Choosing a Solutions Provider for your Technology Upgrade.
This is probably the most difficult part of the whole process. Choosing the right partner is crucial. Not only should the solution be of world class standard, but it must be fully supported today and in the future.
You have decided that the time has come to upgrade your existing facilities, either through necessity or as part of a strategic plan. Your choice of partner is critical to your success, but at the same time make sure you do your homework.
As part of the planning stage take advantage of the web. It is an incredibly rich source of information: case studies, supplier specification sheets, 3rd party evaluations, and so on. They are all there from around the world. At the same time start reading magazines as they too have great articles on standards, industry trends and developments, etc
It is important not to restrict your thinking in advance. You should have a budget based on ROI, but that doesn’t necessitate limiting your goals. For example you are producing X product per hour. Don’t just factor this up to achieve your immediate objective, but think outside the square. For example at MAR, part of our TPM Accreditation is about offering solutions that meet international best practices. If you limit your thinking up front, you may be missing out on major possibilities.
An example is where a robot that has increased loading speeds by 50% may be idle for 30% of the time. Why not use it for picking and placing downstream? Or integrate it with a second line?
The Integrator
Usually the robot is only 25 or 30 percent of the system. In nearly all instances, regardless of whether it is a totally new system or an upgrade to an existing line, you will require hardware, software and fixtures from a range of manufacturers that need to be integrated together.
Where possible, an integrator should be involved at the earliest stage of a project as soon as a company has determined it has an automation need. This is often long before a purchase order is issued. Involving an integrator in the conceptual design and development phase may affect other aspects of the product or process that would prove beneficial in the overall automation program.
Because a robot is not necessarily the best automation solution for every project, it is important to choose an integrator with experience in both fixed and robotic automation. Selecting a company with dual expertise ensures an objective look at the automation solution.
When involved early, an integrator can help solve upstream and downstream problems and perform modelling and simulation studies to estimate cycle times, reach and work cell integration to see if a particular concept will do everything required of it. Once everyone is comfortable with the design, the integrator can then proceed to drawing up a fully costed plan.
Selection considerations
To ensure you have the right partner to build and integrate your project a number of factors should be considered.
1. Experience & Reputation
Potential companies should be experienced in your industry and application and have a good reputation for similar projects. Experience also should extend beyond robotics to tooling. 'How the robot is integrated with the tooling and how problems are worked out is very important.
2. Stability
It is critical to understand the integrator's financial stability. Questions to ask include: How much work will be subcontracted? With the staffing and financial resources available, can the work be done in the allotted timeframe? How long has the integrator been in business? Is financial backing adequate? Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions, it is your business that is at risk.
3. Staffing
When it comes to staffing, numbers do not tell the whole story. You also need to know their background and experience. Does the staff have sufficient depth to provide the expertise needed at the proper points in the project? For example, if an integrator has only one or two staff members capable of programming a robot, this could become a bottleneck and cause delays in the schedule.
4. Support
Another issue is post-installation support. Some integrators maintain contact at regular intervals while other vendors fall on either side ranging from virtually none to basically continuous. Post-installation support may include periodic updates of hardware, software and documentation, as well as tech support and service. These activities may be included as part of the original project or may require a separate agreement like a service or maintenance contract. If service and support is not available in-house and your operation requires 24/7 access, make sure the integrator you choose can provide this. Increasingly an issue in today's quickly changing marketplace where product lives can be measured in months, is whether the integrator will assist in rebuilding or reconfiguring the system to accommodate a new product or task.
5. Training
Since operators and maintenance personnel should be trained prior to installation, unless trainers are available in-house, it's important that an integrator be able to provide instruction either on-site or at its location. This training should be available on an ongoing basis so new personnel can be familiarised with the system as staffing changes occur due to promotions, reassignments or turnover.
6. Documentation / Backups
It is essential that the integrator maintain a permanent, well-organized documentation archives so long-forgotten details can be located quickly when the system needs attention months or years down the road. How long are records kept? How are back-up copies maintained in case of catastrophic events like fires,floods or earthquakes? You'll also want to make sure manuals can be supplied in the level of detail required for your operation.
7. Warranty
It’s important to know the length of the warranty on the system and what it covers. Parts only? Parts and labour? Service personnel travel and expenses? Shipping of new/return of defective parts? Is it based on one-, two- or three-shift-a-day operation? Five or seven days per week? When does it take effect? Upon initial acceptance? Date of shipment? Date of delivery? Date of installation? Date of final acceptance (initial production)? Can it be extended?'
Pitfalls
When hiring an integrator, common pitfalls include making the decision on price alone, focusing solely on the hardware and overlooking training needs. Although cost, is a factor in any purchasing decision, the highest degree of success comes when the buyer focuses on picking the best solution based on long-term return. Success also depends on looking beyond the hardware to consider issues related to manufacturing process flow, training, infrastructure, maintenance and troubleshooting.
Robotic systems rarely succeed or fail based on the hardware.
Machinery Automation & Robotics
1/101 Derby Street
Silverwater NSW 2128
Phone: (61) 2 9748 7001
http://www.machineryautomation.com.au