The contagion of Covid-19 has swept through the lives of people across the globe, disrupted industries and had a dramatic impact on the world\u2019s economy. Some analysts predict the pandemic\u2019s impact could be as devastating as the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1933.<\/p>\n
As the world moves towards a different tomorrow, future-orientated solutions won\u2019t merely be an option for industry, but an absolute necessity. Robotics and automation technology are already playing a pivotal role in the health sector \u2013 from the use of automated laboratory tests to autonomous disinfectors utilised in hospitals, but they\u2019re about to extend further into other industries faster than anyone could have predicted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe automotive industry has always been closely tied to robotics and this is unlikely to change<\/em>,\u201d says Kurt Rosenberg, managing director of Yaskawa Southern Africa. \u201cThe fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and food markets, however, should see an increase and acceptance in the usage of robots and automation technologies. This is largely due to the \u2018contact\u2019 element, as health and safety officers will be even more concerned about cleanliness, sanitisation and hygiene in manufacturing processes, handling and distribution of goods and factories. Considering Covid-19 can survive on certain surfaces, measures will need to be put in place to futureproof businesses from any potential outbreaks. And this is where robotics could come in to reduce contact and cross-contamination<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n While many industries have instituted stringent hygiene standards and practices for operations, they are also acutely aware of the human element. All it takes is one lapse and the risk of infection is catastrophic. There have already been several high-profile instances where essential services, such as hospitals and factories, have had to temporarily shut their doors because staff have been infected by the virus.<\/p>\n Back in the seventies, Yaskawa proposed the innovative concept of an unmanned factory termed \u2018Mechatronics\u2019. Since then, the concept has evolved into i\u00b3-Mechatronics, featuring further advancements and implementations of automation through the management of digital data. Whether it\u2019s partial or full automation, there are flexible solutions that allow for smart integration, real-time visualisation of systems and industrial evolution through technological innovation. Not only do these solutions increase overall productivity and systems processes, but there\u2019s also the ability to improve standards and quality of both the manufacturing plant and products.<\/p>\n Considering the current restrictions of the number of employees allowed back at work and the need for social distancing, the industries that embraced i\u00b3-Mechatronics are better prepared to deal with the pandemic\u2019s side effects. From the stability and reliability of streamlined production (despite fewer employees at their disposal) to rigorous health and safety standards, a robotised workforce is capable of business as usual even in unusual times.<\/p>\n Rosenberg believes a robot-powered workforce is the way of the future, both locally and internationally. While he\u2019s seen a significant uptake in robotic technology in South Africa, there are positive signs it\u2019ll grow in the years to come as businesses provision for these types of advancements.<\/p>\n At the same time, there\u2019s a fear that robots will take the place of humans in the workplace, hence the reluctance to embrace technology. Andrew Crackett, National Sales Manager at Yaskawa Southern Africa, believes it\u2019s actually affording more opportunities to both organisations and employees.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve implemented several projects at labour-intensive organisations to streamline operations<\/em>,\u201d says Crackett. \u201cInstead of seeing a reduction in staff, we\u2019ve actually witnessed the employees reassigned to other areas or new positions. By freeing up resources, there\u2019s the possibility to upskill and redeploy, while still improving the overall process and positively influencing the organisation. Robots will still need quality assurance, operators and support staff, as an example<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n While the havoc caused by Covid-19 cannot be understated, it has also pushed industries to think towards the future and plan better. A robotised workforce might not seem like something out of a sci-fi film anymore, but a necessary requisite for any business to survive in the face of disaster.<\/p>\n The contagion of Covid-19 has swept through the lives of people across the globe, disrupted industries and had a dramatic impact on the world\u2019s economy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n","yoast_head_json":{"robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Robots in the time of Covid-19 - Normandia EN","og_description":"The contagion of Covid-19 has swept through the lives of people across the globe, disrupted industries and had a dramatic impact on the world\u2019s economy","og_url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/","og_site_name":"Normandia EN","article_published_time":"2020-05-28T13:39:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-02T07:46:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1181,"height":787,"url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Yaskawa-Normandia.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"normandia","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/","name":"Normandia EN","description":"Industrial robots","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Yaskawa-Normandia.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Yaskawa-Normandia.jpg","width":1181,"height":787},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/","name":"Robots in the time of Covid-19 - Normandia EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2020-05-28T13:39:09+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-02T07:46:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/921c8e248488b67d4c56cacc9c735e7c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/robots-in-the-time-of-covid-19\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Robots in the time of Covid-19"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/921c8e248488b67d4c56cacc9c735e7c","name":"normandia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/594a928bc15830c11aeb0c0cea5d18bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/594a928bc15830c11aeb0c0cea5d18bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"normandia"},"url":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/author\/normandia\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1760"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2010,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions\/2010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.normandia.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The robot-powered workforce<\/h3>\n
Author: Andrew Crackett, National Sales Manager of Yaskawa South Africa,\u00a0 source: http:\/\/www.instrumentation.co.za<\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"