Reeco wins prestigious Henry Ford Award

Reeco wins prestigious Henry Ford Award

A specialist in collaborative robots has won a prestigious global award for its work with Ford.

Reeco Automation has received the Henry Ford Award for its partnership with Ford’s engine plant in Bridgend in successfully integrating a collaborative robot (known as ‘cobots’) into its manufacturing process.

Seven entries from Ford plants around the world were assessed by judges before Reeco was chosen as the winner along with Ford engineers, Gary Greenaway (Senior Supervisor) and Phil Moreton (Senior Emerging Technology Engineer).

Reeco’s Managing Director, Llewelyn Rees, Gary and Phil were presented with their award by Wallace Yearwood, Bridgend’s Engine Plant Manager.

From left Gary Greenaway Senior Supervisor at Ford, Llewelyn Rees MD of REECO and Phil Moreton Senior Emerging Technology Engineer at Ford

The high-profile success has resulted in Reeco being put forward by Ford for similar projects at some of the motor giant’s other sites internationally.

Llewelyn, whose company is based in Caersws, Powys, said: “To win the Henry Ford Award is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved, both at Reeco and the team at Bridgend Ford with whom we worked so closely.

“Both larger and smaller manufacturers are increasingly seeing the benefits of integrating cobots into their production processes, not to replace the human workforce but to complement them.”

From left Simon Brown, Marton Gyarmati, Llewelyn Rees, Gabor Pap, Dean Wigley, Rob Francis, Natalie Glover

The Henry Ford Award

Other Reeco customers include Rolls Royce, Honeywell and Unilever.

The company is a turnkey solutions provider for cobots – integrating technology on to production lines, bringing about a step change in speed of production, efficiency and safety.

Reeco was founded in August 2016 by Llewelyn and is the leading integrator of cobots in the UK. The global market for cobots is expected to grow by more than 40 per cent per year and be worth over £3billion by 2020.

Reeco provides customers with eight different cobot solutions including screw and bolt fixing, pick and place, riveting, dispensing, polishing, electronics and gluing.

The company also has a strong focus on safety working with clients to develop and implement safety strategies to ensure compliant cobot application.

By using cobots to carry out a range of tasks, employees can be freed up to work on more important tasks requiring human intervention.

Cobots allow operators and robot to work together without the need for safety fencing and expensive guarding, all regulated to ISO 13849-1. The cobots generally have a payback within 12 months dependent on the application.

Wrexham based automotive supplier increases recruitment thanks to productivity rise from Cobots

Wrexham based automotive supplier increases recruitment thanks to productivity rise from Cobots

Hi Mark Automotive has been leading the way in the design and manufacture of injection moulded products for over 40 years and remain the oldest, privately owned business of its kind within the UK. Based in Wrexham, just over the border into Wales, their 25,000sq ft factory exports worldwide. They manufacture products that are used by some of the largest automotive companies in the world.

Their 40 strong workforce includes an experienced team of designers, using Computer Aided Design to create the best possible products, as well as creating bespoke solutions that meet the specific needs of their customers.

As a company they’re embracing Industry 4.0 technology and have recently installed two new collaborative robots onto their manufacturing lines. A collaborative robot, also known as a cobot is a robot that is capable of learning multiple tasks, so it can assist human beings.

Both cobots have been installed by leading collaborative robot integrators Reeco Automation. Reeco, based in the heart of Mid Wales, supply customers with solutions in automating systems using Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC/Cobots). They focus on providing the customer with an automated solution that will ultimately save them money and reduce production costs. They offer their customer’s a solution of integrating collaborative robots with their existing factory equipment and employees.

 The new two UR5 Collaborative Robots are assisting the Hi Mark team with cutting and gluing of the spring isolators. This task would’ve previously been carried out manually and controlling the quality was an issue, due to the repeatability in such high volumes. The cobots have an accuracy of 0.1 mm, which has greatly improved the quality of the parts. The operators that were previously working on these manual tasks have now taken up less labour intensive and repetitive duties elsewhere in the factory.

 With the factory manufacturing thousands of products every day, these tasks were highly repetitive and perfect for the implementation of automation. With repetitive tasks like this, an increasing concern for manufacturers like Hi Mark is Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), integration of cobots like these significantly reduces the risk of RSI for workers. The sole purpose of these cobots was to improve the jobs for their workers by reducing the labour-intensive tasks.

 It’s proven with factory’s that implement automation that they become more productive. This statement is very true within Hi Mark, productivity has increased on their production line, therefore more units are being produced everyday which has required additional staff to be employed further down the production line.

Global brands help cobot specialist Reeco double in size

The UK’s leading integrator of collaborative robots is enjoying rapid growth.

Reeco Automation has doubled the number of staff employed at its Mid-Wales headquarters in the last year and is planning further recruitment over the coming months.

Reeco, which employs eight people at its base in Caersws, has secured a number of high-profile customers including Ford, Rolls Royce, Honeywell and, most recently, Unilever.

The company is a turnkey solutions provider for collaborative robots – known as ‘cobots’ – integrating technology on to production lines with the aim of complementing the work of humans, bringing about a step change in speed of production, efficiency and safety.

Reeco was founded in August 2016 by Managing Director Llewelyn Rees and is the leading integrator of cobots in the UK. The global market for cobots is expected to grow by more than 40 per cent per year and be worth over £3billion by 2020.

Reeco has formed a successful working relationship with Universal Robots, the world’s leading manufacturer of cobots. In total, over 27,000 Universal cobots are used in several thousand production environments across the globe every day.

