Delta Electronics will soon introduce cobots in India: Manish Walia

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Delta Electronics will soon introduce cobots in India: Manish Walia

Delta Electronics will soon introduce cobots in India: Manish Walia

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Nov 29,24

In this interview with Rakesh Rao, Manish Walia, Head - Industrial Automation, Delta Electronics India, explains the importance of advanced automation and robotics to enhance the operational efficiency and productivity of India’s manufacturing sector.

Delta Electronics will soon introduce cobots in India: Manish Walia

Delta Electronics India Pvt Ltd, a leading power and energy management company in the country, operates three business units: power electronics, automation and infrastructure. In this interaction with Rakesh Rao, Manish Walia, Head - Industrial Automation, Delta Electronics India, explains the importance of advanced automation and robotic solutions to enhance the operational efficiency and productivity of India’s manufacturing sector.

How important robots are to make India a major manufacturing hub of the world?

For many years, India’s economic growth has been consumption driven. With global companies now looking at India as an alternative to our Eastern neighbour, it is important for India to have a competitive edge over other countries who are also vying for the same China-Plus-One pie.

While the government is giving lots of incentives for companies, the real game changer for India will be increasing productivity of manufacturing units. For improving efficiency, apart from the skilled workforce, robots have to play an important role. They help in high-precision manufacturing, enhancing productivity and quality, eliminating errors and becoming cost competitive, among others.

While the initial cost of robots may be high, they are cost-effective in terms of the total cost of ownership (TCO). Robots can play a big role in reducing the cost of the entire manufacturing process.

The automotive industry is the biggest adopter of robots in the country. In addition, we could see good traction from sectors like electronics, paints, pharmaceuticals, etc for robots in the near future.

How is your company tapping India’s robots market?

We have four-axis SCARA robots for low payload applications in industries like automotive, electronics, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, etc. Then we offer six-axis articulated robots for multiple applications such as inspection, assembling, palletising, material feeding, packaging, and loading & unloading, etc in various industries. We have developed SCARA robots with integrated 5th axis for assembly processes such as pick-and-place, 2D/3D dispensing, soldering and machine tending for CNC and machine tool markets, etc.

We will also soon introduce collaborative robots (cobots) in India, which are expected to drive the Industry 5.0 revolution.

How has your robotics business grown in India in the last couple of years?

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), adoption of robots in India has shown a very promising growth in the last few years. However, robot density (i.e. number of robots per 10,000 employees) in India is still very low, which indicates huge growth potential for robotics in the country.

In the last five years, even though the base has been small, we have done a good job in terms of growing steadily with our SCARA and articulated range of robots for various applications. We have been growing at a high rate of 25-20 per cent CAGR in the last five years in India, and we expect to continue with our growth momentum in the coming years.

What are the key hurdles in the growth of the robot market in India?

Historically, we never ever looked at robots being used beyond the automotive industry.

This is changing with more acceptances from other industry verticals. Post Covid, as could be seen from the IFR report, there has been wider acceptance of robots in India from not just large corporations, but also from small & medium enterprises (SMEs).

High initial cost of installation is a hurdle for wider adoption of robots as customers in India typically look at the initial cost of acquiring robots or any kind of new systems. So, it is important to educate the customers about the benefits of robots in terms of total cost of ownership (TCO), advantage of precision manufacturing, improvement in quality of finished goods/products, etc. Availability of skilled personnel could also be a hindrance especially for SMEs. However, things are changing on the ground in favour of robots because of factors like rising competition, need for better productivity and quality, increasing awareness about automation, etc.

I think the entire ecosystem needs to evolve. We, as an organisation, are working very closely with private companies and government agencies in areas of skill development and training. We also work with universities and engineering colleges for developing required skill sets of students so that more people are conversant, comfortable with robots going ahead.

How is AI transforming the capabilities of robots today?

Adding the AI capability could allow robots to perform even more complex jobs and they would be more adaptive to the task with even greater precision. AI could also help robots to learn from available data in the manufacturing line and make certain real time adjustments for the best output, which could increase the overall productivity and optimise the process. We are currently working with one of the large chip makers for using AI capabilities initially in cobots. In future, AI features could also be fitted in SCARA and articulated robots.

Delta is also using the latest technologies and AI capabilities in its own factories in China, Taiwan and other countries. We are planning to bring these capabilities (including AI powered robotics) in our Krishnagiri facility in Tamil Nadu to boost the efficiency by integrating them with the other advanced technologies in the overall process.

Which trends will have profound impact on the robotics market in India?

Companies are aiming to become cost optimised, more competitive compared to other countries who are vying for a large pie of the global manufacturing market, increase exports of equipment or components (especially in the growing markets like electronics), produce best quality finished products, etc. Automation and robotics can really help them achieve all these goals. Humans may have their own limitations. But, if we have the right robot for the precise applications and adequately trained human resource, then companies can vastly improve their efficiency, productivity, outputs and cycle time; thus reducing the per unit cost.

As adoption of automation and robotics increases in the country, one could expect the cost of installation to come down over a period of time.

What are the growth plans for your robotic business in India?

We will introduce cobots in India very soon, which we have already launched globally. We are enhancing our existing range of SCARA and articulated robots by increasing payload capability. We work closely with a network of strong system integrators, who are experts in specific industrial segments, for business growth. We are also putting a lot of human resources not just for sales, but also for increasing technical application capability. These will enable us to provide the right solution and product at a good price to the customer; thus, helping us grow very fast in the Indian robot market, which still has a very small installation base.