How do domestic industrial robots break through?

Under the background of deepening industrial transformation and upgrading and diminishing demographic dividends, industrial robots are becoming more and more widely used. According to a survey by the International Robotics Federation, from 2008 to 2011, China's robot adoption rate (ie, the proportion of robots per 10,000 employees) increased by 210%. In 2012, the average growth rate of the output value of robots in Shenzhen exceeded 30%, and the growth rate of individual enterprises even reached 200%. In the past two years, the state has introduced relevant policies to support the development of the robot industry, and many provinces have established the Robot Industry Alliance. According to the current development trend, internationally, China is expected to become the world's largest demand market for industrial robots in 2014.

However, it is worth noting that China has not really formed a self-owned brand and has a certain scale of industrial robot industry. Compared with major developed countries, China's robot industry is slow to develop, core technology is weak, and market share and added value are low. The reporter was informed that the current foreign-branded industrial robot products accounted for more than 90% of China's domestic market share. Mr. Chen, a research and development staff member of an industrial robot manufacturing company in Shenyang, said: "The key components of the robot joint parts of the reducer in China are generally dependent on imports. This allows us to have at least one or two decades of advanced foreign standards. gap."

Zhao Jie, head of the "12th Five-Year" National 863 Program Robotics Theme Expert Group, suggested that domestic robots can break through in low-end products to promote large-scale applications and gain experience and then move to the high-end market.

â–¡ win weekly reporter Zhu Weiwei text / map

Industrial robots lead to manufacturing revolution

In recent years, the rising labor costs have forced many companies in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta to move out. In order to maintain profits, they have to move their manufacturing links to the central and western regions of China, Southeast Asian countries with lower labor costs, and even to human resources. African countries with low costs can no longer be low. The former "world factory" faced a difficult transition. However, Imagine that the headquarters economy and branding process are not available for most ordinary manufacturing companies. Where is “Made in China” going?

At the same time, another revolution in manufacturing is happening quietly around the world. The same is the theme of migration, but it is the reverse migration completely opposite to the above migration direction. An American expert put forward this year: "When we combine artificial intelligence, robotics and digital manufacturing technology, there will be a revolution in manufacturing. It will enable American entrepreneurs to start construction locally and produce a variety of In this way, how can China compete with us? The United States is destined to regain leadership in the manufacturing industry, and it is time to turn to China to worry about it.” The American scholar’s ​​three major wars on Chinese manufacturing The manufacturing model produced by the combination of technologies can be called manufacturing intelligence, that is, intelligent manufacturing.

Industrial robot is a modern intelligent equipment integrating mechanical, electronic, control, computer, sensor, artificial intelligence and other multi-disciplinary advanced technologies. It will soon become a high-tech and high-efficiency equipment that cannot be replaced by manufacturing. For more than a decade, the demand for industrial robots worldwide has expanded rapidly.

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) statistics, from 2002 to 2012, the annual growth rate of new industrial robots in the world was about 9%. Among them, demand surged in 2010 and 2011, and in 2012, global industrial robot production and sales reached 160,000 units.

It is estimated that by 2025, 5%-15% of manufacturing workers will be replaced by industrial robots, and the annual growth rate of global installed capacity is 25%-30%, higher than the growth level of the past 20 years, but lower than 2011. Year and 2012 growth rate.

The data shows that the demand for industrial robots in China is growing rapidly: from 1999 to 2008, the installed capacity has increased by more than 20% every year. In 2010, China's possession was 52,290 units, and in 2011, it was 74,317 units, achieving 42% annual growth. . At present, the actual amount of possession should have exceeded 100,000 units. In 2008-2012, the average annual installed capacity of industrial robots in China was about 15,000. Even in the global economic recession in 2009, sales volume was growing against the trend. In 2010, the installed capacity was 14,978 units, in 2011, it was 22027 units, and in 2012, it was 24,800 units.

The world's most demanding industrial robots are in the automotive industry, accounting for 27.27%; the electronics manufacturing industry accounts for 22.82%, which is closely related to technological breakthroughs in consumer electronics in recent years; secondly, the rubber and plastics industry and Metal products accounted for 8.71% and 3.62%, respectively.

According to IFR's forecast, by 2014, China will become the world's largest demander of industrial robots, with a demand of 32,000 units, accounting for 17% of global sales.

At present, most domestic enterprises are concerned about how to grow their businesses. They are thousands of people and tens of thousands of people. Foreign companies are more about pursuing technological leadership and making their products indispensable in the manufacture of other products. Chinese manufacturing companies rely mainly on price and quantity to win, lacking core technology. As the cost of labor and raw materials increases, the profits of manufacturing companies will become thinner and thinner. Looking at the world, the third industrial revolution centered on "digital intelligent manufacturing" is coming, and the protagonist of this revolution is the large-scale popularization and application of artificial intelligence represented by industrial robots.

