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Electronics industry growth driving manufacturing automation
  • | vneconomictimes | May 26, 2018 05:19 PM
Collaborative robotics company sees major opportunities in Vietnam's electronics sector.

Collaborative robots (cobots) and robots have seen strong adoption in the consumer electronics, textiles, footwear, and oil sectors, according to Universal Robots (UR). Vietnamese manufacturers are increasingly adopting cobot solutions to improve cost efficiency, productivity, and output quality while reducing the need for employees to complete strenuous and repetitive tasks.

Present in Vietnam since 2016, UR distributes cobots through its Vietnamese technology distributor and system integrator partners - the Tan Phat Automation JSC and Servo Dynamics Engineering.

Southeast Asia’s electronics industry is expected to grow as demand for tech gadgets and electrical devices increases. Electronics is the largest export sector in the region, comprising 25 per cent of total exports in goods. The ASEAN Economic Community is harmonizing trade and production within the region, providing manufacturers with lower trade restrictions and promoting the integration of regional value chains to effectively capture global demand.

Electronics is also the largest export sector in Vietnam, contributing $71 billion in 2017, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). The number of electronics enterprises in the country has risen four-fold in the last decade while employees have increased to more than 500,000. The Vietnamese Government has announced the Strategy for Science and Technology Development from 2011-2020 to enhance its economic competitiveness and speed up industrialization, prioritizing the importance of industrial robots and high-tech automation.

Universal Robots is improving productivity, output quality, and worker safety at enterprises. It is present in over 23,000 production environments, benefiting businesses globally across various industries.

It has provided yearly cost savings of over $80,000 to PT JVC Electronics Indonesia (JEIN), a subsidiary of the global leader in electronics and entertainment products, the JVCKENWOOD Group. “We are working with JEIN to accelerate the transition to smarter production and sustainable growth,” said Ms. Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager, SEA and Oceania, at Universal Robots. “JEIN’s automation success is reflective of how cobot integration continues to help businesses across Southeast Asia enhance their manufacturing processes and remain competitive. Cobot adoption is high in the electronics industry, enabling greater productivity, improving safety, and relieving employees of repetitive and strenuous tasks. They are also applied in other sectors, including automotive, pharma and chemistry, and food and agriculture.”

“Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia and is expected to overtake China this year,” she added. “Automation can amplify Vietnam’s economic position amid rising operational costs. To support robotics education, we have the UR Academy, offering free online learning modules to aid businesses in robotics training and adoption. More than 20,000 users from 132 countries have signed up for the training, which includes hands-on learning via interactive simulations.”

The government’s initiatives to enhance Vietnam’s economic competitiveness and speed up industrialization by prioritizing industrial robots and high-tech automation is an important element in supporting automation solutions.

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