On the one hand, the Indian economy is on an upsurge. Naturally it has its cascading effect on everything. The standard of living is going up. Ample credit is available from financial institutions. This has increased the affordability and purchasing power of the lower middle class. This has spurred the demand for automobiles in the country On the other, developed countries like US, UK, etc. are slowly hitching their future to computers, IT and related fields. A country like Taiwan is also slowly shifting its support to these industries. Basically US has created a revolution by introducing Micreosoft Corporation and Intel’s contribution to this world is invaluable. Such inventions and contributions no doubt made them leaders. However, for the last few years US has not given any new revolutionary product. Hence the possibility of losing the leadership position has come at par with other developed countries.Everybody is having a cold war of becoming the world leader. Slowly but surely a global market likes India or China will be moving to that position if political decisions and environmental factors are in favour. Big giants like General Motors and Boeing are also starting their units in India (Pune and Nagpur respectively) Globally the market is trying to standardize, either by shifting or entering into new markets or locations. Robot participation in the manufacturing world is most visible in the automotive industry. In fact over 60 per cent of robot sales is in this industry. Robots make the entire process look very simple as, with unerring accuracy, they repeat the same procedures over and over again. Behind the simplest pick and place movement, however, lies a remarkable amount of technology. And the complexity of the tasks continues to grow, as the market demands shorter cycle times, more cost efficiency, and increased reliability and flexibility. Besides all this, technical evolution and innovation are forcing manufacturers to rethink the way robots are employed. Years of technological developments have enabled them to come out with solutions that simplify and standardize many of the different car development and manufacturing process. These solutions, designed as “Plug and Produce” standardized manufacturing modules, are based on the extensive use of robots. The rapid evolution of products and markets requires manufacturing to be very agile. However, it also presents them with a dilemma: How to infuse more flexibility into production facilities without having to invest heavily in extra plant and equipment?

Industrial robotics automation or systems will continue to develop in complexity to meet the increasing market demand for enhanced flexibility. Automation will eventually replace several conventional shop floor machinery like jigs and fixtures. For many years, the automobile industry was restricted by the inflexibility of the frames and fixtures used to build cars. Each car model required a massive steel construction to hold the car parts firmly in place during assembly.

The world market for industrial robots is projected to increase from under 100,000 units in 2004 to around 1, 25,000 in 2008, an average annual growth of over 6 per cent.Emerging markets like India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, etc. have been slow to adopt industrial robots in their automation primarily due to a misconception that robots are expensive combined with this notion that labour cost is extremely low. However, manufacturing processes must look at leveraging robotics to maintain and increase competitiveness in today’s global market, besides meeting ever rising consumer expectations. The growth potential for robotic automation will be the highest in the Asian markets which consist primarily of developing markets like India and China. Robot-based automation systems are fast expanding from the dominant automotive market to sectors like pharmaceuticals, food, consumer, plastics, glass, etc

Growth and development are certain for the companies that follow the norms of Productivity,Accuracy, Reliability and Consistency so as to be agile in a competitive environment. This assumes importance especially with reduced availability of skilled manpower and diversion by the current generation to IT and related sectors like call centers or service centers.Poona Automation can offer complete solutions for automation in the automobile sector.

Companies adopting new technologies or trends will not only save some cost but also increase sage of good quality materials. Today by introducing XY-CNC plasma cutting machines, the industry has made a dent in the market of press cutting, and oxy-fuel cutting. Considering the disadvantages of the latter, many multi-nationals have accepted this technology long ago. Now that this technology has become cheaper, it has opened up the market for medium and small-scale industries. Moreover the buying power of these sectors has gone to a great extent along with the acceptance of this proven technology.A large number of small and medium scale enterprises are either using this for their own products or catering to the large industries. All are under extreme pressure for timely delivery schedules. The cost of a robot has dramatically decreased over the last 5-10 years and these machines have become quite affordable. The price of a robot can be compared to the price of a mid-range to high- end automobile.
We foresee a strong demand for the following types of Robots: IRB 140/1410/1600/2400 for welding, cutting pick & place, and various other applications.

Plasma is recommended for cutting because of its inherent advantages. Some of advantages of these are as follows:
• 100% safer due to non-inflammable consumables and inbuilt safety controls e.g. transformer powered or inverter powered
• Can cut even under water
• Can cut all conductive materials e.g. Stainless steel, die steel, high alloy, low alloy, copper, aluminum, brass, etc
• With our XY-CNC plasma cutting system one can cut upto 12 mtrs/min.
• Minimum three times faster than conventional method of cutting
• Electric base products, thus absolutely legal.
• Minimal consumables size (01”inch) which can be stored easily, capacity to cut lowest 100 mtrs per set.
• Distortion is very less at sub-surface level.

Increasing the production or reducing the cost inputs plays a vital role in automolile production where a 2% saving is equivalent to 20% of sales. We are manufacturing XY-CNC plasma cutting machine. Conventional method of cutting sheet metal components is done with the help of press wherein production loss is calculated at 7% to 22% depending on the component size. With the help of XY-CNC the cost can be reduced from 3% to 7%. XY-CNC plasma cutting system totally eliminates blank cutting. Nesting software enables to utilize the entire sheet to the extent of last millimeter. Plasma cutting machine itself is not only cost saving compared to conventional gas cutting (Oxy- Fuel), but also three times faster. Robo-plasma can have multi-demensional axis with the best cutting option. For low end products plasma can also be fitted to profilers or used on pug cutting machines. Manual cutting can have options for circle cutting

Robots have not only become stronger, they can also operate over larger working areas and can position parts with sub-millimeter accuracy. This positioning ability replaces specialized equipment and greatly simplifies production cell design. Tooling has also improved. Assembly lines equipped only with welding, plasma cutting, and material handling or XY-CNC plasma cutting system provide an ideal basis for standardization. Lightweight tools and intelligent tool changers have also made their mark. We can provide all these solutions.

Robot manufacturers will need to provide simple, easy to-use programming and operator interfaces that are ‘plug and play enabled to ensure safe operations and take full advantage of the new technology.
ABB being a global player is established in India. Looking to the demand, they have also agreed toincrease their base to geographical locations all over India, to reach the actual user. Their technical back-up and updates are provided to us. Global Channel Partners’ Meet organized by ABB Robotics Division at Sweden in the month of June’ 07.
It is early to talk much about it. Expectations and demands are very high from both ends. Particularly in our case (As channel partner), ensuring the win-win situation for all three of us is like walking on rope. Customer’s requirement, combination of products, equipment and accessories, limitation to technology and interfacing and providing the complete solutions, fitting within the budget of the customer are all factors to be considered.

Yes, we have a tie-up with the Hero Power Group for their inverter plasma cutting machines.

Inverter machines are power saving, portable and they yield high productivity.

Automation will be the core business tomorrow. It will be a must for any application, be it cutting welding, pick & place or painting. Since robot does a repetitive job, with accuracy, consistency and reliability we expect a good demand for robotics in the days to come. And we hope to become a Rs. 100 crores company by 2009.