作者：Jessica Twentyman - 2018年8月31日
正如Jessica Twentyman所报道的那样，机器人即服务的概念正在制造和物流方面取得进展，该机构认为公司应当支付机器人的订阅费而不是先购买机器人。
为什么购买机器人只需按照每月订阅付费，根据它在工厂车间提供的结果吗？
机器人即服务（RaaS）的概念在制造业中迅速崛起，其最新支持者之一是工业机器人公司Kuka，它将这一想法提升到一个全新的水平。
这家德国公司于2016年被中国消费品制造商美的收购，最近宣布将推出一项新的SmartFactory即服务计划。MHP是一家专门从事汽车和制造业的保时捷集团咨询公司，也是保险巨头慕尼黑再保险公司的代表。
阅读更多： 汽车：智能工厂每年可以创造1600亿美元的收益 - Cappgemini
一个工厂在一个盒子里
这种新的按需服务的客户将获得基于库卡技术的机器人人员自动化工厂; 帮助MHP实施和整合; 和慕尼黑再保险公司的风险管理和融资服务。
该想法是，该服务为制造企业（尤其是汽车制造商）提供了一个机会，可以将资本密集型业务外包，避免前期投资成本和卸载风险。合作伙伴声称，SmartFactory即服务可以将某些制造产品的上市时间缩短30％。
根据Kuka首席执行官Till Reuter博士的说法，“工厂的适应能力是使制造适应未来的关键标准。
“我们的客户面临着迅速灵活应对市场需求的挑战。SmartFactory即服务可以实现这一点，“他说。
他补充说，与MHP和慕尼黑再保险公司的合作“使未来的商业模式更加接近”。 然而，并非如此接近：合作伙伴承认，在他们将SmartFactory即服务实时实施并在客户端站点上运行之前，它可能还需要几年时间。
阅读更多： 中国的全球机器人优势计划加快步伐
机器人出租
显而易见的是，Kuka是一个非常雄心勃勃的愿景：出租一个机器人和另一个出租整个工厂是一回事。然而，与此同时，有很多公司致力于更为适度的基于服务的工业机器人方法。
根据ABI Research的2018年5月报告，机器人即服务是一个弹性概念，对不同的供应商来说意味着不同的东西。但一般来说，它广泛用于描述基于租赁或租赁机器人作为全方位服务的商业模式，而不是要求客户预先付款以拥有它们。
ABI Research分析师Rian Whitton表示，“虽然机器人市场持续增长，但机器人供应商持续保持利润率的压力意味着他们希望扩大市场机会，而不仅仅是将机器人作为产品销售。”
总体而言，ABI Research估计RaaS的安装基数将从2016年的4,442个增长到2026年的130万个，而RaaS提供商的年收入预计将从2016年的2.17亿美元增加到2026年的近340亿美元。
“这将使RaaS提供商的年收入，包括所有服务支付，大于工业机器人的出货收入，目前占据了机器人行业在收入方面的最大份额，”Whitton解释道。
阅读更多： IIoT和cobots的崛起
取和携带
这种提供商的一个例子是位于加利福尼亚州圣何塞的Fetch Robotics。今年早些时候，该公司被世界经济论坛（WEF）选为61个最有前途的技术先驱之一，有可能“塑造第四次工业革命”。其主要关注领域之一是为在线零售商自动化仓库运营。
根据Fetch首席运营官Carl Showalter的说法，较大的公司倾向于以传统方式购买机器人，提前支付资本支出，但随后会为预测性维护服务支付年度云服务费，等等。较小的客户不需要预付任何费用，而是通过Fetch签署每月每机器人费用。
另一个例子是位于加利福尼亚州洛杉矶的InVia机器人公司，该公司最近宣布了2000万美元的融资，并提供电子商务订单履行公司，如乐天超级物流（RSL），以及基于仓库的拣选机器人。Rakuten最近选择了InVia的货物到人履行服务，这是一种基于订阅的模式。
“对于RSL和我们广泛的客户，InVia Robotics提供了一个令人兴奋的机会，可以使用RaaS模型扩大需求，管理成本并提高库存准确性，”RSL首席执行官Michael Manzione解释道。
根据ABI Research的数据，2016年至2025年之间的RaaS安装基数预计将达到66％的复合年增长率。预计RaaS使用率最高的市场将是物流，制造和酒店业。
阅读更多： 机器人之城：机器人和自动化如何解决城市最严重的问题
互联网说
正如变革顾问Sean Culey在今年早些时候的商业互联网报告中所述，制造业将在未来几年内经历根深蒂固的变革。
一系列技术的融合，包括工业机器人，机器人过程自动化，按需制造，3D打印，物联网，人工智能，传感器，自动运输，区块链和共享经济，将使制造业从单片化流程转移基于最低的劳动力成本，并根据客户需求提供更加个性化，自动化和本地化（PAL）的价值链。
通过这种方式，制造商将能够定制生产一双运动鞋，并在第二天将其交付给当地客户，其成本与在中国大量生产一百万双并在中国运输世界。
事实上，一家公司 - 阿迪达斯 - 正在通过其Speedfactory计划做到这一点：小型，本地，自动化，机器人人员配备的设施，可以根据客户的个人资料生产鞋子。
这些设施可以根据需要提供给客户公司 - 或多个客户 - 具有经济意义，因为它不仅有利于客户及其客户，而且还保证了提供商的收入流。
此外，通过将这些设施放置在岸上 - 最接近客户需求 - 将提高当地辅助就业，并最大限度地减少离岸外包的环境影响。遵循云模型，RaaS将看到提供商将维护和升级周期纳入其按需服务，这意味着随着更智能，更快速，更可编程的机器人可用，用户不再需要快速折旧资产。
但是，当然，即服务机器人工厂模型本身就有就业影响。仅在2016年，中国就购买了66,000台工业机器人。如果每个人都可以完成15人（24×7,365天）的工作，那么这大约相当于车间100万人的工作岗位 - 如果考虑到缺乏假期或病假，则更多。
根据中国发展研究基金会和风险投资基金红杉中国的联合研究，英国“金融时报”报道，在过去三年中，自动化已经取代了一些中国工业企业高达40％的工人岗位。
中国的自动化速度比地球上任何其他国家都要快，以保持其低成本的劳动力优势。然而，RaaS和Culey的PAL价值链概念的结合表明，可能根本不需要将制造业外包给中国等国家。
