OMRON has opened a new automation center that will cater to the logistics industry in Singapore, South-East Asia, and Oceania. The center will use Open Robotics’ Robotics Middleware Framework, or RMF, and will have interoperability with “complex and heterogenous multi-robot systems.”
“This is an important step toward enabling stronger and seamless human-machine collaboration, where mobile robots, using natural or existing infrastructure, perform autonomous movement of goods (handling, moving, and storing warehouse assets) as they work alongside humans,” the company said.
OMRON working to address Asia-Pacific needs
Kyoto, Japan-based OMRON said it will work with its industry partners in robotics and automation in the new center to address some of the biggest logistics challenges facing Asia Pacific, including labor scarcity, limited space, and supply chain disruptions. The company said it will leverage its technology to help the area stay resilient.
“The move indicates a big leap for OMRON towards realising our vision of “Enriching the Future for People, Industries and the Globe by innovative-Automation” through expanding the presence & reach of OMRON AUTOMATION CENTERS in niche but growing industries,” said Junta Tsujinaga, OMRON managing executive officer.
“Our long-term vision—Shaping the Future 2030 (SF 2030)—takes into account the dynamic, diversified, and complex world of manufacturing led by Industry 4.0 and digitization,” he added. “With the region's diverse knowledge and maturity levels in automation, we believe that our unique capabilities based on human-machine harmony and collaborations with like-minded organisations will enable the evolution of technologies to realise the transformation of the Logistics industry to Logistics 4.0 and more warehouses being automated.”
New center features cobots and AMRs
The center will be used for fulfillment and feature collaborative robots and mobile robots that will be used for 3D-vision-guided pick and palletize solutions.
“The logistics industry across Singapore and many more countries of Asia Pacific continues to experience unprecedented growth despite many challenges,” Don Teng, managing director of OMRON Asia Pacific. “I believe that a dynamic and resilient supply chain is one of the most important requisites for the region to stay globally competitive and future ready,” said Mr Don Teng, Managing Director, OMRON Asia Pacific.
“OMRON AUTOMATION CENTER Singapore for Logistics will enable players in Asia Pacific to test, develop, and deploy innovative automation solutions to revolutionise workflows and streamline operations, that will act as a big driver to their future growth,” Teng added.
With the launch of the new center, OMRON also announced that it working the ROS-I Consortium to “facilitate the incubation and development of capabilities and applications that leverage the Robotics Middleware Framework.” The consortium is managed by A*STAR's ARTC(2).
OMRON partner with A*STAR for RMF development
“The partnership also aims to develop common standards for robotics and automation that can be applied globally leveraging OMRON's custom mobile robot solutions and use the center as a test-bedding facility to model the RMF in logistics,” the company said.
“We look forward to working closely with OMRON in leading the adoption of the framework in the logistics industry, while encouraging implementation at scale for the industry and other cross-sectorial applications,” said Dr Wong Chow Cher, Assistant Chief Executive, ARTC, A*STAR.
This is OMRON's second automation center in Singapore, sixth in Asia-Pacific, and thirty-eighth worldwide.
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