ABB is expanding its portfolio of collaborative robots (cobots) with the new GoFa and Swifti cobot families. These offer higher payloads and speeds and complement ABB's existing cobot range, consisting of the two-armed YuMi robot and the single-armed YuMi variant. The stronger, more agile and versatile new cobots are designed to accelerate the company's expansion into high-growth segments such as electronics, healthcare, consumer goods, logistics and the food and beverage industry. With the new solutions, ABB aims to meet the ever-increasing demand for automation solutions in many industries.

GoFa and Swifti are intuitive to use, so customers don't have to rely on skilled in-house programmers with specialist knowledge, and the cobots are ready for use within a short time of installation, without the need for special training.

"Our new cobot portfolio is the most versatile on the market. It helps our customers to automate their processes and thereby improve their operational performance and grow," said Sami Atiya, Head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation business. "Our new cobots are easy to operate and configure. With our global network of service experts, we enable companies of any size and in any industry, far beyond manufacturing, to get started with robotics smoothly." With the expansion of its cobot portfolio, ABB aims to support existing and new users of robotics to accelerate automation.

Automation is shaping the future of manufacturing

In an international ^survey1 of 1,650 large, small and medium-sized companies in Europe, the US and China, 84% of respondents said they would introduce or increase their use of robotics in the next ten years. For 85%, the pandemic has had a major impact on business and the industry, with Covid-19 driving investment in automation solutions. Almost half of the companies surveyed (43%) said they wanted to use robotics to improve the health and safety of employees in the workplace. 51% said that with the help of robots, social distancing rules can be better observed, and more than a third (36%) are considering the use of robotic automation to improve the quality of work for employees. In addition, 78 percent of managing directors stated that it is difficult to recruit and retain staff for repetitive and physically demanding tasks.

In 2019, more than 22,000 new cobots were installed worldwide - an increase of 19% compared to the previous ^year2. Demand for collaborative robots is expected to grow by an average of 17% annually between 2020 and ²⁰²⁵³. Global sales are expected to increase from an estimated USD 0.7 billion to around USD 1.4 billion between 2019 and ²⁰²⁵⁴. The global industrial robotics market is expected to grow from around USD 45 billion in 2020 to around USD 58 billion by 2023 (average annual growth of 9%⁾⁵.

GoFa and Swifti are designed to help companies automate processes and assist employees with tasks such as material handling, machine operation, assembly and packaging. The versatile new-generation cobots are suitable for use in manufacturing, medical laboratories, logistics centers and warehouses as well as in workshops and small production facilities.

"With our expansion, we are making the operation and commissioning of cobots easier. In this way, we are also supporting their use in companies that have not yet considered using robots," said Atiya. "We have found that the most successful companies are those that combine the strengths of their employees with the potential of new technologies."

Every ABB cobot installed comes with a start-up package that includes the ABB Ability Condition Monitoring & Diagnostics service solution as well as access to ABB's cross-industry online customer service. This is free of charge for the first six months.

¹ ABB industry study, January 2021

² Interact Analysis, "The Collaborative Robot Market", 3rd edition

³, ^{4 Interact} Analysis, "The Collaborative Robot Market", 3rd edition and ABB internal analyses.

⁵ ABB internal analyses