Industrial robots in Russia

Main article: Industrial robots

2024

Robots began to clean up in Moscow parks

On February 12, 2024, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that he was going to work on a "permanent basis" of Pixel autonomous cleaning robots. 10 devices remove walking paths in the parks "Kuzminki," "Sokolniki" and the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Read more here.

"Unique robots" have begun to develop the first batch of universal robotic manipulators

In Russia, they created an industrial robot with changing nozzles in the Plug and Play format with a fast wrist. Roboruca blocks, such as axles, quickly detach, it is also possible to measure the grip on the hand and vice versa. Representatives of the Russian company-creator of the Unique Robots roboruki told TAdviser about this at the end of January 2024. According to them, testing of the working sample has already been completed and in January 2024 the development of the first batch of robots began. Read more here.

2023

300 billion rubles allocated for the development of industrial robots in Russia

On October 25, 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov announced the allocation of 300 billion rubles for the development of industrial robots in Russia. These funds will be received by state-owned enterprises.

We have formed a budget. The unprecedented volume for this industry is 300 billion rubles until 2030, 138 billion rubles are already in the budget for a three-year period, and the total volume of the federal project is more than 500 billion rubles with regional and extra-budgetary investments, Manturov said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 25, 2023 (quoted by TASS).

According to the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the main emphasis in the updated federal project is not only on traditional metal-working, metal-cutting machines, but also on modern equipment for additive technologies and robotics.

Denis Manturov thanked the president for the order given to the Government of the Russian Federation in October 2023 to establish mandatory requirements for increasing the level of robotization at state-owned enterprises and enterprises with state participation. This should support the demand and development of the industry against the background of a relatively small level of introduction of industrial robots.

Olga Mudrova, executive director of the National Association of Robotics Market Participants (NAURR), in a conversation with Rossiyskaya Gazeta in September 2023, noted that every year the number of industrial robots in Russia is constantly growing, but at a low pace - 1000-1200 units per year. Russia needs a general trend for robotization, says Olga Mudrova.

There are a number of industries and areas, for example, the fuel and energy complex, in which we cannot do without robots. For other industries, it is necessary to create a demand for products that will be produced using robots, the expert noted.[1]

Russia has developed a cable robot capable of printing at home of any size

Russia has developed a cable robot capable of printing houses of any size. In October 2023, Alexander Maloletov, deputy head of the NTI Competence Center for Robotics and Mechatronics Component Technologies at Innopolis University, shared some details regarding the new technology. Read more here.

In Russia, presented a self-driving robot for transporting 150-kg of goods at enterprises

On September 13, 2023, researchers from St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (LETI) announced the development of a highly maneuverable robotic platform for transporting goods at enterprises. Read more here.

Only 15.8% of Russian industrial enterprises have a high level of automation and the introduction of robotics

Most enterprises actively invest in modernization, while more than 20% of enterprises are not ready for modernization due to internal difficulties and the unwillingness of production to actively introduce robotics. Such data are given in a study by the Technored Academy, which was conducted on the basis of a survey of 100 industrial enterprises throughout Russia in June - July 2023. The Academy announced this on August 9, 2023.

According to the study, 47.4% of industrial enterprises surveyed, according to their own estimates, have a low level of automation and adoption of robotics. And only 15.8% believe that production is automated at a high level, and 36.8% estimate the level of automation in the enterprise as average.

Only 31% of companies hire additional employees to improve enterprise productivity in such conditions. While other companies in a situation of personnel hunger see a way out in the use of robotic solutions.

The introduction of inexpensive box solutions that involve equipping enterprises with robotics will help solve the acute problem of the shortage of people in production, as well as increase the productivity of enterprises, "said Artem Lukin, CEO and founder of the company. - Similar solutions are already on the market and their further mass production will make it possible to change the situation with the automation of Russian enterprises in the future. However, so far we can say that in relation to robotization, Russia lags behind foreign economies, but Western sanctions can only push the country to automation, as they contribute to import substitution and an increase in demand for domestic products within the country.

In Russia, created a robot manipulator for welding along complex trajectories

In early March 2023, it became known about the creation of a robotic manipulator in Russia, including for welding along complex trajectories. The corresponding system was presented by Samara State Technical University (SamSTU). According to the developers, their technology can be used for various purposes, including:

• movement of objects in space with high-precision arrangement (supply) of objects to the working area of another device;
• removal from the working area, supply and fixation during installation;
• execution of operations on workpieces machining, welding, surfacing, etc.
• grip - movement of objects in space;
• milling cutter or cutter - mechanical working robotic machine;
• welding torch - welding along complex trajectories, surfacing, etc. Read more here.

Putin instructed to approve a federal project for the development of industrial robots

Russia Vladimir Putin The President instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to approve the federal project for the development of the domestic one by July 1, 2023. robotics The corresponding order was published on the Kremlin website on January 31, 2023.

The Government of the Russian Federation: to approve a federal project for the development of domestic robotics, defining in it, among other things: legal, tax and other conditions regarding the development of production and introduction of industrial robots in the Russian Federation; measures of state support for the development of production and the introduction of industrial robots in the Russian Federation, the Kremlin website says.

Also, the federal project for the development of domestic robotics should contain measures of state support for the introduction of industrial robots, including funding for research work in this area, and target parameters that ensure "an annual reduction in the lag in the number of such robots by 10 thousand production workers in the country from the global average."

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has been appointed responsible for the implementation of this order.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin, addressing the Federal Assembly, said that the time has come in Russia for new technological projects, including those related to robots.

It is necessary that there are more companies in the development of robotics and the development of digital technologies. All legislation should work for a new reality and advanced industries and technologies, as well as for the expansion of markets, the head of state said.

Putin instructed to make changes to national projects and state programs by September 2023, providing for the introduction of artificial intelligence in all sectors of the economy and social sphere.^[2]

2022

Revenue of integrators of industrial robots in Russia increased by 39.5%

In the second quarter of 2023, the National Association of Robotics Market Participants (NAURR) collected and analyzed data for 2022 from Russian companies that integrate robotic solutions. Questionnaires were sent to 135 robot integrator companies. NAURR analyzed data from 56 received questionnaires on industrial robotics (including the collaborative segment), which is 42% of the total number of survey participants (a total of 58 questionnaires were received, but 2 were not included in the final data due to the lack of part of the necessary data in the questionnaires). NAURR announced this on July 13, 2023.

The collection of statistical data on the market of integrators of industrial robots in Russia has so far been limited to a rating that includes two criteria - revenue and the number of installed robots. In general, we would like to consider this data collection as a starting point for statistics and tracking the pace of development of the robot integration industry. So far, we can say that companies provide information reluctantly and carefully. In the study, NAURR expanded the number of indicators to assess the state of the industrial robotization industry.

The assessment of the information included: data on the revenue and specialization of companies, on the current personnel and plans for 2023, on the availability of design bureaus based on organizations, production facilities and service centers. The activities of integration companies were also assessed by the number of projects, industries industries and regions of project implementation. There were no special discoveries here - the key industries ones confirmed their activity in the robotization of enterprises, as well as key regions.

Revenue from the integration of robotic complexes (RTK) of companies that provided their data in 2022 increased by 39.5% compared to the same indicator in 2021 and amounted to 5 657 015 000 rubles. For the first time, a study with an expanded number of indicators was carried out, and therefore there was no opportunity to conduct a comparative analysis and identify revenue dynamics for all indicators. Nevertheless, to assess the development of the RTK integration market, they took data from the 2021 study "List of the largest integrators of industrial robots in Russia 2018-2020." (NAURR and TAdviser) on the total revenue of 33 integrators and compared with the data received in 2023 by 33 companies (from the list of 56 integrators who sent questionnaires) with the maximum revenue from RTK for 2021 and 2022. The dynamics are presented in Figure 1.

Regarding changes in the revenue structure of integrator companies - the share of revenue from the integration of RTK in the total revenue of data collection companies increased from 11.48% in 2021 to 17.43% in 2022. that 56 companies in 2022 implemented 661 projects with the integration of at least 770 industrial and collaborative robots into enterprises in Russia, as well as near and far abroad.

