THE MAIN TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WELDING INDUSTRY
Analysis of current trends in the Russian and world market of welding equipment
Despite the unstable situation in the economy, many studies have shown that the demand for products around the world is growing, and industries are setting up complex processes and actively mastering new technologies to optimize the production operations performed.
Market-leading Kemppi sees digital development for welding as a significant likelihood of increasing demand for welding robots, as the manufacturing industry has realized the need to implement technologies that implement Industry 4.0 to achieve greater flexibility.
This perspective is also confirmed in Gartner's Technology Outlook, which reports that advanced technologies such as sensors, machine learning, computer vision, robotics, cloud computing, and 5G network infrastructure have contributed to increased supply chain agility and efficiency that manufacturers have achieved when they adopt these tools.
The study of the Analytical Center TAdviser together with the National Association of Robotics Market Participants (NAURR) showed an increase in the number of large integrators by 2 times since 2019. 47 of the 74 largest Russian integrators introduced robots for welding - this is included in the TOP-3 operations for the use of industrial robots (Pic. 1)
- Drilling, milling, riveting, water jet cutting, peeling, cleaning, grinding, polishing
Pic. 1. Operations for which Russian integrators introduced industrial robots | Source: TAdviser and NAURR
The total number of industrial robots in the world already exceeds 1.3 million units. According to the forecast of the Boston Consulting Group, by 2025 the share of tasks solved with the help of robots, will reach 26%.
The Russian share in the global consumption of robots at the moment is less than 1%, and the density of robotization is 2 robots per 10 thousand workers. This is due, among other things, to the fact that technological processes in domestic production are outdated and need to be modernized.
Among the main problems: lack of knowledge about the possibilities of robotization, the complexity of docking and coordinating the components of the robotic complex, the need for each robot to program separately, the lack of design software, weak educational infrastructure and etc.
The volume of sales of industrial robots in Russia is also significantly less than in many countries. In 2019, 958 industrial robots were sold in Russia (98 more than in 2018), of which only 4.8% were of domestic production (pic 2).
Pic. 2. Dynamics of sales of industrial robots in Russia, units. | Source: NAURR
The data obtained from MarketsandMarkets provide a comparative analysis of the share of robotic welding in comparison with the traditional one in the world market. The active growth dynamics of the use of robotic welding among the largest companies that set global trends is obvious: Fanuc Corporation, Kuka AG, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, ABB Ltd. (pic 3).
Pic. 3. World market share analysis – robotic welding vs traditional welding | Source: MarketsandMarkets
For Russia, it is especially important to accelerate the development of mechanical engineering, electronic, electrical and other manufacturing industries, which determine the main demand for industrial robots and sensors. It is necessary to develop and implement an appropriate program for the priority development of these industries.
7 advantages of robotization implementation:
- Cost reduction One robot can release from 3 to 10 FTE*. *FTE is the equivalent of full-time employment, a measure of the employee's involvement in the project.
- Customer satisfaction Increase external and internal customer satisfaction by optimizing the speed and quality of services
- Easy robot integration The use of robots increases the effects of the introduction of other digital technologies: machine learning and neural networks, the use of chatbots, etc.
- Quality Reducing the number of errors caused by the human factor, reducing overtime at peak loads.
- Speed of implementation The implementation period of the robotic solution is from 2 weeks.
- Scalability and configuration flexibility Quick response to business growth, changes in processes without any changes in corporate systems due to a simple change in the settings of the robot.
- Security The robot's secure mechanisms for working with confidential data and controlling access to data and accounts guarantee protection against human interference.
In addition to the main market demand for process automation, the following key trends do not cease to influence the industry:
- Welding 4.0 Principle: Collect and process data to improve productivity and quality.
- Advanced training of specialists in the field of welding.
- Increased welding safety / processes with less smoke emission / personal protection, environmental control.
- Transition in work to lightweight structures using stronger and lighter materials, in particular steel and aluminum.
- Continuous improvement of quality and transition to an increased level of reliability.
- The impact of European directives (environmental design and the development of a circular economy).
- Acceleration of the energy transition (impact on the energy sector, transport, construction, manufacturing and heavy industry, agriculture).
Leading manufacturers of welding equipment
Recognized world and domestic industry leaders operating in the Russian market:
- Abicor Binzel, Cloos Vostok, Deloro Wear Solutions, ESAB, EWM, Foxweld, Kawasaki Robotics, KEMPPI, KUKA, Messer Cutting Systems.
- Aurora, Abinsk Electro Metallurgical Plant, Magnitogorsk Electrode Plant, TETA, Svarog, Cherepovets Welding Materials Plant.
All industry trends – at Weldex
Every year Weldex becomes a platform for discussing key trends and markers of the development of the welding industry in Russia and the world. The business program of the exhibition includes speeches and round tables with the participation of market experts and company leaders who share statistics and experience in implementing the most relevant innovations.
One of the key topics at Weldex 2021 was the modernization and improvement of the efficiency of enterprises with the help of modern technologies. As part of the Automation Day, representatives of Kemppi Russia, ESAB, Yaskawa Russia and other large companies discussed the current state and prospects of digital and automated technologies in the Russian market.
