As a specialist in material handling and supply chain solutions, the Kion Group relies on Cloos automation solutions for welding industrial trucks. In total, the group uses more than 70 Cloos robot systems at eight manufacturing sites worldwide.

“In the years of collaboration with Cloos, we were able to develop new technology standards that have created added value for both sides,” explains Jürgen Grünewald, senior project manager – welding andautomation production technologies at the Kion Group.

For example, Cloos and Kion have developed a chained robot system for the automated welding of masts at the Stribro site.

With more than 40,000 employees in over 100 countries, Kion’s solutions improve the flow of materials and information in production plants, warehouses and distribution centres. More than 1.6 million forklift trucks and warehouse trucks and around 8000 installed systems are in use worldwide – at customers of various sizes in numerous industries.

The Stribro site in the Czech Republic has grown very strongly since opening. Around 70 of the approximately 400 employees work in the welding area. Due to the general shortage of skilled workers and many industrial companies in the region, it is not easy to find qualified employees. Kion wants to counter this issue with a high level of automation. The company currently uses seven robot welding systems at Stribro, with another in the assembly process.

“We chose Cloos because the company is the best provider on the market when it comes to combining welding processes and robot systems,” Grünewald emphasises. “This is a big advantage for Kion because welding is a key manufacturing process for us.”
For further information www.cloos.co.uk

Supply chain disruption and rising material costs are causing the global automotive industry to re-evaluate lean manufacturing principles, reveals a new survey commissioned by ABB Robotics. Shifting from ‘just-in-time’ to ‘just-in-case’ strategies, manufacturers are holding more stock to protect against unplanned disruptions.

Nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents reported ongoing supply chain concerns when asked to select their top three challenges to automotive manufacturing, while 41% cited the impacts of material and component price increases and 31% pointed to growing labour costs and shortages. The survey also revealed how manufacturers were turning to increased stockholding and bulk material purchasing to limit their exposure to disruption elsewhere in the supply chain, while working with a wider network of suppliers to ensure sufficient availability of parts.

“This seismic shift in manufacturing logistics requires smart, effective solutions,” says Joerg Reger, managing director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line. “ABB is addressing these challenges directly with more efficient and flexible solutions, such as our range of AMRs, which can greatly improve the speed of delivery of critical parts to the assembly line.”

The survey highlighted how the rising cost of raw materials (62%) had already overtaken energy costs (59%) as the industry’s chief concern. Energy efficiency continues to be important, while an identical number of respondents (17%) felt that tighter cost management was crucial to the industry’s response. After launching in 2022, solutions like ABB PixelPaint are helping to reduce waste and increase efficiency in automotive painting applications, enabling manufacturers to manage costs better while operating more sustainably.

The ABB survey includes close to 600 global industry experts, from vehicle manufacturers, and supplies at all levels of management, engineering and other key professionals.
For further information www.abb.com/robotics