The calculation of the number of implemented projects included those completed in 2022, while the start of their implementation could be laid in 2021, and even in 2020. There are no similar data for 2021. The dynamics of the number of projects is shown in Figure 2. As for 2023, as of May 2023, the total number of projects "in operation" was 994 projects, which is already 50% more than the number of projects for the entire 2022. It should be noted that projects "in operation" using collaborative robots make up more than half of the total number of current projects. If we do not take into account the integration of cobots, the number of projects as of May 2023 in annual terms already exceeds the number of projects in 2022.

Whether this speaks of a steady trend towards increasing demand for robotization or is only episodic, situational in nature, it will become clear only by the end of 2023. While the comments of integrators are very different, someone notes a significant surge in interest from industrial and production enterprises, and someone is still experiencing difficulties in finding customers and/or with the supply of equipment. The study calculated the unit cost of 1 project to integrate industrial robots. It is 13,799,000 rubles. At the same time, the highest unit cost of the project at PUMORI - NORTH-WEST is 111 700 000 rubles, and the lowest unit cost of the project at EMS Group is 1,926,667 rubles.

The calculation of the unit cost of the project makes it possible to judge whether the integrator has competencies by a comprehensive approach to robotization of several technological processes and production operations at once. Projects with a low unit cost are characterized by point robotization of small and medium-sized businesses, or trial robotization of one or two processes at the enterprise to assess the effectiveness of the project and adjust further plans for robotization. Personnel and industry potential Based on the data collected, the companies that provided the information employed 2008 people. Of these, 932 engineering specialties (46.4%). During the data collection, the companies also shared plans to increase personnel in 2023, including engineering personnel. Some organizations plan to significantly increase the number of engineers in their staff. There are those who want to reduce this indicator. This year, the total expected increase in the number of engineering staff in the companies that provided the data may reach 16.8%. TOP 5 sectors of integration: Metalworking and welding, mechanical engineering, food and oil and gas industries, as well as such a sphere as "Education, Science and Research" remain among the leaders. Probably, the funds allocated by the state under the Priority 2030 program and received by Russian universities are directed, among other things, to the purchase of robots by laboratories at universities and research institutes, and this trend will continue. See Figure 3 for more details.

TOP 5 regions of the Russian Federation by integration, pcs.:

• Moscow region - 79;
• Moscow - 30;
• Republic of Tatarstan - 33;
• St. Petersburg - 27;
• Chelyabinsk region - 19.

Also, more than 30 projects were implemented in the countries of near and far abroad.

Developers of industrial robots in Russia included in the state support program

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a government decree, which added manufacturers of industrial robots and robotic devices to the program for subsidizing the machine tool industry. The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers announced this on December 19, 2022.

She recalled that the program of subsidizing manufacturers of machine tool products has been in effect since August 2020. Its participants are enterprises that provide customers with a discount on their products. The size of state support for each applicant is determined individually. It depends on the amount of discounts recorded in the product sales agreement. The decision to include the enterprise in the program based on the results of the selection is made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Subsidies are aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Russian products. The program itself allows enterprises to increase the utilization of existing capacities and increase sales, added to the Cabinet.

Earlier, the Center for Technologies of Robotics and Mechatronics Components of Innopolis University, as part of the implementation of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy," prepared a roadmap that covers the development of automated technical systems and methods for managing them, the development of sensor systems and methods for processing sensory information, interaction of technical systems with each other and with humans. Robotics and sensorics are based on mechanics, electronics, mechatronics and other sciences. Robots are designed to replace humans when performing routine, dirty, dangerous work, as well as where high accuracy and repeatability are required. According to the authors of the roadmap, to reduce Russia's lag behind some other countries in terms of the development of robotics and sensory, it is necessary to invest 133 billion rubles.^[3]

A laboratory was opened in Novosibirsk, where robots are programmed that can replace welders and millers

At the end of July 2022, it became known about the opening of a laboratory in Novosibirsk, where robots are programmed that can replace welders and millers. She earned on the basis of the Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) NETI. Read more here.

The largest developers of industrial robots are in no hurry to leave Russia

According to the National Association of Robotics Market Participants (NAURR), about 90% of sales of industrial robots in Russia occur in foreign manufacturers. Key players after the start of a special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine in February 2022 suspended supplies to Russia. TAdviser talked with a number of participants in this market to find out how much Russian customers were cut off from foreign technologies.

According to the TAdviser study, based on a survey of industrial enterprises conducted in April-March 2021, the first three places in the supply of robots to Russian industrial enterprises are occupied by foreign vendors KUKA (68%), FANUC (36%) and ABB (18%). Their shares are given taking into account that some organizations simultaneously use robots from different manufacturers.

KUKA is based in Germany. The fifth EU sanctions package, adopted against the backdrop of a military operation in Ukraine, does not allow the company to supply equipment from this country to Russia. However, her Russian office continues to work as of June. Pyotr Smolentsev, Commercial Director of KUKA Robotics in Russia and the CIS, told TAdviser that at the moment KUKA management does not plan to lay off employees and close the office in Russia.

Employees of the KUKA office in Russia provide local technical support in Russia and the CIS, as well as training robot users in programming, says Pyotr Smolentsev. - Since the installed KUKA base in Russia is more than half of all industrial robots in Russia (according to CNews), our employees now have quite a lot of work on its maintenance, as well as user training, so we are working normally.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company rebuilt the effective remote work of its employees, and at the moment this scheme of work remains, added Peter Smolentsev.

Employees have flexible working hours and free office visits without compromising the effectiveness of our work. But at the same time, we answer incoming calls and mail promptly, and you can also come to our office for personal communication on weekdays from 9 to 18 hours, "he says.

As for the Russian contracts concluded before the end of February, for the most part, all these projects were executed, and KUKA supplied the equipment, the company representative notes.

In one of the Russian partners, KUKA told TAdviser that after the vendor stopped supplying to Russia, some integrators independently import its products from "friendly countries": "someone imports robotic manipulators from Turkey, someone from China," the source said.

The Japanese FANUC suspended the supply of equipment to Russia and the Republic of Belarus, and also stopped the provision of service and maintenance of installed products in these countries. Such a message is published on her website. A source close to FANUC told TAdviser that the company is not leaving Russia yet, does not lay off employees, is on pause. FANUC continues to supply its products to other CIS countries.

The Swiss group ABB, one of whose business areas is robotics, in early March suspended orders from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus^[4]: "As a result of supply chain failures and other logistics problems, ABB temporarily suspended the reception of new orders and all operating activities related to supplies to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine." And at the end of April, ABB announced that in the summer they could decide to completely withdraw from Russia^[5].

Several ABB robotic business partner companies told TAdviser that as of June, its office in Russia continues to work, but it really does not accept or sell new orders for placement in the country, including products that are already in local stock. One of the companies says that at the same time ABB fulfills its obligations under contracts concluded "before a certain date": "equipment is brought on them."

Another well-known manufacturer of industrial robots, Universal Robots, left Russia completely in early March and closed its office. "No warranty, no service, no support - nothing," - stated in a conversation with TAdviser a representative of one of the Russian partners of Universal Robots.

The Russian team of Universal Robots, consisting of several people, for the most part moved to Rozum Robotics, a project with Belarusian roots to develop collaborative robots. TAdviser was told about this by a source well acquainted with the Rozum Robotics business. Earlier in this project, the share was acquired by the Russian legal entity Robopro, and now it has completely bought out Rozum Robotics. The company does not disclose who is behind Robopro, this information is also hidden in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. Apparently, for a reason.

Rozum Robotics was previously focused on foreign markets, mainly in Western countries. Abroad, the company supplied, among other things, such a product as a robot barista. Now it is reorienting to the Russian market, plans to expand local production against the background of restrictions on the activities of foreign players and the need for domestic products, says the interlocutor of TAdviser. Rozum Robotics builds relationships, including with customers and partners of Universal Robots, which left Russia. At the same time, the developer will continue to support its foreign customers.

One of the notable players in the industrial robot market is South Korean developer Doosan Robotics. In one of the Russian distribution companies Doosan told TAdviser that this company has suspended direct deliveries to the country, but it is possible to import its products in parallel imports. The local developer office continues to function as of June.

The local office of the Japanese manufacturer of servo drives, motion controllers, AC drives, switches and industrial robots Yaskawa also works. An office employee said that the company is not leaving Russia yet, but has temporarily stopped deliveries.

Executive Director of NAURR Olga Mudrova notes that in Russia, indeed, foreign solutions prevail and, of course, the restrictions imposed on supplies, the difficulties of the logistics link affect the situation.

