published on 26/03/09
TM Robotics is responsible for the sales, marketing and support of Toshiba Machine's Industrial Robots throughout Europe; its robotic systems include applications for assembly, material handling, pick and place, sealing, palletising and positioning requirements, with the majority of the systems successfully installed by contract engineers.
Guthrie said the decision to focus on the food sector was prompted by the fact that its chain of distributors were reporting an increased demand from food manufacturers for integrated systems involving robots to help them improve their production throughput rates and cut costs. He said that a number of companies are outsourcing their engineering team and bringing contract engineers in who have an abundance of experience and knowledge to also cut costs.
Toshiba Machines, he claims, has a new generation of products in the pipeline that are specifically targeting the food industry and are able to compete with conventional flex picker robots in terms of cost.

“Not all automation has to be expensive,” continued Taylor. “And the cost of robotics has come down in recent years through their extensive take-up in the automotive industry; with that sector experiencing a major downturn, robotic manufacturers are now targeting the food industry and the added bonus is by outsourcing the engineers who are always available on an hoc basis then you know the contract engineers are also on the ball with pro active and re active maintenance with minimum disruption”

Read the full article at Foodproductiondaily.com