WCA March 2020

Industry news

Robotics opportunity for cable manufacturers ❍ The use of robotics can improve competitiveness

there may be only four different SKUs (stock keeping units) for an iPhone. For the cable industry, however, there could be thousands of different product iterations. Cable and wire manufacture is rarely off-the-shelf, and there will need to be significant advancements in robotics technology before it can be rolled out at pace to this industry. Even then, it is unlikely that it will fully replace the human workforce. Implementing robotics still requires in-depth assessment and continual review, and relies on the capability of the human mind in anticipating issues that may lie ahead. Cimteq Ltd https://cimteq.com

service a large contract, the use of robotics can improve competitiveness. The rise in popularity of robots also presents an opportunity for cable manufacturers involved in the assembly of robotic cables. However, robots are not cheap, and there is the added cost of assessing the factory to identify where the use of robotics might make the most impact. It can take several years before a return on investment is achieved. What might dictate the adoption of robotics in the cable industry is how adaptable the technology is to a linear industry. Robotics are already well embedded in discrete industries such as car or mobile phone manufacture. In the mobile phone industry, for example,

THE use of robotics in manufacturing has come some way since the first industrial robot patent in 1954 and General Motors’ early adoption in 1962. Many roles in the factory environment are better suited to robots, for example where parts are too small for human eyes, or where workers need to be protected from high-risk tasks. Where work is mundane or repetitive, using robots brings the added advantage of allocating human resources to more skilled work, such as engineering or programming. Robots require no climate control and can operate continuously in lights-out situations, long after human workers have gone home. Where manufacturers have lost business due to an inability to scale up in time to

The Fire Retardant Additives (FRA) business unit of Huber Engineered Materials has announced that its fine precipitated hydrate (FPH) phase-two capacity expansion project, which was approved in March 2018, is close to completion. The substantial investment will increase FPH production capacity, at the Martinswerk plant in Germany, for high-quality Martinal ® LEO grades by around 20 per cent. “This investment underlines the commitment towards our customers to support their growth and our strategy to grow and strengthen our global halogen-free fire retardant business,” said Martin Schulting, managing director of Huber’s Martinswerk FRA business unit in EMEAI. Capacity expansion nearing completion

The expansion project represents the largest investment made over the last 40 years at the site, and will also result in the delivery of several sustainability improvements (including water reduction), in line with company objectives. The Martinal LEO fine precipitated alumina hydrate grades are claimed to offer superior processing properties, and serve as the company’s global product platform for its customers. Huber is a major producer of alumina trihydrate and magnesium hydroxide non-halogenated fire retardants. Its FRA business unit has four manufacturing sites in North America and two in Europe. Huber Engineered Materials www.hubermaterials.com

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Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2020