Russia: Kirill Lipa, CEO of TMH, a member of the Russian Engineering Union, attended a plenary session of the Digital Innopolis Days x AI IN 2024 forum held in Tatarstan, Russia. The forum organisers defined the discussion as “Prospects of Robotics in Russia. Turning Problems into Tasks”.
In his speech, Mr Lipa emphasised that the introduction of robotics-related technologies in Russia is a promising step:
“There is no need to prove that Russia is a country that should develop robotics. We have cheap electricity and it is environmentally friendly. We have a great need for production in places where few people live, not in the Central European part of Russia. So, we obviously need to get involved in this area”.
The head of TMH shared his vision of the role that robotics programmes play in the work of industrial companies, whether they are considered as production complexes or as business units. He believes that the introduction of industrial robots is not driven by the labour supply issues, has significant limitations and can create notable risks:
“Robots that are wedged into the technological process have no effect other than to increase in costs to the cost of their acquisition. On the one hand, a robot will not set any labour records, but on the other hand, you will not be desperate to fire it. I mean it will ensure a consistent production process for a consistently financed investment programme, which is not flexible but fixed”. Robots, according to him, are most in demand where processes require “a consistent, repetitive operation, monotonous and constant”.
According to Mr. Lipa, the most important factor for the success of robotics is a stable demand for robotically produced products:
“If the company’s products are no longer in demand, it automatically goes bankrupt, because the depreciation costs remain as does the interest burden on the capital. The company that fully robotises its production, and this is exactly what we are seeing in China, for example, is taking on a very large financial risk, while there are no flexible mechanisms to hedge these risks exist if the company is working with contracts that can be terminated or even not signed”.
The head of one of the world’s leading manufacturers highlights the great role of robots in ensuring the success of the technological environment in which the robotic industry operates:
“The robot itself cannot exist if the environment is not prepared for it. I am talking about the digitalisation of the entire production process, the introduction of software. It is necessary to adapt the production area to the robot, because the robot can only work where it is placed. Any disturbance in the production and technological process causes the entire line to stop. The whole environment has to be secured because it is mandatory for a robotic technological process”.