Collaborative robot supports smart manufacturing capabilities

Wasion Group is a manufacturer of smart metering, smart power distribution and energy management in China and international markets. The company produces 35 million units of various equipment annually, including many products in lower volumes. After deploying collaborative robots, (Rethink Robotics), the company has optimized production to meet changing market demands and expedite delivery.

The new robot was first used on an assembly line for manufacturing single-phase energy meters. They are now used at multiple workstations including loading electric meter boxes, PCBA loading and assembling, power testing and code scanning, and carrier loading and assembly. The robot features compliant motion control, which allows it to feel its way into precise and fragile fixtures, even if a part position changes.

“We see smart manufacturing as a significant driver of our company’s growth,” says Liao Qianzhong, general manager of production center at Wasion Group Limited. “We are just beginning to introduce this level of automation into our manufacturing processes, and we are pioneering the practice in China. Deploying smart, collaborative robots will enable us to speed up our production and migrate to smart manufacturing.”

According to Qianzhong, the company has already measured a productivity improvement of 45% since July, while operational costs have decreased by 25% and the part defect rate has dropped by more than 50%.

“Wasion advocates innovation, and we encourage our team to embrace new technologies,” Qianzhong says. “Collaboration with the robots increases our employees’ efficiency and supports them to pursue innovation. The workers who were previously on the assembly line will be retrained and assigned to other value-added positions. We have already seen positive results from our initial deployment, and we also see tremendous potential for wider use in our operations.”