Robotics Australia Group and HowToRobot are offering AI to help businesses get automation. Source: HowToRobot
Australia lags behind most other industrialized countries in terms of robot adoption, with a robot density of 134 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR. The world average is 162. HowToRobot and Robotics Australia Group today said they are collaborating to accelerate the adoption of automation across Australian industry.
“Most businesses don’t yet have the structure, bandwidth, and expertise internally to move automation projects forward with the confidence and pace they need,” stated Søren Peters, founder and CEO of HowToRobot. “”We launched a new version of our platform, where AI is helping companies describe their projects. Instead of hiring an engineer to spend 18 months, they can use it to mature the project description so you can go to your manager and say, ‘Look, I need $200,000 to automate this.’”
“We didreportsabout different markets, and we kept in contact with a lot of these countries and their robot associations,” he toldThe Robot Report. “Like many other countries, Australia is struggling to get manufacturers to adopt automation. We showed its association the new version of HowToRobot, and it said, ‘Can we get a copy?’ We created a country version.”
HowToRobot said its independent validation system for automation helps companies work out what to automate, what it should cost, and who can deliver. Thecompanysaid both small operations and Fortune 500 companiesuse its platformand network of experts to discover automation opportunities, specify projects, and connect with vetted suppliers from a global network.
Australianmanufacturingfaces persistent skilled workforce shortages, cost pressures, and the slowest productivity growth in 60 years,according tothe Australian Bureau of Statistics. In itsNational Robotics Strategy, thecountry‘s government said that increasing the use of automationcould add$170 billion to $600 billion per year to Australia’s gross domestic product by 2030. (The U.S. has had similardiscussionsaround a national robotics strategy.)
“If we want the productivity benefits of automation, we need to make it easier for more Australian businesses to actually adopt it,” said Paul Mason, CEO of Robotics Australia Group. “That means helping companies make better decisions before they spend the money — finding the right opportunities, building a sound business case, and getting the right solution providers around the table.”
Robotics Australia Group is intended to facilitate the growth of a sustainable and internationally competitive Australian robotics industry. Theorganizationconnects developers, researchers, integrators, manufacturers, adopters, educators, investors and government across the robotics and automationecosystem. It hasproducedthree editions of the “Australian Robotics Roadmap” and supported the National Robotics Strategy.
The partners have launchedAutomationFinder.com.au, a localized site operated by Robotics Australia Group and using HowToRobot’s AI. It is designed to help Australian businesses identify where automation could benefit their operations the most.
The subscription-based platform provides a structured system for local engineers to describe their needs and then them into supplier-ready project briefs, said HowToRobot. Users can then get real market feedback on costs, feasibility, and solution concepts from a global network of more than 20,000 vetted suppliers — including 500 in Australia alone.
AutomationFinder.com.audraws on data from more than 600 existing automation projects worldwide. The partners also said a panel of independent automation experts is available for hands-on engagements across Australia.
“This partnership brings a system that’s already proven to work in the markets that are furthest ahead,” said Mason. “We are excited to — in partnership with HowToRobot – provide [manufacturers] with the system, expertise, and clarity they need to succeed.”