May 30, 2023 8:01 am

As a single of the biggest suppliers of industrial robots, Yaskawa Southern Africa took component in this year’s Africa Automation Technologies Fair (AATF), exactly where several authorities in the manufacturing market gathered to exchange precious market knowledge to enhance investment prospects in the African continent’s manufacturing sector. The occasion, which celebrated its 25th year, centred about the theme of “For Africa from Africa”.

The AATF promotes and is passionate about furthering Africa’s transformation and advertising the improvement and development of the continent’s automation market.

Yaskawa Southern Africa was a single of 150 exhibitors on show at the occasion, which took location from 9th to 11th May well 2023, and showcased its collaborative robotic welding option, Weld4me. This transformative piece of automated gear presents an option or help to manual MIG/MAG welding with air-cooled welding gear.

When asked about the worth and significance of such events like the AATF, John Mostert, Sales Engineer at Yaskawa Southern Africa, mentioned, “They bring the manufacturing market and automation market with each other.

Automation providers are in a position to much better recognize the market’s desires and suppliers are in a position to see the most up-to-date trends in automation offerings.” And a single of the most prominent desires is the adoption of collaborative systems that are in a position to function alongside humans, aptly referred to as collaborative robots or cobots.

Despite the fact that such systems are generating strides globally, Mostert notes that the adoption of cobots in Africa has taken a bit a lot more time to get off the ground, noting that the continent nonetheless experiences exclusive challenges.

Events such as AATF present possibilities for organisations primarily based out of Africa to take complete benefit of establishing partnerships and understanding sharing in an work to additional the market.

“Yaskawa’s approach is to companion with integrators and authorities in their field,” Mostert explains.

As a outcome, this year Yaskawa is partnering with Fronius, a major welding specialist in order to provide revolutionary options and stay a standout contender in a extremely competitive industry.

Simply because of this, staying up-to-date on the most up-to-date trends inside the sector is excessively essential and yet another important component of the aforementioned approach, all the although created less complicated due to the truth that Yaskawa Southern Africa serves as a faction of a worldwide organisation.

Nonetheless, the organisation strongly believes in the progression of the manufacturing market and Mostert is optimistic about Yaskawa’s part inside this: “We are properly positioned to help businesses to minimize the expense of manufacture although growing the top quality of their solution generating it feasible to compete internationally.”

Mostert says he is enthusiastic about the new technologies as they break into the industry, emphasising the “use of cameras, vision with robotics is now necessary in several applications, the technologies has matured and will continue to see improvement.”

All round, Yaskawa says this year’s Africa Automation Technologies Fair was a “success for Yaskawa and the wider manufacturing sector”.