Domestic robots receive policy support

Although China's industrial robot market is about to become the world's number one, this market is dominated by foreign brands. According to statistics, in 2012, China's industrial robot market sales accounted for the top 10 foreign brands, and foreign giants dominated the market share of more than 80%.

Faced with the bright prospects and the weak foundation of the initial stage of industrialization, China's industrial robot industry urgently needs to establish “top-level design” such as industrial policies, industry development plans, and common technology platforms to accelerate the pace of development of independent brands. Among them, it is particularly important to formulate special plans for industrial robots and increase technical research and development efforts.

The reporter learned from the Guangdong Industrial Robot Promotion and Application Industry Alliance that was established recently that with the continuous warming of the domestic robot concept in recent years, the relevant support policies for the robot industry have been continuously followed up. In 2011, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the smart manufacturing equipment industry plan. In 2012, the Ministry of Science and Technology released the “12th Five-Year Plan” for the development of service robot technology, and proposed to overcome the common technology of industrial robot body, precision reducer, servo drive and motor, controller and other core components, and independently develop industrial robot engineering products. To realize the technological breakthrough and industrialization of the core components of industrial robotic machines.

In July 2013, Wang Weiming, deputy director of the Equipment Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, revealed that the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of the Industrial Robot Industry” has been reported to the Ministry of Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology and other ministries and commissions, and may soon be officially released. Industry support.

The "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" is a key turning point in the development of China's industrial robot industry, and market demand will also show a spurt development. Zhang Xianmin, dean of the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering at South China University of Technology, pointed out that the industrial scale of industrial robots is expected to exceed one trillion in 2015, and the industry prospects for smart manufacturing and intelligent equipment are optimistic. Taking Shenzhen as an example, the data shows that the scale of products related to robot technology, home appliances, communications and other equipment manufacturing industries has reached more than 300 billion yuan, ranking first in the country. In 2012, the average growth rate of the output value of robots in Shenzhen exceeded 30%, and the growth rate of individual enterprises even reached 200%.

On April 21, 2013, the “China Robot Industry Alliance”, led by the China Machinery Industry Federation, was unveiled at the Beijing Science and Technology Hall. The alliance aims to promote the development of China's industrial robot industry, guide the progress of domestic enterprises, and promote the industry forward. All local robot industry alliances have been established, and industry, academia and research have joined forces to overcome the cutting-edge technology of robot manufacturing.

Experts suggest that financial capital, venture capital and private capital should be encouraged to invest in industrial robot applications and industrial development. For industrial robot projects with advanced technology, obvious advantages, and strong driving and supporting functions, priority should be given to credit support. Actively support qualified industrial robot companies to directly finance capital markets at home and abroad.

At the same time, the first set of subsidy policies was introduced under the condition that the reliability of domestic industrial robots reached a certain level. It is allowed to set up an industrial robot leasing company to promote the use of industrial robots by small enterprises with less capital, and industrial robot leasing may become a model for promoting the rapid development of the industrial robot industry.

Great changes in the employment structure

Regarding the labor cost of robots, a person in charge of the marketing department of Guangzhou CNC calculated the account for the reporter: At present, the cost of a simple 2-axis and 4-axis robot has dropped to less than 100,000 yuan/unit, and the domestic 6-axis robot The price is as low as 130,000 yuan / Taiwan. At present, the annual salary cost of a manufacturing worker in China reaches 40,000 yuan. According to the 12th Five-Year Plan, if the minimum wage standard is increased by more than 13% annually and the wages of employees are increased by 15%, this will be a huge expenditure.

Robots can work 24 hours a day, and each robot can replace at least 3 workers, so the cost can be recovered in less than a year. Even with the training and equipment maintenance costs of the relevant staff, all investments can be recovered in 18 months. The life of the robot is usually 10 years, and the robots that have been eliminated due to the upgrade of the production line can usually serve for more than 3 years.

If a 6-axis robot can replace four or five workers, the three shifts will be 12-15 employees, and the annual labor cost savings will be 480,000-600,000 yuan. The actual time required to recover the investment and the purchase of 2, 4 axes The robot is no different, the only difference is the money needed to initially put the equipment.

In addition to the labor cost advantage, the use of robotic production can significantly reduce the production area. Originally needed a production workshop that can accommodate 3,000 people, now only need a factory that can accommodate 1,000 people. Through the cooperation of workers and robots, the production capacity can even increase several times.

As robots enter the manufacturing process more and more widely, they will inevitably replace workers with lower-tech jobs in the factory assembly line, which may cause the latter to be unemployed; but at the same time, they will increase the job opportunities of engineers and technicians, so as not to cause Excessive unemployment.

One expert said that the key to the relationship between robots and unemployment is whether robots are used to replace humans or to alleviate human burdens. Artificial intelligence can never replace human intelligence. The current intelligent robot can only help humans to do some simple work, free human beings from tedious and simple repetitive work and high-risk work, and avoid workers on the assembly line from becoming machines. In the case of the continuous shortage of labor in China, the use of robots is a supplement to the labor shortage.

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