While auto OEMs are prime drivers of robots in India, their suppliers (tier 1, 2, 3, 4) are also investing in advanced robotic technology to maintain their competitive edge and scale new heights.
Robots have become more ubiquitous in automotive manufacturing factories across the world (including in India). For example, Maruti Suzuki, India’s leading vehicle maker, has deployed robots at its facilities mainly in the weld shop, the paint shop and the press shop (where automobile bodies are shaped). The car maker uses the most advanced robots, which are smaller in size, take up less space and are 15 per cent faster than their predecessors.
Technological changes, addition of new features in automobiles, rising number of parts that go into each vehicle and the need for higher production are factors that have necessitated automation. “Increased competition, preference for good quality products, being globally competitive along with changes in consumer behaviour, etc are forcing companies to develop new products at a faster pace than ever before. All these factors are leading to increase in automation,” opines Amit Bhingurde, COO, TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors. As the market expands, automakers will have to deploy more robots to meet demands. As per the data released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), 2,100 industrial robots were sold in India in 2014, and this number is expected to double in the next two to three years.
The Indian automakers are investing heavily on industrial robots, and it is expected that this market will witness steady growth in the near future with OEMs taking the lead. Komal Sharma, Analyst, Allied Market Research, elaborates, “In December, 2015, Volkswagen India accounted for more than 115 robots at its Pune plant, while Hyundai Motor India has implemented 400 robots at its factory in Chennai. Similarly, in March 2017, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd employed robots for its manufacturing units, including welding, painting, and press shops, at Gurgaon and Manesar. These robots are deployed for the welding its new generation DZire car. At its Gurgaon facility, the company carries out operations with more than 5,000 robots.”
While OEMs are prime drivers, tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers are also utilising the services of the automated hands. “In India, the industries buying maximum robots are still driven by automotive sector. Last year, while most of the automotive OEMs invested less in robotics, they wanted their tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers to invest more in robotics. So ultimately, it is driven by OEMs. Tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers can be flexible because one tier-1 can supply to different OEMs. Thus, the utilisation of robots will always be there. Even if the production at a particular OEM is down, the tier-1 can still supply to other customers,” explains Pradeep Shoran, AGM-Marketing, KUKA Robotics India Pvt Ltd.
For example, Varroc Engineering, the Aurangabad-based tier-1 supplier of automobile plastics and lights, is reportedly planning to buy industrial robots to expand production facility and business. As demand for robots increase, vendors are looking to tap this opportunity and offer customised solutions to tier-1 and -2 suppliers. “Currently, we see that tier-1 players are also investing a lot in the automation and safety products and we are keen to tap this market,” opines Atul Dave, Managing Director, SICK India Pvt Ltd, one of the world’s leading producers of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial automation applications.
This shows that the Indian industrial robots market is still in the developmental phase. However, the Indian government’s initiative to support growth of this market under ‘Make in India’ campaign is expected to present opportunities for various vendors operating in the market. For instance, in April 2017, TAL Manufacturing launched the country’s first manufactured industrial robot BRABO for small and medium manufacturing units in the country.
“Automobile industry sector deploys highest number of robots world over and in India. But in India, the highest number of robots are deployed only in OEMs (and some in tier-1 and -2 supplier), while automation is not present in facilities of tier-3 and tier-4 suppliers. However, this is likely to change with TAL BRABO in market. We are increasingly trying to create the awareness that robots are not only for big companies, but also for tier-3 and tier-4 suppliers to increase their quality and improve productivity. In order to be globally competitive, we need to catch up soon,” says Bhingurde.
TAL BRABO has all the features which are required to do applications like welding, sealing, vision inspection, machine tending, press tending, loading unloading, pick and place, chamfering, abrading and so on. In addition to OEMs like Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, etc, SMEs are also utilising services of TAL BRABO.