But we will not be left without foreign robots. Most often, several major supplier companies are heard. They have been on the market for a long time, the frequency of their use in projects is high. Nevertheless, the range of applied solutions and possible proposals for foreign robots is significantly higher than this list, including for countries that maintain full business ties with Russia. Therefore, in the current conditions, both integration companies and customers are trying to consider the proposals of such countries, to expand business relations with them. Our domestic robot manufacturers also receive an incentive to develop production capacities, - said Olga Mudrova in a conversation with TAdviser.

Now our task is to ensure the execution of existing contracts for installed robotic complexes, to prevent the economy from forgetting about the effects of robotization, the executive director of NAURR believes. Replacing vendors restricting the supply of robotic devices to Russia is not easy, since this requires the creation of their own competence in the field of warranty and post-warranty services.

However, let's not forget that integration companies implementing robotic complexes are Russian companies whose engineers are involved in technological processes, have excellent knowledge of equipment, control systems and software. Therefore, they will not have to retrain, - notes Olga Mudrova.

An important issue facing robotics is the formation of stocks of components and spare parts, as well as ensuring the replacement of software products if licenses are denied. Many sectors of the economy faced similar challenges. And here it is important to work on the formation of our own production facilities, including in the areas of equipment repair and meeting the market needs for components, parts and nodes, the transition to domestic software, as well as the creation of new international cooperatives to create appropriate competencies.

The country already has companies that produce servo drives, gearboxes, companies that know how to repair equipment. There are simply not many of them, they need to be given the opportunity to grow, including providing them with orders, "added Olga Mudrova.

A separate TAdviser article will later be devoted to the prospects for the development of domestic robot developers.

2021

Industrial rotary market in Russia: low base, steady growth and high hopes

The prospects for the robotics industry in the world are optimistic, as Milton Garry, president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), stated in his address of June 17, 2021. And this is despite the ongoing pandemic and the heterogeneous picture of recovery from the crisis in different parts of the world. In the regions of Asia, he noted, the recovery of the robotics market began in the third quarter of 2020, and in North America and Europe, even at the beginning of the new year, the pre-crisis level has not yet been reached. At the same time, the picture of recovery within each region is ambiguous both by industry and by company: some industries and companies have successfully overcome the crisis, others have lagged behind.

In Russia, the situation in the industrial robotics market is also ambiguous, although in general it is rather positive: for several years now the market has shown annual growth of several tens of percent. And if we count since 2010, the growth rate of the Russian market has grown from 230 robots to 1,410 robots sold per year, that is, more than 6 times. But before moving on to the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the Russian industrial robot market, it is important to recall the following.

There are robots, but there are robotic complexes or systems (RTK or RTS) integrated into production, and these are not synonyms. Robots are the main element of the PTC, but not the only one. When integrating the robot into production, specialized software is used, commissioning is carried out, additional, peripheral equipment is used for interfacing with production. Therefore, the market of robots themselves and the market for their integration are distinguished, and the second in monetary terms, of course, is several times larger than the first.

Russian market in the context of global and European

For a qualitative understanding of the Russian industrial robotics market, it is necessary to recall some data on the world and European.

For the period 2014-2019, the global robotics market grew by 85%, according to IFR. Although, in 2019, sales of industrial robots decreased from 422 to 373 thousand units (-12%). There is no IFR data for 2020 yet, a new report will be published in October 2021.

As for the prospects for the recovery of the market, IFR made a cautious forecast in its report: perhaps this will happen already in 2021. But it is quite possible for a year - two later, and the recovery will go unevenly, depending on the region. As for absolute values, according to IFR, the volume of the global industrial robot market in 2019 was estimated at $13.8 billion, the volume of the robotic systems market - $41 billion.

To assess the Russian roborinka in the context of the world, such an indicator as the density of robotization is important, that is, the number of robots per 10 thousand workplaces. In Russia, as of 2019, it is 6, and this is very small. In the world, the average density is 113 robots, in Europe - 114, in the USA - 103, in Asia - 118. The leaders in robotization density are Singapore - 918, South Korea - 855, Japan - 364, Germany 346, the USA - 228 and China 187.

On the one hand, such a low base is disappointing, on the other hand, it makes the developing Russian market attractive for many robot manufacturers, since all niches are already occupied in mature markets.

At the end of 2019, industrial robots were sold in Russia by 40% more than in 2018 (1410 versus 1007). On the one hand, growth rates are high, but in terms of absolute sales indicators, Russia is inferior even to countries such as Poland (2642) and the Czech Republic (2624).

Russian market: growth in volumes and revenue

First, let's recall the estimates of the Russian market for the period 2016-2018. on the basis of a joint study by TAdviser and NAURR. According to this study, the total revenue from the integration of industrial robots of the 30 largest companies in the market for these three years amounted to 7.4 billion rubles. More than 790 industrial robots were installed in a wide variety of fields, and the total number of industrial robots was 1007 (IFR data). In 2019, the market continued to grow, the number of robots was 1,410 (+ 40%).

In Russia, the most recent estimates of the market volume in monetary terms relate to 2018: 4.2 billion rubles (about $68 million) - the robot market, 12.7 billion rubles (about $206 million) - robotic systems. The calculations were made based on the average value of the dollar exchange rate of 61.5 rubles. (The exchange rate changed in 2018 from 56 to 67 rubles). It is necessary to state that the Russian industrial robotics market is at the level of 0.5 - 1% of the world.

In January 2021, NAURR conducted a survey of participants in the industrial robotics market, according to the results of which it can be stated that the revenue of robocompanies in 2020 increased by 21% (in comparison with 2019). And many experts note the favorable impact of the pandemic on robotization.

The epidemiological situation has exposed the sick places of industry in terms of personnel issues and reducing production costs, - says Andrey Mukhametzyanov, BFG Robotics. - Solving these issues will be a fundamental moment for many enterprises for future existence and development. For the robotics market, this is an unequivocally positive environment for development. By the number of requests and projects in the work, I would assess this period as one of the most active and interesting in terms of tasks.

It should be noted here that a total of 52 companies took part in the NAURR survey, of which only 28 shared financial information: the total revenue of these companies amounted to 2.92 billion rubles. This does not give, of course, a complete picture, but even a simple comparison of these approximate figures (7.4 billion rubles in three years and 3 billion rubles in one) confirm the growth of the Russian roborinka.

At the end of 2020, robot companies reacted to the pandemic in different ways:

• most companies (68%) the pandemic brought revenue growth;
• a decline in revenue was observed in 14% (until 2019 they had revenue growth);
• at 16%, the decline began back in 2018 and continued until 2020.

In 2020, enterprises took a short pause in concluding contracts, - stated Sergey Morshansky, head of automation, Volgaenergoprom Group of Companies. - Apparently, it was not clear how to act in the new situation. The end of 2020 - the beginning of 2021 showed that enterprises actively began to work out the automation of production, dependence on human resources and state support affected.

The number of employees of robot companies as a whole in the market has grown: the total staff was 1,103 people. It is quite logical that in the future most companies, according to the survey, look with optimism and expect revenue growth (52%), slightly less (42%) found it difficult to answer, there are not so many pessimists - only 5.5%. Most of the surveyed companies plan to attract investments - through government programs and private ones.

You should also pay attention to the new list of the largest integrators of industrial robots, prepared jointly by TAdviser and NAURR in September 2021. According to the published data, the revenue of the largest integrators, to which 33 companies were assigned, from the introduction of industrial robots, at the end of 2020 exceeded 4 billion rubles.

Traditionally, we expect growth, "says Mikhail Zotov, General Director of DS-Robotics. - Previous years confirm the trend of general growth, but so far it is not explosive, as in China or the United States. We hope that a significant increase in real requests from our industries will occur in the near future. Robotization of production is inevitable. Those enterprises that will take this path before competitors will win the competition.

The success of 2020 as a whole for the robotization market in Russia is also noted by Ilya Sedogin, director of development at Enercom, focusing on the food industry.

The coronavirus pandemic has given a powerful impetus to work out robotization projects. In the first place are global players, in the second - regional, - says Ilya Sedogin. - The food production segment is leading. There has been a strong increase in the number of system integrators planning to enter this market.

The counterpoint to the general wave of positive expectations is the assessment of Vladimir Nikitin, managing director of ANT, although his position is not devoid of optimism.