【原文】
Manufacturing: How Robotics as a Service extends to whole factories
The idea of Robotics as a Service, which sees companies pay a subscription fee for robots rather than buying them upfront, is gaining ground in manufacturing and logistics, as Jessica Twentyman reports.
Why buy a robot when you could simply pay for it by monthly subscription, based on the results it delivers on your factory floor?
The concept of Robotics as a service (RaaS) is quickly gaining ground in manufacturing, and one of its latest proponents is industrial robotics firm Kuka, which is taking the idea to a whole new level.
The German company, which was acquired by Chinese consumer products manufacturer Midea back in 2016, recently announced that it is launching a new SmartFactory as a Service initiative. Also onboard are MHP – a Porsche Group consultancy specialising in the automotive and manufacturing sectors – and insurance giant, Munich Re.
Read more: Automotive: Smart factories could create $160bn annual gains – Cappgemini
A factory in a box
Customers of this new on-demand service will get a robot-staffed automated plant based on Kuka technologies; help with implementation and integration from MHP; and risk management and financing services from Munich Re.
The idea is that the service offers an opportunity for manufacturing companies – particularly automakers – to outsource a capital-intensive part of their business, avoid upfront investment costs, and offload risk. The partners claim that SmartFactory as a Service could reduce time-to-market for some manufactured products by as much as 30 percent.
According to Kuka CEO Dr Till Reuter, “A plant’s ability to adapt is the key criterion in making manufacturing fit for the future.
“Our clients face the challenge of responding swiftly and flexibly to market needs. SmartFactory as a Service can achieve this,” he said.
The partnership with MHP and Munich Re “brings the business model of the future a great deal closer”, he added. Not that close, however: the partners acknowledge that it could still be a couple of years before they have a live implementation of SmartFactory as a Service up and running at a client site.
Read more: China’s plans for global robotics dominance gather pace
Robots for rent
What’s clear is that Kuka’s is an extremely ambitious vision: it’s one thing to rent out a robot and another to rent out an entire factory. In the meantime, however, there are plenty of companies working on more modest versions of a service-based approach to industrial robotics.