For example, by deploying BRABO robot, CPG Industries - which carries out machining of cylinder parts for Bajaj Auto Limited, Hero Honda, Kinetic Motors and Bajaj Tempo - was able to decrease work station space by 40 per cent. This enabled CPG Industries to put more machines in the same area. After deploying BRABO, CPG was able to improve quality and drastically bring down the material rejection rate which assisted the company in achieving the goal of zero defects and increasing its credibility as a supplier of critical engine components
Many other tier-3 and tier-4 suppliers who are mostly SMEs are looking at incorporating some kind of automation in their facility. “Industrial robotics has been on a growth trajectory in double digits since last more than five years now in India. SMEs sector in India is one of the key contributors for this growth. Traditionally, industrial robots were primarily used in automotive industry and its suppliers but now more and more industry verticals in the manufacturing space have started evaluating and using the robots in their processes to meet the ever-growing requirement for productivity, quality and safety,” says Pradeep Shoran of KUKA Robotics.
Global trends are being observed in the Indian market, majorly in the automotive and manufacturing industry. “Owing to globalisation and high rate of industrialisation, industrial robotics in India is expected to have an optimistic future. For instance, Tata Group company TAL Manufacturing Solutions operates a manufacturing plant in Pune that can develop 3,000 robots a year,” says Komal Sharma of AMR.
Most of the current growth of robotics in India has been witnessed in the automotive industry. Several automobile giants have established their production plants in India, providing a significant boost to industrial automation. Moreover, various American and Korean-Japanese companies opt for India to be the hub for manufacturing industrial robots. Team Indus, NavStik Autonomous Systems, GreyOrange, and others are few companies involved in the production of industrial robots in the country.
Global players consider India to possess high growth potential for robotics. It is expected that the sale of industrial robots will double in the next two to three years, due to growing digitisation and automation. Further, the government’s goal to improve the manufacturing production and productivity under the ‘Make in India’ initiative is attracting numerous foreign players to invest in the country. “Growth in foreign direct investments and investments from venture capitalists has also made India a focal country for robotics and automation. Rapid adoption of industrial robotics is expected to be witnessed by the automotive, agriculture, ecommerce, and manufacturing sectors in India,” opines Sharma.
Bhingurde adds, “In India, production facilities of OEMs are automated, but automation in production facilities of tier-3 and tier-4 suppliers is negligible. We have come up with a product which will plug this gap in the market. TAL BRABO is easy to install, use and maintain. With a significantly low cost of ownership, it will spread robotics automation solution to not only the OEMs but also to production facilities of tier-3 and tier-4 suppliers in the automobile industry.”
“The continuous on-going development of robot and control technology is enabling robotics to establish itself across a broad spectrum of different markets. Cooperating robots are playing their part to optimise production processes and make them more flexible, not just in the automotive industry. In this development, several robots work together to machine the same parts at the same time, for example, thereby reducing cycle times or they jointly handle heavy parts to share the payload. An additional new concept is focusing on improving the cooperation between robots and human operators with overlapping workspaces in order to achieve an optimal degree of automation,” says Pradeep Shoran, AGM-Marketing, KUKA Robotics India Pvt Ltd.
The use of industrial robots has increased steadily in recent years in India. With rise in use of cobots, vendors are also working on technologies to ensure safety their co-workers (the humans).
“Automation is helping automotive industry to a great extent. Be it simple automation of powertrain line or assembly operation. Automation helps customer keep track of the movement of auto parts across the line in a real time and help them trace and track of each and every component. More and more robots and cooperation of robots with human is also made more productive and safe by safety products offering from SICK,” says Atul Dave of SICK India, which provides sensor solutions for industrial automation applications.
Automation in automobile industry world over and in India has seen an upward trend. Traditionally, automobile industry has always been an early adopter of technology. - Amit Bhingurde, COO, TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd
Last year, while most of the automotive OEMs invested less in robotics, they wanted their tier 1 & tier 2 suppliers to invest more in robotics. So ultimately, it is driven by OEMs. - Pradeep Shoran, AGM-Marketing, KUKA Robotics India Pvt Ltd
Automation helps customers keep track of the movement of auto parts across the line in a real time and help them trace and track of each and every component. - Atul Dave, Managing Director, SICK India Pvt Ltd
The surge in demand for automobile and commercial vehicles in emerging markets such as India can be easily met through industrial robotics. - Komal Sharma, Analyst, Allied Market Research
Automotive industry is a shining example of how advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics can set an industry apart. - Abhimanyu Prabhavalkar, VP of Oracle’s IoT Applications Cloud Service