{{quote 'The market in Russia is very scarce, and the pace of development is depressing, - states Vladimir Nikitin. - Nevertheless, there are projects that are interesting to implement, and in general it is always positive - inspired enthusiasts prevail in this area, both from the customers and from the performers. }}

Composition of market participants

The high-quality composition of players in the Russian robotics market is quite traditional for complex hardware and software systems, which are modern robots:

• integrators;
• robot manufacturers and/or components;
• software developers;
• state - in the form of various programs to support the modernization of production and the issuance of special regulatory documents.

Over the past year, many newcomers have come to the market with very low competencies in robotics or frankly "raw" robots from the Celestial Empire, "says Artyom Lukin, founder and CEO of TECHNORED. On the one hand, this may increase the number of robots sold, on the other hand, it will inevitably lead to the fact that many Russian industries will receive "monuments of robotization," and this will negatively affect the entire industry. Therefore, it is necessary to be very attentive to the choice of a partner, his experience and competencies, and the main thing is not to be seduced by a low price. As practice shows, such projects either do not work at the output, or the actual costs are 2-2.5 times higher than planned.

In terms of the negative assessment of Chinese manufacturers, Sergei Morshansky, Volgaenergoprom Group of Companies, agrees with his colleague.

Among the main trends in the Russian industrial robotics market, I would name the growth in the number of small integrators, the "offensive" of the Chinese product and dumping, - said Sergey Morshansky. - Aggressive policy of Chinese manufacturers leads to poor-quality solutions, dumping. As a result, to the unfulfilled tasks of customers, the ruin of integrators or "splits" in the team, when specialists who have not received the expected money leave the integrator.

The approximate number of market participants and the distribution by specialization can be estimated by the map of the Russian industrial robotics market, prepared jointly by TAdviser and NAURR in 2020. It reflects 112 integrator companies, 13 domestic robot manufacturers, 22 foreign vendors, 20 component manufacturers for robotic systems, 9 software manufacturers.

As for the prospects for organizing their own production or localizing Western, experts disagree here. Artem Aksenov, director of BP-Master, states "there is no complete prospect of developing its own production in the absence of a multi-billion dollar injection of funds from the budget." Also, Sergey Morshansky, Volgaenergoprom Group of Companies, adheres to a skeptical, but somewhat different point of view in this matter.

For your own production of robots, you need many years of experience, both in the hardware and in the software, - Sergei Morshansky is sure. - Like a screwdriver assembly - yes, but full-fledged production is still lagging behind. But if we take the example of China, the situation can be changed.

Market Trends, Drivers, and Market Barriers

The main factor that determined the market development trends in 2020 was predictably a pandemic. Her impact was both positive and negative.

The pandemic, the fall in purchasing power and the widespread rise in prices, have shown that the introduction of robots and the automation of production processes is the necessary, and often the only way to increase the competitiveness, stability, profitability of production companies, "said Artyom Lukin, founder and CEO of TECHNORED. - This has led to a significant increase in demand for robotization.

Experts state that the pandemic has created an additional demand for a variety of electronics, an increase in interest in new areas of use of robots (for example, for the production of personal protective equipment) has been recorded.

Every year we note a significant development in the interest of industrial enterprises in the robotization of their production processes, - says Andrey Mukhametzyanov, BFG Robotics. - The number of developed and implemented projects multiplies annually. Companies that previously considered the introduction of robotization unnecessary and inappropriate are beginning to actively consult with us, get acquainted with solutions in world practice and prepare development projects. In general, I now do not see significant reasons to worry about the decline in demand. The Russian roborynok is just beginning to develop, and its growth is inevitable every year.

Among other positive aspects of the market: robots began to be seen as an opportunity to compensate for the shortage of working personnel.

The pandemic played a twofold role, says Oleg Rybakov, deputy director of FAM-Robotics LLC. - Last year, it became a brake on market development due to the difficult and unstable economic situation. However, now, on the contrary, it is an incentive to robotize production. As they say, robots do not get sick.

However, there are experts who consider the main priority of robotization not to fill the shortage of workers, but to create new jobs.

Many today continue to talk about a pandemic, saving human resources, - notes Grigory Shkolkov, technical director of TRIZROBOTICS. - What our country is experiencing now has become a natural impetus for the digitalization and robotization of society. We are not talking about replacing people with robots, but about transferring a person to a new level of production comfort - qualified service, remote control, programming, etc. Robotization will inevitably lead to the opening of new markets and jobs.

At the same time, the pandemic has led to a general slowdown in business processes at Russian enterprises, a delayed demand for the modernization of production, and a decrease in the volume of working capital from private businesses. Among the negative factors, experts also name the violation of supply chains. Many companies revise the list of suppliers, places of production, carry out chain diversification. Of the global factors: the continuation of the US trade war with China, a decrease in demand for cars, a reduction in production.

Among the barriers to robotization, experts note the low level of the average monthly salary in Russia, since cheap labor has a bad effect on the rate of payback of robotization, and the stagnation of the Russian economy as a whole.

The corona crisis, which revealed problems with personnel, the "whitewashing" of the economy and wage funds make the introduction of robotic systems economically justified, says Vladimir Nikitin. - But these factors are not able to translate deeper problems into the "green zone": stagnation of the economy and the lack of a constructive plan for its development, a drop in real incomes of the population.

Igor Knyazev, Fruktonad Group, names among the main barriers budgetary restrictions in companies, indecision and unwillingness to follow world trends, fear of everything new.

It is a common misconception that industrial robotics is expensive in integration and difficult in everyday work, says Igor Knyazev. - There is a reluctance on the part of enterprises to spend money on new technologies, unwillingness to invest in their own production and wait for a payback, although the average payback of an industrial robot is three years. The insufficient participation of the state in solving pressing issues in the field of industrial robotics also interferes.

Among the negative factors, experts also name the trend towards the cheapening of the ruble, which leads to the fact that robots will become more and more expensive, as well as the unwillingness of the management of enterprises to innovative changes.

The main driver of the development of the Russian industrial roborinka is the outflow of foreign labor, - says Artem Aksenov - The unwillingness of the management to rebuild enterprises in the direction of automation is the main barrier.

Ilya Sedogin, Enerkom, among the barriers names uncertainty about the future and gaps in Russian legislation.

The main barrier, perhaps, is the uncertainty of players in all industries in the future. Payback within three years for Russian companies is the norm. If the payback is longer-term, then companies prefer not to make investments, says Ilya Sedogin. - As a brake can be called Russian legislation, which does not provide for such conventions on collaboration, which are in Europe, Asia and the United States. As a result, the cost of robotization solutions is over 10%, since, complying with Russian law, integrators of collaborative complexes are forced to provide for a security system that, in fact, is not needed by anyone. As a result, the client pays for this legislative gap.

Suppliers, Applications, Key Tasks

According to a new TAdviser study based on surveys of industrial enterprises conducted in April-March 2021, the first three places in the supply of robots to Russian industrial enterprises today are occupied by foreign vendors KUKA (68%), FANUC (36%) and ABB (18%).

The leading field of application of robots is metallurgy and metalworking (28%). This is followed by the automotive industry (12%) and food production (12% each), the chemical industry (8%), woodworking (6%).

Promising for the robotization of production, where there is monotonous, low-skilled human labor, that is, loading, picking, assembly, and so on, where migrants are still mainly employed, says Igor Knyazev. - Harmful industries are also promising, where working conditions are associated with a negative impact on humans. In these areas, robotization is a priority way to maintain production rates, a guarantee of human health and productivity growth.

It is curious that at the end of 2019, the leading industry in the use of industrial robots in Russia, according to IFR, is the automotive industry (39%). In second place is mechanical engineering (16%), food industry (4%), R&D and education (2%) and in last place is chemistry and petrochemicals (1%).

One way or another, but the growth in demand for robots in industries not related to the automotive industry, as experts state, is a good signal indicating that the Russian market is beginning to develop actively.

According to a new TAdviser study, the main task for the use of robots in Russian production is welding (26%) and packaging/unpacking (also 26%), followed by loading/unloading operations (17%), casting (4%) and milling (4%). The goals of the application are to increase productivity (26%), improve product quality (22%), and optimize personnel (20%).

Recall that at the end of 2019, the range of popular tasks of Russian industrial robots according to IFR data was somewhat different. In the first and second places were moving (46%) and welding/soldering (27%), the third place was taken by processing (4%).

