Robot colleagues boost the bottom line

END USER: Stantræk A/S, +45-86-22-03-77, www.stantraek.dk.
CHALLENGE: Up productivity without increasing payroll.
SOLUTION: Adding robotic production.
SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Armiga A/S, +45-97-98-25-18, www.armiga.dk; Universal Robots A/S, +45-89-93-89-89, www.universal-robots.com.

Stantræk A/S has found a way to expand production without significantly increasing payroll—from 2008 to 2013, revenue increased from $4 to $7 million while headcount only went from 21 to 28. To help boost production without increasing payroll, the Lystrup, Denmark, contract manufacturer purchased new “employees” from Armiga A/S, Thisted, Denmark.

Specifically, Stantræk added two new UR5 robotic arms from Universal Robots A/S, Odense, Denmark, to its production line. (Universal Robots USA Inc. is in East Setauket, N.Y.) This has allowed Stantræk to win job bids that would otherwise have gone to lower-wage eastern European countries, according to the company.

“We would like to grow without hiring more people in production,” said Stantræk CEO Morten Petri Lauritsen. “We’re receiving new orders and addressing the added demand through automation. Within the next 5 years, we plan on adding another five to seven robots. They’ll be even easier to integrate since we’ve learned so much through our experience with the first ones.”

Poul Lave, a Stantræk production line worker, programs a UR5 robot from Universal Robots using a tablet.

Since 2006, Stantræk has eliminated 25 monotonous, menial jobs. Only three of those types of jobs remain, but, Lauritsen noted, replacing backbreaking labor with automation strengthens the work environment.

“The UR robots are smart and simple,” said Poul Lave who works on the Stantræk production line and circulates between the two UR5 robots and an older one from another company. “The software makes them easy to use. I can train a colleague to operate the basic features in just 5 to 10 minutes. After this, they’re ready to work the robot when I’m out. Training employees to use our old robot takes several hours.”

One UR5 robot produces four different mechanical zinc-aluminum components, places them in a stamping machine and then boxes them. In less than 30 minutes, Lave can reprogram the robot to handle other components. An experienced worker can place 400 items in a box per hour whereas the UR5 robot can handle 300 items an hour, but the robot doesn’t collect a paycheck or incur repetitive-motion injuries from performing the task for 16 hours a day. “There have been no complaints about the UR5s. Our employees quickly realized that the robots play a key role in generating revenue and helped us get back on an even keel after the recession,” said Stantræk COO Frank Barbarus.

The robots adhere to all requirements ensuring a safe work environment. A risk assessment was conducted to ensure the robots can operate without any safety guarding, and Universal’s built-in force control limits the forces at contact and protects employees from bodily harm. Denmark’s Occupational Safety Administration paid Stantræk an unannounced visit and was so impressed by the level of safety that it asked Stantræk to showcase its production as a best-practice example for a team of safety inspectors.

“Having the UR robots operate without safety fencing is a significant benefit for us,” Barbarus said. “It’s a space-saver and makes it a lot easier to fit the robots into production.”