According to a May 2018 report from ABI Research, Robotics as a Service is an elastic concept, meaning different things to different vendors. But generally speaking, it is broadly used to describe a business model based on renting or leasing robots as a full service, rather than asking customers to pay upfront to own them.
“Though the robotics market continues to grow, ongoing pressure on robotics vendors to maintain margins means that they are looking to widen market opportunities beyond just selling robots as products,” said ABI Research analyst Rian Whitton.
Overall, ABI Research estimates that the installed base for RaaS will grow from 4,442 units in 2016 to 1.3 million in 2026, while annual revenues for RaaS providers are expected to increase from \(217 million in 2016 to nearly \)34 billion in 2026.
“This will make the yearly revenue of RaaS providers, including all payments for services, greater than the shipment revenues for industrial robots, which currently accounts for the lion’s share of the robotics industry in terms of revenue,” explained Whitton.
Read more: IIoT and the rise of the cobots
Fetch and carry
One example of this kind of provider is San Jose, California-based Fetch Robotics. Earlier this year, the company was selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of the 61 most promising technology pioneers that have the potential to “shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. One of its main areas of focus is automating warehouse operations for online retailers.
According to Fetch chief operating officer Carl Showalter, larger companies tend to buy robots the traditional way, with an upfront capex payment, but then pay an annual cloud service fee for predictive maintenance services, and so on. Smaller customers pay nothing upfront, but instead sign up to a monthly per-robot fee with Fetch.
Another example is Los Angeles, California-base InVia Robotics, which recently announced a $20 million funding round and provides e-commerce order fulfilment firms, such as Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL), with warehouse-based picker robots. Rakuten has recently chosen InVia’s goods-to-person-fulfilment service, a subscription-based model.
“For RSL and our broad array of clients, InVia Robotics presents an exciting opportunity to scale demand, manage costs, and improve inventory accuracy using a RaaS model,” explained RSL CEO Michael Manzione.
According to ABI Research, the RaaS installed base between 2016 and 2025 is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of 66 percent. The markets with the largest RaaS uptake are forecast to be logistics, manufacturing and hospitality.
Read more: City of Robots: How robotics & automation could solve cities’ most serious problems
Internet of Business says
As change consultant Sean Culey set out in his report for Internet of Business earlier this year, the manufacturing sector will experience deep-rooted change over the next few years.
The confluence of a range of technologies, including industrial robotics, robotic process automation, on-demand manufacturing, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, AI, sensors, autonomous transport, blockchain, and the sharing economy, will shift manufacturing away from monolithic processes based on the lowest labour cost and towards more personalised, automated, and localised (PAL) value chains, based on customer need.
In this way, manufacturers will be able to custom-produce, say, a single pair of sports shoes and deliver it the next day to a local customer for the same unit cost as mass-producing a million pairs in China and shipping them across the world.
Indeed, one company – Adidas – is doing exactly that with its Speedfactory programme: small, local, automated, robot-staffed facilities that can produce shoes to a customer’s personal profile.
That such facilities could be made available on demand to a client company – or to multiple clients – makes economic sense, because it not only benefits the clients and their customers, but also guarantees revenue streams to the provider.
More, by locating these facilities onshore – closest to customer needs – local ancillary employment would be boosted and the environmental impact of offshore outsourcing minimised. And following the cloud model, RaaS would see providers absorb the maintenance and upgrade cycle into their on-demand services, meaning that users are no longer stuck with fast-depreciating assets as smarter, faster, more programmable robots become available.
But the as-a-service robot factory model has employment impacts itself, of course. In 2016 alone, China bought 66,000 industrial robots. If each can do the work of 15 people (24×7, 365 days a year), then that is the approximate equivalent of one million human jobs on the shop floor – more, if one considers the lack of vacations or sick days.
The FT reports that automation has replaced the jobs of up to 40 percent of workers in some Chinese industrial companies over the past three years, according to joint research by the China Development Research Foundation and venture capital fund, Sequoia China.
China is automating faster than any other nation on Earth to retain its low-cost labour advantage. However, the combination of RaaS and Culey’s PAL value chain concept suggests that there may be no need to outsource manufacturing offshore to countries such as China at all.
Additional commentary and analysis: Chris Middleton.
