Denmark-based collaborative robots (cobots) manufacturer, Universal Robots, on Wednesday urged Vietnamese manufacturers to accelerate robotic automation and increase productivity, while reducing workplace injuries.

“Cobots can perform tasks that may be dangerous or injury-prone for humans. With built-in safety features that slow the robot arm when a human enters its workspace, cobots can keep human colleagues safe from occupational injuries as it addresses repetitive and dangerous tasks in the manufacturing sector,” said James McKew, Regional Director of Asia-Pacific in Universal Robots.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Viet Nam recorded 3,349 occupational accidents with total deaths numbering 378 from January to June 2020. The accidents were most prevalent in the manufacturing sector at 27.41 per cent; construction at 23.24 per cent; services at 12.35 per cent and the remaining 37 per cent across other industry sectors.

Most local manufacturers are currently facing a growing skilled talent shortage, which strains overall productivity and growth. At the same time, employers are also facing immense costs associated with workplace-related injuries.

Universal Robots’ adjustable safety system allows companies to adjust a range of parameters to reduce the risks involved with implementing an industrial robot application. These include limiting the force, speed, power or momentum of the robot, or restricting its workspace using safety boundaries. Productivity gains, along with the inherently safe design of cobot solutions means this new automation technology could reduce up to 72 per cent of the common causes of injury in manufacturing environments.

McKew added that companies can achieve a faster Return On Investment (ROI) by using cobots to free up workers’ time, allowing them to tackle higher productivity processes and ultimately acquire new skills.

Universal Robots encourages local manufacturers to adopt the perfect man and machine collaboration. With cobots, manufacturers in Viet Nam need not fear the impacts caused by the growing skilled talent shortage. The collaboration greatly reduces the time, effort and cost associated with using the same cobot for various tasks as a cobots’ flexibility translates to a significantly faster return on investment. — VNS