Swiss tech company ABB is to build one of the most advanced robot factories in the world. The factory, where robots will soon be building robots, will be located in Shanghai.
It is clear that we are approaching a point in our technological evolution where the influence and presence of robotics can no longer be denied. Robots, for example, are increasingly being used in medical operations and even underwater operations to investigate life in the ocean.
ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB) is going one step further. The company has announced what it claims will be the most advanced, automated and flexible robot factory in the world. The Swiss tech giant has is going to invest a total of about $150 million. The new production centre will be located in Shanghai and will combine ABB's connected digital technologies, state-of-the-art collaborative robotics and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to create the most advanced 'factory of the future'. The factory should be up and running by the end of 2020.
ABB and China
The investment marks ABB's No 1 position as a robot manufacturer in China and as an indispensable partner in the world's largest robotics market. In 2017, one out of every three robots sold in the world went to China. ABB has invested $2.4 billion in China since 1992 and has been working in the country for more than 100 years. "China's commitment to transforming its manufacturing in the country can serve as an example for the rest of the world," said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB in a shared press release. "Its strategic embrace of the latest technologies in artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and cloud-based computing shows that the country is already working with the future. Shanghai has become an important centre for technoligical leadership, including for ABB."
The factory
The new Shanghai factory will offer a range of machine learning, digital and collaborative solutions, and an on-site R&D centre will help accelerate innovations in artificial intelligence. Using a new global design approach announced by ABB earlier this year, the factory will be able to significantly increase both the breadth (type of robots) and depth (variants of each type) of robots that can be made on site, enabling greater and faster customisation to meet customer needs.
"The concept behind this factory is based on the same advice we give our customers every day: invest in automation solutions that offer flexibility to grow in the direction the market is going," says Sami Atiya, president of ABB's Robotics and Motion division. "ABB is proud to help our customers in China and around the world with solutions that make best use of the latest technologies to meet the challenges of mass customisation, faster cycles and constant change. This has become the new standard even in our own factories."
Digital twins
The entire Shanghai factory will be modelled as a digital twin, which will provide intuitive customised dashboards for management, engineers, operators and maintenance experts to make the best decisions. This includes collecting and analysing information through ABB Ability™ Connected Services on the health and performance of ABB robots in the plant to ensure early identification of potential anomalies. Besides preventing costly downtime, ABB Ability™ provides advanced digital solutions that can improve performance, reliability and energy consumption, as well as access to the world's best platforms, such as the Microsoft Azure enterprise cloud, the first international public cloud service operated in China.
The video below (click on the image) shows just how advanced the factory is.
Source: ABB/Intersting Engineering