Regulatory regulation

The Russian robotics market is at the beginning of its development, and as always in such cases, it requires changes in the regulatory field, the emergence of new regulatory documents. This work is underway, and specialists working in the market treat it with understanding and approval.

Not so long ago, Rosstandart introduced additional codes for industrial robotics into the All-Russian Classifier of Products by Type of Economic Activity (OKPD 2) and the All-Russian Classifier of Types of Economic Activity (OKVED 2). The orders entered into force on June 1, 2021, the initiator of the changes was NAURR. Among other things, this regulatory innovation will improve the system of collecting statistics in the industries of industrial robotics.

As for the future, experts predict changes in tax legislation. In 2020, the Ministry of Finance has already received proposals to introduce a fee comparable to 13% of personal income tax from the average salary. The initiators argue this as a social initiative in order to ensure retraining of people who will lose their jobs due to robots. Kazan Innovative University named after V.G. Timiryasova prepared a bill "On the turnover of robots." It is too early to talk about it in more detail - it is sent to the Government of the Russian Federation, to interested ministries and departments for a comprehensive assessment. But the initiative itself from below also speaks to the emerging market, its growing needs.

Like any area of ​ ​ the country's economy, the robotics market needs a law, - said Igor Knyazev, Fructonad Group. - Moreover, its presence would indicate that the market has developed, it is not spontaneous, haphazard. This speaks of the maturity of the market and understandable rules of the game. Therefore, we welcome the preparation of this law. For our part, we hope that the initiatives emanating from the industry were taken into account in its preparation. For our part, we have proposed a number of additions through the NAURR association, which are relevant in our opinion.

I agree with my colleague Ilya Sedogin, Enerk, he is confident that the lack of a regulatory environment is bad for market development.

Of course, regulatory regulation is necessary, since Russia currently lacks a regulatory environment in principle that provides a favorable legal regime for the development of robotics, says Ilya Sedogin, Enerkom. - This industry will be designated as such. It is no secret that in many leasing companies, robots are still in the category of "illiquids." The legislative framing of this type of activity will make it possible to sharpen many related processes, which in the end will lead to more intensive development of the industry.

However, not every expert is ready to unconditionally welcome market regulation.

Regulation is good, but in moderation, and there are difficulties with this, - notes Vladimir Nikitin. - In my opinion, the market is too small, it must be nurtured first. In any country where robotics has been widely developed, it was not without help from companies - initiators through subsidies for robotic projects from the state.

Support opportunities

The situation with the support of the state of participants in the Russian robotics market and their clients - production enterprises is ambiguous.

On the one hand, quite a variety of support measures have been declared. Regulatory documents have been issued, funds, programs have been created under the ministries, bureaucratic mechanisms for their functioning have been implemented. But when you start reading, studying publications on the results of these measures - including on the basis of official data on the websites of relevant ministries and departments, it becomes obvious how difficult it is in practice to get this support. And how minuscule in the country the amount of support reaching the addressee.

Support is bad, - says Vladimir Nikitin. - Go to the site of the Industrial Development Fund and find there at least one project robotic project - you will see that there are no such. The entry threshold is too high: programs start from 20 million rubles, and our projects from 4 million rubles. Production enterprises of small and medium-sized businesses need funds, they suffocate without working capital at reasonable interest, but they do not have access to this resource.

Ilya Sedogin, Enerkom, agrees with his colleague: things are not the best with receiving state support.

To take advantage of any support measure, the company often needs a separately paid regular unit, assigned exclusively to this narrow function of obtaining state support, says Ilya Sedogin. - In the West, this function is performed by an official who carefully builds relations with the company and takes the "headache" associated with obtaining state support measures on himself. In our country, such motivated officials do not exist in nature. In the state sphere, KPI was not, and not.

One way or another, let's designate some forms of support:

• subsidies;
• concessional loans;
• grants;
• exemption from the organization of infrastructure (power supply, water supply, security, etc.) when placing production on the territory of industrial parks.

The placement of production on the territory of the industrial park - 175 of them in Russia - is not support exclusively for robotic industries. This is focused on supporting the enterprise of any industry. The company, which has received the status of a resident of the industrial park, gets rid of the creation and support of the production infrastructure (power supply, heat supply, security, etc.). In 2020, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 2,965 enterprises began production on the territory of industrial parks. It is also true that the volume of production is still small: at the end of 2019, only 1.3 million rubles, there are no data for 2020.

Another non-exclusively robotic support is state subsidies for R&D, including for the development of companies in order to modernize production, received through the Ministry of Industry and Trade. We are talking about compensation for part of the costs (no more than 50%) for the production and sale of pilot batches of new means of production to consumers. A long list of requirements is imposed on the projects and on the applicants themselves applying for the subsidy.

Through the Industry Development Fund under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, you can get a preferential loan at 1% in the amount of 20 to 500 million rubles for the introduction of digitalization solutions (software, robotic complexes). The low rate condition is that the Russian integrator of robotic complexes acts as a Russian contractor. The FRP website reports that the total amount of loans issued is 190.3 billion rubles, 849 loans were issued in 72 regions, 341 production was opened or increased, and this information is constantly updated upward. Zyfras look decent, but for a country of Russian scale they hardly talk about a radical impetus for the development of industry.

Support in the form of grants of up to 300 million rubles for the development of domestic digital products is provided by the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT) under the Ministry of Digital Development. Moreover, robotic complexes are listed among the priority areas of support. The website lists 21 projects for which grants were allocated. Among the listed projects, there was even one related to robotics: the introduction of a VR modeling platform for robotic devices for creating multimedia online courses, the amount of the allocated grant is 85 million rubles. RFRIT grants are provided within the framework of the state program "Digital Economy."

By the way, about the Digital Economy 2024 program. It provides for measures to support Russian projects to introduce domestic products created on the basis of end-to-end technologies, which include, among others, "components of robotics and sensory." Even a roadmap for development until 2024 has been created, in which the level of readiness in the global context has been assessed for each of the allocated sub-technologies, but nothing is known about the progress of implementation and the results of this program among experts.

Detailed information on all forms of state support for innovative developments - more than 30 of them - with all the necessary links is accumulated on the NAURR website. In conclusion, we note that for all the inefficiency of state support forms today, the very fact of their diversity and high degree of detail, elaboration of the financial side, is encouraging, because a mechanism has been created, it remains to make it work effectively.

Industrial robotics in Russia: growing demand amid the pandemic. Survey of industrial enterprises

As the TAdviser study showed, more than 90% of large industrial enterprises in Russia today already use robots and more than half plan to purchase such solutions in the next couple of years. The main incentive is a significant increase in labor productivity as a result of their implementation, according to almost 50% of the enterprises surveyed. Read more here.

In "Technopolice" Moscow "created a robot for the analysis of carbon-graphite reactors

The resident of the SEZ "Technopolice" Moscow "- the company" Special Design and Technological Bureau of Applied Robotics "(" SKTB PR "), has developed a mobile robotic complex for dismantling the graphite masonry of carbon-graphite reactors. This was announced on January 12, 2021 by Technopolice from the words of General Director Gennady Dogtev. Read more here.

2020: In ITMO, robots taught to conduct chemical experiments

On December 24, 2020, it became known that ITMO University specialists are working to create technological assistants in chemical laboratories that will be able to perform all routine work without human intervention. The first prototypes have already been created that practice the simplest manipulations. In the future, "robotic chemists" will be able to conduct full-fledged research on the collection of a large amount of data and their primary analysis. Read more here.

2019: TAdviser Review: Russian Industrial Robotics Market

Main article: Russian industrial robotics market

Market situation

Market estimates

According to the NAURR report, the Russian industrial robot market grew by 21% in 2018. At the same time, according to the association, 860 robots were installed in Russia at the end of 2018. The total volume of the domestic market for industrial robots NAURR was estimated at 2.5 billion rubles, the market for robotic systems - at 7.5 billion rubles.

Talking about the results of 2019, experts noted a slight slowdown in market growth, which is due to the fact that large projects in the automotive industry have a cyclical nature. Nevertheless, the assessment of specialists at the end of the year is optimistic and predicts an overall positive trend. The industrial robotics market continued its growth in 2019, its development stimulated the maturity of customers and the growing professionalism of industrial integrators. The interest of companies in the field of robotization and automation of production, both among small companies and among large state customers, is growing.

