Collaborative robots are advanced modern robots that are designed to work safely alongside human beings. These robots are incredibly light in weight, safe, and flexible. All these qualities, in addition to their relative affordability, have made them ideal for small and medium-sized businesses that want to reap the benefits of automation.
If you own a packaging business, or if part of your operations involves packaging, you should think about deploying a collaborative robot. The following are the main reasons why these robots are worth the time and investment.
Faster and flexible packaging during peak seasons
If your business usually experiences spikes in demand during certain periods of the year, deploying a cobot will really help you. This is because unlike human beings, they can work nonstop. They can also work faster, and they can do so without making any mistakes.
The alternative of hiring more workers to handle your packaging doesn’t make much sense especially when you have a collaborative option as an option. This is because hiring workers takes time. Even in cases where you get great workers, you will still need them. Furthermore, you will end up getting stuck with a huge payroll expense, something that will definitely get you in trouble if the demand were to suddenly drop.
Collaborative robots are incredibly easy to deploy. They don’t require any severance in case of termination, and they can be redeployed to other areas of the production cycle in case they are not needed to do packaging. Therefore, they offer an effective and flexible way to increase production especially in industries where demand is seasonal.
Reduced injury risks and better job satisfaction for employees
Packaging tasks are relatively repetitive. This presents two main challengers for workers. The first is that it makes the job boring and less fulfilling. This can lead to job dissatisfaction, something that will then lead to a drop in production and employee morale. The second problem that the nature of this work poses is that it increases the risks of injuries. Repetitive work tends to wear out tendons and other areas of the human musculoskeletal frame. As a result, they are among the leading causes of chronic pain.
Using a cobot will help you to solve both of these problems. Since cobots are collaborative in nature, and since they are safe enough to work alongside human beings, they can be programmed to handle the repetitive packaging tasks. Your employees can then be re-assigned to handling tasks that are more meaningful and which give them a sense of fulfillment. This will make them more productive. It will also go a long way in improving their job satisfaction. Furthermore, since the robot will be handling repetitive tasks, it will save your employees from suffering from the chronic pain that always comes with doing repetitive work.
Improved accuracy and better quality control
Roots are more accurate than human beings. They can do the same task repetitively without making mistakes. This benefit is amplified when you consider the fact that unlike human beings, they never get fatigued or bored. They also never lose concentration.
There are two main benefits that accrue from the increased accuracy that these robots provide. The first is that it leads to better packaging consistency. Your customers will be guaranteed to get the same high-quality packaging, with uniform cuts and patterns. This attention to detail and consistency in quality will help to build your reputation. It will also earn you the loyalty of your customer.
The second benefit of improved accuracy has to do with the fact that you will save a lot in raw materials. The precision of the robots will translate to fewer losses and disposals that usually arise due to defective products or packaging. When you add this to the fact that the guaranteed quality that the machine offers will simplify your quality control procedures, it is easy to appreciate their immense cost-saving and time-saving benefits.
