Techblog
What the government push towards automation and robotics means for SMEs
With the recent budget’s push for greater automation signalling a revolution in the Singapore robotics sector, SMEs – and not just big corporations - may finally be able to afford solutions and put them to business use.
The Singapore robotics scene received a major boost with the government’s recent announcement of an additional S$450 million committed to the National Robotics Programme over the next three years. This package would support robotics development and deployment across healthcare, construction, manufacturing and logistics.
The government’s push for robotics is also evident from the country’s upcoming National Day Parade, where drones will wow crowds in displays that emphasise the futuristic theme of ‘Building our Singapore of Tomorrow’.
The many faces of robots
Drones present limitless possibilities, from use in urban infrastructure management and farming to the detection of oil spills, monitoring of mosquito-breeding grounds and disaster response. Other than these flying robots, robot waiters with trays in their ‘bellies’ are currently being integrated with an ordering and payment system to serve food at a multi-storeyed office building. Within the logistics sector, robots can also be found in cold rooms, cutting down on manual labour and expediting processes.
It’s clear from these examples that many organisations are exploring the innovative use of robotics across industries. However, SMEs typically have been hesitant to use such technologies due to limited budgets, the need for trained specialists and potentially longer payback periods.
All this is set to change with the Singapore government attempting to “make automation the centrepiece of economic transformation”.
How robotics can benefit SMEs
As industrial robots find their way into Singapore, here are some ways SMEs stand to benefit in the near future.
Automation: Robots can perform a multitude of repetitive tasks with minimal supervision to break the monotony faced by human workers. Consider the benefits from automating refuse handling where the robot collects refuse bins and empties it into the garbage collection truck under the watch of the truck driver who simply needs to input instructions into the truck’s operating system.
Reskilling and retraining of employees: As automation frees up manpower resources, SMEs can give workers the opportunity to upgrade their skills and use their expertise in other departments. For instance, the use of drones to transport food from the kitchen to the restaurant floor helps waiters focus on higher-value tasks such as engaging with customers, ensuring quick service and promoting new menu items.
Considerable cost benefits: Robotics solutions come with free and regular software upgrades that take care of multiple functions and lower downtime. The return on investment with a single robot can become evident in as short a period as a year to a year-and-a-half.
Enhanced flexibility: Robots are no longer massive machines that are difficult to move across locations. They come in different sizes, can be mounted on walls and are even wearable, which can be used for real-time healthcare monitoring.
Improved safety for workers: Dual arm robots, for example, can work on production lines alongside their human counterparts without endangering them. Using force sensors, these robots detect changes in force applied, have speed-limited motors and rely on software governing safety, which considerably minimises the risk to the humans.
Other advantages: As robots have the ability to manufacture products with better consistency and precision, higher quality products and lower material waste can be expected.
As robotics solutions become more widely adopted, it is only natural that the costs of implementation will reduce. Significant competition among robotics service providers will also make the technology affordable to many SMEs. This will help the country to realise its vision of harnessing automation to address the pressing problems of manpower shortage and inefficient production processes.
- Staying competitive mandates that businesses leverage the potential that automation offers.
- SMEs can ensure sustainable growth by making smart investments in robotics solutions.
- Robotics solutions can lead to increased productivity, high-quality output and safe working environments for all employees.
- As the technology becomes more established, the competition in developing robots is expected to drive costs down so robotics becomes affordable.
Robotics solutions may not be new to Singapore, but with the government pushing for greater automation in the economy, businesses are becoming more convinced of the benefits of adopting this technology. For SMEs, the proliferation of industrial robots has the potential to be a game-changer as they begin to experience greater flexibility, increased cost savings, better consistency and higher job satisfaction levels.