The preconception that "robots are only for large corporations" is still far too common in small and medium-sized companies. For them, robots often mean a collos made of metal, surrounded by protective grids, which installs large body parts in car production, for example. Such a monster fits neither the budget nor the production environment of an SME. At the same time, however, small and medium-sized companies are also struggling with the typical challenges of the industry: competitive and cost pressure, a shortage of skilled workers, ever smaller batch sizes and ever tighter delivery deadlines. If they forgo the automation of processes, they soon find themselves in a tricky market situation.
However, automation does not always require a large, expensive and complicated robot: there are also flexible, cost-effective and easy-to-use solutions - so-called collaborative robots, or cobots for short. They enable automation in no time at all for companies of any size. Universal Robots has been helping companies to integrate cobots into their production processes for more than ten years. As a result, more than 37,000 Universal Robots robots are now in use worldwide. Introducing the technology step by step is the ideal way for many SMEs.

"Our experience shows: There is usually a 'soft entry' into automation. Cobots are initially used for simple pick-and-place tasks. Gradually, companies then discover how versatile the possible applications are," explains Helmut Schmid, Managing Director of Universal Robots (Germany) GmbH and General Manager for Western Europe.

At the same time, Universal Robots always has the needs of companies in mind. The UR16e presented in September scores points with its increased load capacity: the powerhouse can lift up to 16 kg and remains fully collaborative. The technological leap enables completely new automation scenarios, for example in palletizing, loading CNC machines or screwing and drilling.

More information is available at
https://www.universal-robots.com/de/produkte/ur16e-roboter/