Universal Robots, the UK’s leading collaborative robot (cobot) supplier, has announced it will introduce its first-ever ‘SME Automation Month’ this October.
The month will be dedicated to helping British small and mid-size enterprises understand and access cobots and begin to kickstart recovery from the challenges of Covid-19.
SME Automation Month is designed specifically to tackle the pain points faced by smaller businesses when adopting automation. A wide array of free resources will be available, such as webinars and online, one-to-one consultations with local automation experts, as well as new leasing options which will allow SMEs to reap the financial rewards of automation before having to start payback on their cobot.
The full SME Automation Month offering includes:
- Introductory Webinar – SMEs can join an expert-led webinar on Wednesday October 7th at 11:00am (BST) which will detail the month’s offering in full and serve as a guide to attendees on how to avail of resources. Sign up here.
- Free Automation Assessments – connect with experts who can analyse existing operations and detail where cobots can optimise production, increasing efficiency, output and profits
- New Leasing Terms – although UR cobots are already affordable, starting at just £300 per month, UR’s new ‘buy now, start paying 2021’ leasing programme allows SMEs to reap the financial reward of automation right away
- Expert training – businesses can train their team in cobot programming within 2-4 days. As UR cobots are highly user-friendly, very little training is needed.
- Quick, painless setup – cobots can be set up within 30 minutes, meaning that SMEs can benefit from increased productivity and profits almost immediately
Mark Gray, Universal Robots Country Manager UK&I said: “Following a challenging period for the industry, greater adoption of automation is critical across the Irish SME landscape to allow producers to support jobs by ensuring they are competitive, efficient and flexible enough to thrive now and into the future. Yet, we know that many Irish SMEs still feel ill-equipped to start their journey with automation. We also appreciate that during these uncertain times, SMEs are understandably reluctant to invest in new technologies, but with cobots, smaller businesses can reap the benefits, almost immediately and at an affordable cost.
“We’d love to see UK SMEs engaging with automation like we have seen across the rest of Europe and SME Automation Month is an ideal time to do so. Bloom in a Box is a UK-based SME that used our cobots to adapt their operations quickly during the initial coronavirus outbreak, switching their production line from packing flowers to manufacturing PPE, proving that whether a business wants to improve existing operations or quickly adapt to a new market opportunity, cobots make it simpler to be flexible and stay profitable.
“The magic of cobots is that they are purposefully designed to change the workplace for the better – to collaborate with humans and make their working life easier. In addition, cobots make the workplace safer by ensuring that humans no longer have to take on dull, dirty or dangerous tasks. Now with distancing a key measure in the fight against coronavirus, cobots pose a real opportunity for SMEs.
“We hope that the increased prevalence of cobots, as part of the rise of automation will deliver a positive shift in the perceptions held towards them. For us, it’s all about education and helping people to see the benefits to understand that cobots are here to support and empower.”
Businesses can find out more about SME Automation Month and register for resources by visiting www.universal-robots.com or following Universal Robots on LinkedIn.