ABB, the global power and automation technology group, has announced the sale of its 5,000th robot into the UK market. The robot, part of a package of three IRB 340 FlexPickers, will form an element of an end-of-line picking solution for Allied Bakeries, designed and developed by RTS Flexible Systems. At the RTS headquarters in Irlam, Manchester, Martin Walder, managing director of ABB Robotics UK, presented RTS managing director, David Bradford, with a commemorative framed plaque to record the event.
Walder commented: 'Delivery of the 5,000th ABB robot to a UK customer is a landmark in our history, and, bearing in mind there are still only an estimated 14,200 robots in total in UK industry, the statistics prove that ABB is very much market leader.' The Group sold its first UK robot, a materials handling model, in 1974 and the distinctive ABB marque has become a familiar sight in manufacturing plants throughout the country.
'RTS is breaking new ground in flexible automation solutions by focussing its skills on relatively untapped areas of growth, such as the food manufacturing industries and life sciences, rather than concentrating on the established stronghold of the robot, the automotive industry,' added Walder.
'Such applications bring new and demanding challenges for OEM and integrator alike and the relationship is very much a technology partnership between the two companies.' Bradford sums up: 'I see delivery of the 5,000th robot by ABB as the start of a new initiative rather than a step along the way.
As the recent RTS sponsored food manufacturers Survey 'Appetite for Automation' demonstrated, there is massive potential in the UK food industry.
With the advent of easy-to-use and cost effective robot-based solutions, the food industry is a sector where I firmly believe we can achieve significant growth.' ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact.
The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 104,000 people.