEO and co-founder of Addverb Technologies. 

Another report by ResearchandMarkets says that flexible manufacturing has been embraced by the pharmaceutical sector. Specialised machinery, processes, and operations involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing that are capable of being modified and changed within a short period to cope with sudden market changes are being adopted across markets. “Diseases evolve and often develop immunity to medicines. Such factors drive the demand for flexible manufacturing systems for the pharmaceutical industry, as they allow quick response to market changes,” the report notes. With agile production becoming mainstream, producers will be able to cope with rising consumer expectations.