ABB becomes first company in world to sell 100,000 robots

Citation

(2002), "ABB becomes first company in world to sell 100,000 robots", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929dab.001

ABB becomes first company in world to sell 100,000 robots

ABB becomes first company in world to sell 100,000 robots

ABB, the global power and automation technology group, announced that it had sold its 100,000th robot, becoming the first company in the world to reach the milestone.

ABB's robots are used in a wide range of applications – from car production plants, and the food, pharmaceutical and consumer electronics industries, through to chocolate making (Plates 1 and 2).

"This is a big milestone for us as a company and sends a strong signal to our competitors", said Jouko Karvinen, executive vice president and head of ABB's Automation Technology Products division. "We are the world's first company to sell this many robots, which means our customers – from car-makers to drug companies – have tremendous confidence in our technology. It also means we have the largest installed base of robots globally."

Plate 1 FlexPicker robot IRB 340

Plate 2 IRB 140 robot packing small bottles

ABB produced its first robot in 1974. At that time, the company's robots were mainly used for machine tending and material handling. Nearly 30 years later, that market accounts for some 30 percent of robots sold worldwide. According to the International Federation of Robotics, welding, particularly in the automotive industry, is today's largest robot application.

"In the mid-1980s we rounded out our portfolio of robots, adding special painting robots, again geared to the automotive industry. We worked to innovate with software specific applications", said Karvinen.

ABB's robotics team, working in locations like Sweden, Norway, the USA, Germany and Japan, has in recent years broadened its range of robots. Among many other applications, ABB robots pick chocolates for companies like Lindt and Nestle, and sorts pills for pharmaceutical giants like Novartis and Bayer. Consumer goods companies like Harley-Davidson and Triumph Motorcycles use ABB robots for building and painting motorcycles and the US postal service uses ABB robots to sort mail and packages.

ABB said its robots are ahead of the industry curve when it comes to software packages for increasing efficiency and productivity. Last year, for example, the company released a high-precision robot control system for laser cutting, which is ten times more precise than any other robot on the market. The system, popular with car makers that need watch-making precision for door frames and intricate parts, offered manufacturers cutting precision down to 0.1mm using a standard, medium-sized robot.

ABB has also invested heavily in providing strong industrial solutions simulation and off-line programming tools. The foundation of these tools is the so-called "virtual controller" – the real controller code ported to the PC environment. By interacting with the virtual controller the different software tools can ensure that the behaviour of the simulated robot is identical to that of the real one. All software products are ultimately there to make the investment in robotics more effective and increase the profitability of customers.

Of the 100,000 robots sold, 4,200 have been installed in the UK.

For further information contact David Marshall, ABB, Auriga House, Precedent Drive, Rooksley, Milton Keynes MK13 8PQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1908 350300; Fax: +44 (0) 1908 350301; E-mail: david.marshall@gb.abb.com