In Australia and New Zealand, cobots may assist take advantage of ‘Asia’s food-bowl’

In Australia and New Zealand, a thriving meals and beverage trade has been among the many first to show to collaborative automation. It’s a pattern that can assist maintain the sector by labor shortages.

Australia and New Zealand each have lengthy and proud histories as agricultural exporters. Australia alone produces sufficient to feed 80 million individuals, although the nation has a inhabitants of simply 26 million.

Meals and drinks from Australia are exported the world over, notably to the US and Asia, with China as a serious end-customer. From seafood and meat to grains, dairy and wine, Australia and New Zealand’s agriculture, meals and beverage industries make a serious contribution to employment and their economies ($71 billion in Australia). Over 243,000 individuals are employed within the meals and beverage manufacturing sectors in Australia.

In latest years Australia’s meals sector has been smashing data for manufacturing, exports and farm earnings. Nevertheless, food manufacturing is nonetheless labor-intensive and a thriving trade is closely depending on having the workforce to arrange and package deal foods and drinks for home use and export.  

Regardless of file manufacturing within the meals sector, Australia is dealing with the tightest labor market in lots of a long time. Immigration has slowed down because the begin of the COVID-19 pandemic and companies are searching for methods to do extra with fewer individuals.iv It has been estimated that by 2030, 1 in 3 new jobs created within the agriculture trade might be expertise associated.

Automation serving to the meals and beverage sector 

As in different international locations, automation has an necessary position to play in supporting companies of all sizes. The World Robotics 2022 report signifies that 26% of business robotic installations in 2021 in Australia and New Zealand had been within the meals trade.  

Within the midst of labor shortages, collaborative robots are effectively positioned to help Australia and New Zealand’s meals and beverage sector to package deal and palletize its output. In the previous few years, industrial robots have been steadily gaining reputation amongst manufacturers on this area, particularly with dealing with and meeting duties. With the elevated payload of the UR20, palletizing merchandise in bulk, particularly drinks, will turn out to be more and more accessible.   

There may be a lot untapped potential right here as each international locations are manner below the worldwide common ratio of business robots to manufacturing workers.