ABB’s YuMi cobots are enabling the reshoring of production and helping to address challenges presented by workforce shortages for Japan-based SUS Corporation, a major supplier of aluminium frames and die-cast aluminium components for the automotive and other manufacturing sectors.
Joerg Reger, ABB Robotics automotive business line managing director, said: “Reshoring is increasingly viewed as a way to address the challenges of disruptive supply chains and uncertainty, but it can introduce complexities of its own. Our range of flexible automation solutions can help resolve these, and we are delighted to see that SUS is benefitting from significant time savings, enhanced production efficiency and the ability to quickly adapt to changing supply scenarios. This demonstrates how automation is no longer the preserve of large OEMs alone.”
In the wake of significant disruption to global supply chains in recent years,
SUS Corporation chose to return to domestic production in Shizuoka, Japan to better manage its lead times and introduce greater flexibility. However, the manual and repetitive nature of the production process, coupled with mounting labor shortages, has made it difficult for the company to recruit and retain sufficient workers to achieve the required production volumes.
Simulation softwareThe solution – a series of YuMi dual-armed cobots – has reduced the assembly time, increased productivity by 20%, and introduced much-needed flexibility in response to fluctuations in demand. The company expects to achieve payback on its investment within two years.
The automated solution was developed using ABB’s RobotStudio simulation software to design and optimise the operation in a virtual space, ahead of deployment in the real world. The simulation verified that YuMi’s seven-axes of movement per arm were able to replicate the complex twisting actions needed during the assembly process. RobotStudio’s accurate calculations for achievable production volumes also made it easy for SUS to make informed decisions about their investment. The company is now investigating adding further cells for other products and automating other processes.
Akihiro Taki, SUS Corporation’s die-casting team manager at the Shizuoka site, said: “The robots have taken on monotonous, repetitive jobs, enabling workers to be reassigned to more rewarding tasks such as operation management. The new system has also made it possible to operate at night with fewer workers, with the number of dedicated assembly machines in operation reduced from 11 to five.”
ABB’s recent
Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey discovered that nearly a third (31%) of all respondents listed labour shortages among their top three challenges, while 35% ranked labour as their most concerning area when it came to rising costs.