Before setting up Reeco, Llewelyn spent 15 years working with industrial robots before switching his attention to cobots. Cobots were first launched five years ago and were created specifically to work alongside as co-workers where an industrial robot is not suitable.

Llewelyn said: “We are experiencing rapid growth as more and more organisations are appreciating the way in which cobots can complement their human workforce – transforming the way they do things.

“While much of our work has been with large multinationals, we are also partnering with ambitious SMEs which are harnessing increasing automation into their production processes.

“Cobots are helping to accelerate business growth in companies of all sizes and across many different sectors.”

Reeco provides customers with eight different cobot solutions including screw and bolt fixing, pick and place, riveting, dispensing, polishing, electronics and gluing.

The company also has a strong focus on safety working with clients to develop and implement safety strategies to ensure compliant cobot application.

By using cobots to carry out a range of tasks, employees can be freed up to work on more important tasks requiring human intervention.

Cobots allow operators and robot to work together without the need for safety fencing and expensive guarding, all regulated to ISO 13849-1. The cobots generally have a payback within 12 months dependent on the application.

Llewelyn added: “Customers like the fact that we are a full turnkey solutions and safety provider. We have had a year of strong growth and 2019 has begun well. Alongside growth in the UK, we are looking at international expansion and will have a need to recruit the best possible cobot engineering talent as well as people for a range of other roles.”

Reeco Automation to exhibit at pioneering industrial robotics conference

Future Robotics, the UK’s only independent industrial robotics conference, arrives on Tuesday 13 November in The Slate, Warwick University – and Reeco Automation will be showcasing its latest innovations at the event.

With the UK’s manufacturing industry falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to investing in robotic automation technology, Datateam Business Media has announced the launch of Future Robotics: a one-day event with a pioneering approach to the topic. 

Challenging ideas and opening minds

Leveraging on Connecting Industry’s leading portfolio of publications, including media partners Automation; Factory Equipment; Materials, Handling & Logistics; and Process & Control, the event will act as a timely resource for discussing vital trends.

With preconceptions about utilising robotic automation rife in the UK’s manufacturing industry, Future Robotics will focus on practicalities. Whether it’s ‘What ROI can be expected?’, ‘Which sectors/processes are most suited?’ or ‘What type of robots are available?’, the conference will provide a true insight into the benefits and realities of using the technology for design, production, finishing, materials handling and more.

 Callum Blackwell, event director, explains: “Given where the UK market sits against other countries around the world when it comes to investing in robotics, we thought this would be the perfect time for a conference that responds to this industry’s motivations and ambitions. Future Robotics is about answering the big questions on the current climate and looking at where we need to be in the future.”

 Delving into the market

 The focused seminar programme will feature the industry’s most important speakers – including presentations from the foremost robotics experts, manufacturers and suppliers sharing ‘real world’ case studies, building an informative picture of both the current and future markets.

The table top exhibition space will also showcase the latest products from leading brands, including  Reeco Automation, and feature a live demonstration area; giving attendees an enjoyable and immersive experience of robotics innovation.

Be part of the action!

Future Robotics is a must-attend date on the calendar of any manufacturer that currently implements, or is looking to introduce, industrial robotics into its processes.

Delegate tickets costs just £55.00, including lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Spaces are limited and selling fast – to secure a ticket, visit www.futurerobotics.co.uk.

Yaskawa Motoman - Reeco Cobot Partnership

Yaskawa UK Ltd MOTOMAN Robotics division has partnered with Reeco Automation as a solution provider for their new MOTOMAN HC10 collaborative Robot, a 6 axes human-collaborative robot (cobot). Reeco Automation specialize in providing solutions in automating systems using Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC / Cobots) with a focus on reducing production costs while improving both productivity and quality.

The innovative design of the Motoman HC10, which can operate with a payload of 10kg and a reach of 1200mm, ensures that they can operate without additional protective measures like a safety fence. Operator safety is assured by a power and force limit technology that stops the robot in case of contact with an operator. The reduced requirement for external safety measures depends on a risk assessment, but typically the overall footprint and cost of a cobot application is reduced when compared to a traditional industrial robot application.

Ideal applications for the Motoman HC10 cobots are repetitive, manual processes that take place around human workers, such as machine tending, pick-and-place operations and especially those jobs that have the potential for repetition injuries, or require human workers to interact with dangerous machinery.

Jonny Grey, Yaskawa UK Sales Manager commented “Yaskawa already has more than 40 years’ experience in producing industrial robots and have more than 400,000 installed globally. The HC10 is our first collaborative robot and we wanted to work with a UK robot integrator that has established experience and success in cobot applications, which is why we chose to work with Reeco”.

Reeco specialize in offering solutions for integrating collaborative robots with existing factory equipment and employees including a team of experienced engineers supplying and commissioning robotics into multiple industries. 

Llewelyn Rees managing director of Reeco, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Yaskawa, the HC10 is built with the industrial strength and quality for which Yaskawa is known for.”

Reeco Automation have designed and manufactured a robotics base (RB) system for the HC10 cobot and its controller. The result is a versatile, mobile solution which is designed to fit into an existing production line, typically for human-robot collaborative assembly.  ENDS.

More details at:  https://www.yaskawa.co.uk/          https://www.reeco.co.uk/

https://www.reeco.co.uk/yaskawa-hc10-cobot

Contact: Jonny Grey, UK Sales & Marketing Manager, Motoman YASKAWA.

jonny.grey@yaskawa.eu.com     Tel: +44 (0) 1295 272755    www.yaskawa.eu.com