Types of Industrial Robots in Manufacturing and Warehousing

The use of robots in an industrial application has transformed industries thanks to their efficiency and uptime. While costs are high initially, robotic equipment generally delivers an ROI quickly in terms of consistency, efficiency and reduced operating costs while collaborating with employees to produce the desired outcome.

Many robots available today are commonly found in warehouses, manufacturing plants and other industrial facilities, but new robots on the market, such as autonomous cleaning machines and robots in the restaurant industry mean you may start seeing them more in your daily life.

At Tennant, we utilize robots in our manufacturing plants to assist with a variety of tasks. Our Minneapolis manufacturing plant has welding robots to assist in welding frames for our machines to help maintain consistency and a high volume of production. While we’ve been using welding robots for at least 20 years, changes in the labor market, such as difficulty finding highly skilled welders, has made these robots even more valuable for production.

Additionally, we use computer controlled and automated machines like press brakes, lasers for cutting steel and other types of fabrication tasks. Robotic and automated machinery ensures we are using modern technology and are able to react to the needs of our customers.

Other Uses for Robots in Industrial Settings:

Pick & Pack:

Warehouses and fulfillment centers looking to reduce the amount of time it takes to locate and pick items from a shelf are implementing automated warehouse pickers to do the job. These robots collaborate with employees to move through the picking process, help group similar orders and shorten fulfillment times.

Palletizing Robot:

A palletizer stacks cases or goods or products into pallets. Manually performing this task can be time consuming, expensive and even dangerous for employees, so many companies have automated this process. Robotic palletizers were introduced in the early 1980s and have continuously evolved over the past 3 decades.

Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV):

AGVs offer predictable and repetitive transport of materials between production and processing lines or supply materials from storage to production areas.

While robotics usage will only continue to increase, it’s important to note that the majority of robots are not deployed to take jobs from people. Many robots are designed to work alongside humans or collaborate with them in order to be more efficient and consistent.

Whether or not you work in a manufacturing or warehousing environment, robotics is a hot topic in all industries globally due to changes in the labor market, shifting technologies and the ability to meet changing customer expectations.