In our opinion, 2019 turned out to be extremely interesting in terms of the emergence of new vectors for the development of the entire industry, the formation of growth points and horizons for the next 2-3 years. It is clearly clear that the market is increasingly moving and developing towards the replicated and well-known stage of the development of Industrialization 4.0 in wide circles, which is confirmed by the assessments of the expert community, say Weber Comehanix.

However, not everyone is ready to spend significant funds on further development and modernization. As noted by Andrei Mukhametzyanov, Deputy Director of BFG Group, companies confident in orders for several years in advance are deciding on the purchase of robotic complexes.

According to Anton Kulikov, project manager at Robotron Factory, if the price is from 3 million rubles. for an industrial robot for the customer seems high, this only suggests that the company has not yet learned how to use it. On the other hand, premature cheapening, in his opinion, may not lead to the development of industry competencies, but to a distortion of the paradigm for the use of robots and market degradation.

According to IFR data for 2018, Russia ranked 27th in sales of industrial robots.

The level of robotization of production processes in our country is still extremely low, compared to leaders (China, Korea, Japan, European countries), but positive trends can be noted, - said Evgeny Krysanov, chief engineer of MDI2B.

According to Anton Kulikov, the low demand for robotics from industry is caused by a number of reasons.

The matter is not only the country's domestic policy, but also in frequent cases of ignorance and infantilism of people holding the positions of specialists, the absence of a full-fledged sectoral educational base in the country, as well as actively fruitful charlatanism. Our country has grown a generation of managers of all stripes, bloggers, bankers and stylists over the past 20 years. And there is no fundamental engineering in the country, and science is in very controversial conditions. The leading positions of enterprises are often occupied by people in fact who do not have the same relevant higher profile education, and sometimes even successful secondary education. Thus, it is not possible to make competent decisions in the field of high-tech business, "Anton Kulikov told TAdviser.

Universal Robots believes that the robotics market is transforming, but lavionlike. And in order for it to develop, assistance from the state is needed, both to educate manufacturers, and for legislative and financial support.

Andrey Vavilov, a representative of Promzapchast, noting the huge interest in robotization in industry, believes that there are very few enterprises in Russia that can be robotized.

For example, among enterprises engaged in the production of agricultural machinery, there are literally only a few of them. Therefore, the avalanche-like growth of robotization in this industry, which took place in 2019, means only that slightly more units of enterprises have become robotic, - said Andrei Vavilov.

Mikhail Zotov, CEO of DS-Robotics, predicts that the market will continue to trend towards an increase in the introduction of industrial robots and involvement in the robotization of small and medium-sized companies. At the same time, the range of industries and applications will expand.

The growth in the number of implementations and the variety of projects will contribute to a greater specialization of integrators by types of operations and industries, the development of standard "box solutions" based on industrial robots, he believes.

At the same time, to accelerate growth, more active and significant government support for industrial enterprises of small and medium-sized businesses is required. This opinion, in particular, is shared by Mikhail Prokopyev, Sales Director of Yaskava Europa Holding AB.

The Biggest Consumers

The largest consumer of industrial robots remains the automotive industry. In 2018, 40% of industrial robots in Russia were installed for the needs of the automotive industry, 16% - for mechanical engineering enterprises, 4% - for the food industry. In 2019, this trend continues.

The companies note that in 2019, interest in industrial robots in mechanical engineering and automotive production remained.

The most active consumers of robots are, as before, the auto industry, due to the deeper localization of the production of large automakers, as well as metalworking and arc welding - due to the large number of large and growing enterprises in this industry, - says Dmitry Kapishnikov, General Director of KUKA Russia.

According to Arkady Dilman, head of digital production at PROF-IT GROUP, points of demand growth have appeared in the field of electronics, metallurgy, chemical and food industries. Products and products are customized to the needs of the customer, production technologies are complicated. This creates new requirements for production, cost and resource management processes, and requires a new quality of process automation systems. Robotization is largely the answer to many of these tasks.

Andrey Mukhametzyanov, Deputy Director of the BFG Group (BFG Group), also notes changes in the needs for robotization in the Russian industry. As the demand for traditional welding complexes decreases, the number of calls in the field of food industry, equipment maintenance, palletizing increases. There is also growing interest in educational robotic cells.

At Weber Comehanix, most of the order book in 2019 was concentrated in the oil, defense, gas, transportation and agricultural industries. DS-Robotics traditionally sold most of the orders in the field of metalworking and mechanical engineering. At the same time, the company also noted interesting projects in the automotive industry, the construction materials industry and the food industry. The leader in the number of projects implemented for MDI2B is the automotive industry. At the same time, in 2019, the order portfolio of this integrator was replenished with a new industry - robotization projects were completed at the beer production enterprise.

The highest growth rates, according to KUKA Russia, are demonstrated by the food industry market. This trend, the company notes, is not unexpected, since it can be traced in all emerging markets.

This year, demand for industrial robotics has gone beyond discrete manufacturing industries. Representatives of enterprises with a continuous type of production - metallurgy, petrochemistry, and the food industry are increasingly showing interest in the technology, "says Arkady Dilman, head of digital production at PROF-IT GROUP.

Universal Robots records an increase in interest in cobots at Russian enterprises. Moreover, it was metallurgical companies and the food industry that showed the greatest interest in such devices.

In general, the range of tasks for which cobots can be used is very wide:

The most common tasks for which they are purchased, for example, are packaging and palletization of products, maintenance of machines and materials. There is also a wide range of industries where they can find application: from laboratories, medicine to the food and automotive industries, say Universal Robots.

Results of the year for participants in the Russian industrial robotics market and plans for the future

TAdviser interviewed some overseas manufacturers of industrial robots and domestic integrators and found out how they assess the results of 2019 for their company, as well as what their expectations are for 2020.

The main goal of vendors is to expand their presence in the Russian market, integrators - to increase expertise in new areas.

According to Dmitry Kapishnikov, KUKA has always shown only growth for all 12 years of its work.

At the end of 2019, we expect to repeat the success of last year, when we occupied almost 40% of the market for 6 axial industrial robots in Russia, and expand it, "said Dmitry Kapishnikov.

Industrial robot manufacturer YASKAWA plans to increase its presence on the Russian market, including by expanding its industry coverage.

Today we have one of the widest product lines with a very interesting value offer - even our competitors recognize this. YASKAWA robotic equipment in metalworking and mechanical engineering has already earned its recognition and is synonymous with an optimal high-quality solution in terms of cost. However, in the food production of Russia, our equipment is not so known, although it occupies a leading position in the world market. It is on the robotization of the production of mass consumption goods that we plan to focus our attention, - says Mikhail Prokopyev, Sales Director of Yaskava Europa Holding AB.

Interviewed integrators say that 2019 was not an easy year. At the same time, you can see their optimistic attitude for 2020.

PROF-IT GROUP, according to Arkady Dilman, grew in 2019 in relative values ​ ​ several times.

This year, PROF-IT GROUP worked with enterprises from the mechanical engineering industry in the direction of introducing robotic complexes for welding operations. In addition, the supply and configuration of systems for power enterprises was carried out. The company also performed service work, the volume of which increased compared to 2018. Moreover, according to the results of the projects, most of the company's clients in 2019 showed interest in service support, modernization of already operating robotic complexes, adjustment and completion of equipment, - Arkady Dilman informed.

According to Andrei Mukhametzyanov, Deputy Director of BFG Group, 2019 was not a simple year for BFG Robotics.

{{Quote 'After all, looking at the trends in the development of robotization in Russia, the company decided to master the growing direction of equipment maintenance, to increase competencies in automated control systems of production lines. At the same time, in 2019, complex and interesting projects were implemented for servicing processing centers, gas-oxygen cutting, - said Andrei Mukhametzyanov. }}

DS-Robotics, according to its CEO, made a big hit in 2019. In particular, the production areas were doubled, the fleet of equipment was updated, the team was expanded, new specializations were mastered. The plans for 2020 are to grow, develop and increase technical expertise in new areas.

Integrator "MDI2B" plans to increase the number of robotization projects outside the automotive sector in 2020. These include, for example, the petrochemical and metallurgical industries.

