The KUKA Robot Group of Germany, a global supplier of robotics and automated assembly lines, gave a new dimension to the robotics technology at the recently-held Automatica 2014 by presenting a spectacular booth concept with its focal point on human-robot collaboration with the lightweight robot LBR iiwa. A range of applications from industrial and service robotics attracted the stall visitors who interacted with the robot directly.
The KUKA moiros booth, which showcased the mobile concept study comprising a KR QUANTEC robot, a KUKA omniMove platform and autonomous navigation software, was another major attraction. The expo also witnessed the presentation of the first KUKA Innovation Award for innovative developments in mobile manipulation to the team from the University of Zurich.
KUKA Robotics (India), part of the KUKA Robot Group, incorporated in India in May 2006 and headquartered in Gurgaon, has its state-of-the-art service and training centre in Pune. Its key clientele includes most of the automobile and engineering companies.
“Our Indian business has been doing very well. We have sold nearly 1,500 robots since inception in 2006, the price ranging from Rs. 15 lakhs to Rs. 1 crore. The Indian market has very well accepted our products, with most of the research institutes and IITs using them for different applications”, disclosed Mr. Raj Singh Rathee, Managing Director, KUKA Robotics (India) Pvt. Ltd., to Mr. R. Natarajan of MOTORINDIA at the exhibition stall.
He said the education segment in India has shown special interest for the KUKA brand. Universities and colleges mainly prefer the KUKA robots, with the company providing hands-on training for the staff and students of engineering colleges and offering complete Teachware which can be used straightway in classrooms. “One of the IITs in India would soon receive the first LBR iiwa”.
According to him, nearly 60 per cent of the company’s business in India comes from the automotive sector and their suppliers. KUKA has some of the major clients like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra, VECV and Daimler with its 100 per cent KUKA robots utilisation in the commercial vehicle segment, Volkswagen India, TATA Motors, Hyundai and Ford are using KUKA Robots in the passenger car segment. The company also supplies robots to global component manufacturers like Cosma Magna and leading tyre producers, including Apollo and Continental.
Besides its manufacturing facility in Germany, KUKA has set up a new plant in China with a huge capacity for automated equipments. The company also has a 51 per cent share in Reis Robotics of Germany.