Universal Robots (UR), the world’s leading collaborative robot (cobot) company, urged local manufacturing industries to boost investment in robotics and advanced automation.
This would help Malaysia achieve its targeted Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the manufacturing sector of RM587.5 billion by 2030, in line with the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP 2030).
Universal Robots’ APAC regional president said cobots offer manufacturers in Malaysia a flexible solution capable of performing a range of applications at energy efficient levels.
“Accelerating the adoption of automation will be key in driving innovation, enhancing productivity, and creating new opportunities for growth. It will play a pivotal role in charting the next seven years of Malaysia’s industrial transformation,” he said in a statement today.
Sobieski said although NIMP 2030 has identified several key challenges including slow improvement in economic complexity and stagnated growth in labour productivity, which is lower than Singapore.
“Among the industrial tasks identified for robotics and advanced automation in NIMP 2030 include welding, assembling, inspecting defects and packaging—all crucial areas which cobots are best designed for.”
NIMP 2030, which aims to catalyse Malaysia’s manufacturing industry growth, provides national strategic direction to lead the industrial development policies to drive high-impact growth in Malaysia.
In the bid to encourage the adoption of automation in Malaysia, UR will also be hosting the largest cobot conference in the region, Collaborate APAC 2023 in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 25.
Among the participants are companies such Plasform and Sensata. It will also include panel discussions by University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) academics, along with leaders representing local manufacturers, the Malaysian Robotics and Automation Society, and UR.
“Cobots grant access to the benefits of advanced robotic automation without the extra cost associated with traditional robots.
“There is no difficulty in programming or long set-ups with cobots, making the transition to automation easy even for small-batch manufacturers looking to innovate and increase efficiency,” added Adam.
The global cobots market size, valued at US$1.23 billion in 2022, is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.0% from 2023 to 2030.