The priority of our company in recent years is robotization and automation of technological processes. The number of robotization projects is growing every year, and we hope that this trend will continue in 2020, "says Evgeny Krysanov, chief engineer of MDI2B

Weber Comehanix notes a number of new industries in which an increase in consumer ability is expected. Therefore, the company plans to develop industry competencies.

I really want to hope that 2020 will become in a good sense a "turning point" for the industrial robotics market and the industry will develop at a greater pace than now. Every year, every possible effort is made by our company and our partners in this regard, "Weber Comehanix notes.

Features of purchasing industrial robots

During the preparation of the review, TAdviser interviewed a number of customers and found out what industrial robots they had purchased in recent years and for what purposes they were used.

Thus, the Technonicol company acquired robots for monotonous, routine operations - for working with heavy batches of products.

These are, first of all, packaging operations. In most stone wool factories, for example, operations are performed by a "classic" robot. Product packs are automatically stacked on a pallet. The finished pallet with materials is packed using the "stretch-hood" technology. It reduces transport costs and labor costs by increasing the speed of loading and unloading, allows customers to store products in an open warehouse or construction site - without losing the physical and mechanical properties of materials, - Vladimir Markov informed.

Robotic unloading of packages with insulation. Video: BELFIN Robotics

In general, the company "Technonicol," according to him, usually acquires initially robotic lines, or implements solutions on those lines where tests were successfully carried out for the company.

Speaking about the situation on the market, he noted that it mainly presents foreign robotic technologies. At the same time, according to him, Technonicol does not experience difficulties when working with them, with the exception of those issues that may arise during their implementation - issues related to providing technical support. As a rule, in the case of them, the case comes down to cross-border barriers, said Vladimir Markov.

Company spokeswoman Brassco Ekaterina Vostrikova drew TAdviser's attention to the fact that the company primarily sees an increase in automation and robotization in the metalworking industry.

Brassco performs a wide range of work on the manufacture of large-scale brass products, and industrial robotization is paramount here. With its help, we provide a full cycle of metal processing with high productivity, accuracy and stable quality. We choose Fanuc as the supplier of robots, - said Ekaterina Vostrikova.

According to her, Brassco purchased the largest number of industrial robots manufactured by Fanuc in 2018-2019. Speaking about where exactly the purchased robots are used at the enterprise, Vostrikova noted that they are involved at all stages of production.

We value the multi-purpose functionality of industrial robots: rapid manipulation of small parts with increased reach; maintenance of machines and performance of production operations, including on aggregate transfer multi-spindle CNC machines. Industrial robots perform a wide range of tasks in our country: from supplying blanks to processing centers to applying labeling, "said Ekaterina Vostrikova.

Robot for loading the machine and automatic positioning of products. Video: BELFIN Robotics

The main advantages brought to the enterprise by automation, according to her, are to improve the quality of products, increase productivity, as well as reduce costs and the ability to respond flexibly and quickly to constant market changes.

Speaking about interaction with Fanuc, Ekaterina Vostrikova pointed out that the enterprise, in principle, never had any complaints about the supplier. According to her, the company is associated with Fanuc comfortable partnerships, its interaction with the manufacturer is work for the future. Fanuc provides the company with competent consultations at the stage of selecting a robot, connecting and further operation, maintains a flexible service policy, implements an individual approach and assigns a separate Fanuc specialist to it.

The Promzapchast company uses robots in the production of agricultural machinery. According to its representative Andrei Vavilov, the intensity of the introduction of robots at the enterprise in 2019 has increased and will also grow in the foreseeable future.

If first we acquired one robot and integrated it within three years, then we acquired two and integrated them a year, and then two more and their integration took only six months, "said Andrei Vavilov.

The production robots installed at the Promzapchast enterprise, KUKA according to him, are the most expensive on the market. The company integrates these robots into production in-house. Having significantly invested in their acquisition, according to Vavilov, the company guarantees itself the stability and efficiency of some processes. However, in the future, when the company switches to robotizing easier processes, it plans to acquire cheaper robots.

The main difficulty in acquiring robots from the company, as Vavilov noted, is the same as that of other enterprises. It consists in the fact that no robot supplier will ever talk about the difficulties that can arise when integrating its robots.

Measures of state support for market participants

Support for manufacturers of industrial robotics in Russia is provided by the Innovation Assistance Fund. It is also provided for by the national program "Digital Economy."

As explained by the executive director of NAURR Alisa Konyukhovskaya, the program includes measures to support end-to-end digital technologies, one of which is robotics and sensorics. In addition, Konyukhovskaya drew attention to the fact that manufacturers of industrial robots can become residents of Skolkovo and, thus, be able to make less tax, insurance and other deductions.

Enterprises installing industrial robots can take advantage of measures to support the Industrial Development Fund. They imply the provision by the fund under the state program "Digitalization of Industry" of loans with a reduced rate of 5% per annum. Also, these enterprises can act as robotic companies - resort to measures to support the national program "Digital Economy." It provides support for relevant "industry" solutions and regional projects through the Skolkovo Foundation and the Russian Information Technology Development Fund.

To understand the situation with the use of state support measures by robotics - their popularity in the industry, the degree of ease of obtaining and other indicators, a system is needed that would accumulate relevant information in itself. Alisa Konyukhovskaya noted.

At the same time, 2019, in her opinion, was notable for the fact that during it state support measures were actively discussed by the industry community.

Judging the effects that had on industrial robotics in 2019, the roadmap for the development of "end-to-end" digital technology "Components of robotics and sensorics," according to Konyukhovskaya, is difficult. Despite this, in her opinion, it is very important that at the state level, interest and a whole movement towards its development arose in robotics.

The main difficulty in developing a strategy for the development of robotics and its roadmap, Konyukhovskaya noted the lack of a consensus within the industry community and cooperation in their preparation. At the same time, she added that the roadmap for the development of the industry was developed in a very short time and in conditions of insufficient dialogue with industry specialists.

One of the problems of the industry is the gap between the needs of the robotics market and the support measures created by the state. There is a position that all digital technologies need the same support measures. And that's not the case. In particular, the introduction of each digital technology and its market needs to delve into and determine the state support measures necessary for it, - said Alisa Konyukhovskaya.

Manufacturing companies are also collaborating with the state to develop measures to support robotics, including in the regions. The focus remains on the availability of state support for integrator companies that develop robotic projects and are an intermediate link between a robot manufacturer and an enterprise.

I think there is still a lot of work to be done on the availability of government. Support for integrators is bees, without which you can never build a hive. It seems to me that we managed to convey this to the government, - comments Dmitry Kapishnikov, General Director of KUKA Russia.

Mikhail Zotov, General Director of DS-Robotics, notes that the range of state support measures is quite wide and there are solutions for different companies - manufacturers of robots and their components, integrators, as well as enterprises implementing robotization projects of their production. But these measures are being implemented, at least within the framework of five different parallel programs.

There is not enough a single platform - where an enterprise could get complete information about all the state support measures available to it, consult, and get help in preparing a package of documents. This is especially true for industrial production companies planning robotization. We often encounter a lack of information from enterprises about the availability of such support programs in principle and understanding to whom to go with these requests, "he says.

To date, not many integrator companies have had the opportunity to take advantage of government support measures. This suggests that the degree of availability of state support for enterprises is still low. The declared volume of investments in projects subject to the possibility of subsidies is much higher than those projects for which Russian enterprises are ready. In the Russian market, support for pilot implementations with investments requiring smaller volumes is in demand. The issue of flexibility of the requirements for participation in a state initiative to maintain the dynamics of industry development remains important. The mechanism for gaining support is often complex and opaque.

Mikhail Zotov also draws attention to the adaptation of support measures to the scale of the Russian robotics market.

If we look at a typical project for the implementation of the first robot in a medium or small enterprise, namely, such projects especially need support, then these are budgets in the range of up to 10-20 million rubles and here the range of possibilities of existing programs is limited. A similar situation with the support of integrators and manufacturers of components of robotic complexes and sensor elements. This is a young market in Russia, many are at the stage of startups, prototype development, and long-standing engineering companies, due to the small market volume so far, do not fit into existing financing models in terms of scale, he says.

Evgeny Krysanov, chief engineer of MDI2B, notes that being a small business enterprise, his company currently does not feel state support.

We literally survive every year due to high efficiency in the implementation of projects, cost optimization, and work with manufacturers of purchased products, including industrial robots, directly on preferential terms, "he says.

