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The workforce of Japan may use assist from robots equivalent to Neura Robotics’ light-weight agile robotic assistant (LARA), mounted on a multi-sensing autonomous automobile (MAV) for palletizing, stated the IFR. | Supply: Neura Robotics
As new extra time rules for truck drivers in Japan come into impact in 2024, the nation is going through potential labor shortages and provide chain disruptions. Some name this the “2024 drawback,” and the Worldwide Federation of Robotics, or IFR, claimed that automation is the answer to this drawback.
In Japan, a heavy truck driver labored a median of two,568 hours in 2022. That is 444 hours longer than the nationwide common for all jobs, in line with Labor Ministry information from 2022.
Beginning on April 1, 2024, the Japanese authorities is limiting truck drivers’ annual extra time to 960 hours. The federal government stated it hopes the rules will enhance working situations for truckers and make their jobs extra engaging, but it surely may end in a serious labor scarcity. If this hole is left unaddressed, a 3rd of all cargo may go undelivered, leading to a ten million yen ($76 billion) hit to the Japanese economic system by 2030, Reuters reported.
“The federal government’s extra time cap is a vital step to enhance working situations for workers,” Takayuki Ito, vp of the IFR, stated in a launch.
“Industrial and repair robots ship nice options to automate,” he added. “Robots relieve employees of soiled, uninteresting and harmful work and assist to shut productiveness gaps.”
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How can robots clear up the ‘2024 drawback’ in Japan?
Japan is the No. 1 industrial robotic producer on this planet, in line with IFR information. In 2020, Japan manufactured 45% of the worldwide provide of commercial robots, it stated.
The nation is growing automation methods that the IFR stated couldn’t solely tackle logistical wants, but in addition a variety of business challenges the brand new rules will trigger.
Inserting cargo out and in of vehicles and warehouses is among the most time-consuming duties for truck drivers, making it an appropriate job for automation, stated the IFR. Cellular robots may save truck drivers as much as 25% of working time throughout a day’s shift, famous the Frankfurt, Germany-based group.
As well as, the IFR stated that robots can cut back errors so as achievement by automating repetitive duties equivalent to choosing and packing.
Warehousing robots may additionally assist shut the hole left by truckers working fewer hours. These can vary from compact autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) to large-scale automated storage and retrieval techniques (ASRS). These techniques can cut back the period of time required to maneuver items. They will additionally deal with heavy masses and harmful supplies with out placing human employees in danger, stated the IFR.
“Rules of extra time work and the demographic change would require the adoption of automation expertise in lots of branches of the Japanese economic system,” Ito acknowledged. “The challenges of the trucking business are good examples to indicate how robotics and automation ship sufficient options for our workplaces of the longer term.”
Service robots increase worldwide
On a world scale, extra skilled service robots are being constructed for the transportation of products or cargo than another operate, noticed the IFR. Gross sales grew by 44%, with greater than 86,000 items bought worldwide in 2022, discovered the group’s “World Robotics 2023” report.
Robotic installations hit an all-time excessive in 2021, in line with the IFR. It stated that 517,385 new industrial robots have been put in in 2021 in factories around the globe.
Robotic installations grew by 31% yr over yr in 2021. They exceeded the pre-pandemic file of robotic installations in 2018 by 22%, the IFR stated. The inventory of operational robots around the globe additionally hit a brand new file of about 3.5 million items.