Weber Comehanix mentions some legal conflicts in the direction of state support. So, for example, in the Moscow region there is a support measure "for partial reimbursement of costs during the modernization of equipment." It implies reimbursement of up to 50% of the costs of purchased equipment, but the amount of support cannot exceed 10 million rubles per legal entity. At the same time, a prerequisite is the development of funds "year on year." I.e. equipment supply contract and signing of equipment acceptance certificates and commissioning works shall occur in one calendar year.

Obviously, this is unrealizable when implementing complex projects. The measure developed by the investment block of the Government of the Moscow Region is very necessary, important, but the amendments made to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation create such a conflict that, in fact, it does not allow implementing complex projects and counting on state support, the company notes.

Andrei Mukhametzyanov, Deputy Director of BFG Group emphasizes that only companies confident in their future that have orders for several years in advance can actively use robotization.

Receiving state support requires a lot of time, co-financing from the enterprise, as well as a completed feasibility study, he notes.

Nevertheless, - says Arkady Dilman, - the very fact of the possibility of subsidizing projects is an important milestone in the development of industrial robotics in Russia. And our task as market participants is to help the state improve these tools, make them more understandable, flexible and accessible to customers.

According to companies' forecasts, state support will become a significant driver of the development of the Russian robotics market. The topic of digitalization of Russian enterprises, Industry 4.0 is in the focus of state attention - it is supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Russian Industry Development Fund, is part of the program of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) and professional associations that can broadcast the opinions of customers and integrators to the state level.

Market trends

Moving towards integrated projects and solutions

Automation tasks become more complex and require a comprehensive solution. The direction of modernization is gaining popularity not of specific point areas, but of the entire production system. Often only in this case it is possible to achieve a positive economic effect from the introduction of industrial robots.

If 5-7 years ago there were mainly requests for robotization of specific operations or sites, then recently there has been a practical interest in the most automated robotic workshops and entire industries, notes Mikhail Zotov, General Director of DS-Robotics.

It is important to understand that the market will continue its growth in the direction of complex solutions, the integration of industrial robots with other innovative industrial technologies, which together will close the specific production, operational and business tasks of enterprises, "says Arkady Dilman, head of digital production at PROF-IT GROUP.

Weber Comehanix already sees a clear increase in the need for integrated automation. More and more customers of this company are striving to improve the entire production cycle: from procurement production to the stage of production of finished products.

All this stimulates market participants - manufacturers and integrators - to increase the potential of affordable technologies and competencies.

Industrial robot manufacturers enter adjacent markets

Manufacturing companies are gradually expanding the scope of industrial robotics. For example, in 2020, KUKA Robotics plans to enter the mobile robotics market. Mobile robotics is a field of service robotics that has found more and more applications in recent years. Mobile platforms are mainly used for warehouse logistics, but can also be used for industrial inspection at enterprises of the oil and gas and chemical sector, energy infrastructure, or for agricultural needs.

Our mobile robots have traditionally been focused on high-tech applications, however, with an increase in serial life, we plan to enter the middle price segment, "comments a KUKA representative.

PROF-IT GROUP also expects an increase in demand for service robots, primarily as part of optimizing and improving the efficiency of logistics and warehouse operations, according to Arkady Dilman.

Increase in the number of projects for the modernization of operating robotic complexes

On the Russian market, there is an interest in service support, modernization of already operating robotic complexes, adjustment and completion of equipment. This stimulates companies to increase the staff of permanent specialists and reduces the dependence on the success of current projects. As the number of modernized enterprises and industries increases, this area of ​ ​ activity of industrial integrators is expected to be even more in demand.

Building competencies by integrators

Integration companies plan to increase the technological and industry potential of competencies, to increase the volume of work. Promising areas - food industry, warehouse logistics, pharmacology, transport. At the same time, the importance of such areas as mechanical engineering and metalworking remains.

Next year, we plan to continue to increase our competencies in the field of integration of industrial robots into the maintenance of various equipment, to more actively enter the growing food industry market, "says Andrey Mukhametzyanov, BFG Group.

In the near future, we will focus on proposals for the comprehensive robotization of industries. In addition to the supply of equipment, the range of tasks will include the design and development of architectures, the integration and development of cyber-physical systems, the provision of services for setting up robotic complexes, employee training and service support, - answers Arkady Dilman, PROF-IT GROUP.

Customized production

Issues related to the possibility of organizing customized production on the implemented robotic equipment are becoming more and more relevant.

As noted by Mikhail Zotov, General Director of DS-Robotics, within the framework of such projects, it is necessary to ensure small-scale, frequent product changes and the ability of the complex to perform individual product adaptation at the request of the end customer without complex additional settings.

This direction, in particular, is currently being developed by KUKA.

Its matrix manufacturing concept assumes maximum flexibility throughout the product chain. When changing the release program, the process system is automatically rebuilt on the go. This makes it possible to produce batches of unique products in the framework of mass production. [1]Learn more here.

Educational initiatives of manufacturers and integrators

Cooperation of manufacturing companies in the field of industrial robotics with higher technical educational institutions continues. Integrator companies and industrial enterprises have repeatedly noted a lack of specialists in the field of robotics. Therefore, the contribution of companies to educational institutions is gradually bearing fruit. For example, the production practice of students of the Department of Robotics of the Moscow State Technological University is carried out at partner sites, including KUKA Robotics, ABB Robotics.

We see more and more specialists graduating from SSUZs and universities with experience in the field of robotics. We are sure that this gives impetus to the use of robots in not only mechanical engineering, but also in other related areas, "says Dmitry Kapishnikov, KUKA Russia.

Katerina Slanska, marketing manager for Universal Robots in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, also speaks about the need for close interaction with universities. In her opinion, this is necessary, since often educated students are not familiar with robotics.

{{quote 'We try to pay a lot of attention to working with universities both in the world and in Russia, providing them with our robots on special conditions. For example, our Universal Robots cobots are installed in a number of universities in St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Perm, she notes. }}

Integrators also cooperate with educational institutions. Often, on the basis of educational institutions, equipped platforms are formed that allow students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for work. This solution, among other things, makes it possible to compensate for the lack of relevance of Russian training programs in the field of robotics, which has been repeatedly noted by experts.

Arkady Dilman, PROF-IT GROUP, said that the company conducts many projects with educational institutions developing their competencies in industrial robotics and the industrial Internet of Things according to international WorldSkills standards.

Digital laboratories are being formed at the sites of Russian colleges and technical schools. We provide turnkey solutions that include not only equipment and software, but also all the necessary expertise - a knowledge base, techniques, assistance in developing tasks for students and setting up equipment for testing these tasks, "he said.

2018: Russian Industrial Robots Market Volume by 43%

In 2018, the volume of the Russian market for industrial robots in physical terms amounted to 1007 units, an increase of 43% compared to 2017. Such data are provided by the National Association of Robotics Market Participants (NAURR), citing the International Robotic Federation (IFR).

Despite the tangible growth of the market, we are talking about only 5 robots per 10 thousand employees of industrial enterprises, which is 20 times less than the average in the world. In Singapore, for example, there are 831 robots per 10 thousand workers.

As the representative of NAURRAlisa Konyukhovskaya explained to Vedomosti, industrial robots are automatic programmable manipulators.

According to IFR data for 2018, Russia ranked 27th in sales of industrial robots. The top five included China, Japan, the USA, South Korea and Germany.

About 40% of robots in Russia are installed at automotive enterprises: in 2018, the auto industry accounted for 390 pieces of equipment against 262 in 2017. These enterprises purchase robots, as they are forced to adapt to demand and changes in the model range.

High demand for industrial robots is also observed in mechanical engineering (16% of sales) and the food industry, say the NAURR. However, data on the exact number of robots installed at food enterprises is difficult for experts to collect.

Only 4% of industrial robots installed in Russia in 2018 are produced in Russia. In the country, the production of this equipment is in its infancy, which is associated with the small size of the market, explain in NAURR. According to Alisa Konyukhovskaya, Russian enterprises do not consider robots as a means of increasing competitiveness and do not want to increase economic efficiency.

State-owned enterprises may not care about cutting costs. The feasibility of introducing robots is better assessed in highly competitive segments by the private sector, which is used to counting money, she said.[6]

Read also

• Industrial robots
• Technological trends in the development of industrial robots
• Review: Russian Industrial Robotics Market 2019