Estonian industry urged to automate to boost productivity and exports

ERR reports that companies need to automate production faster to increase productivity and export capacity, according to organisers of Robofest, an industrial robotics event held in Väimela, Võru County. More than 250 entrepreneurs attended, while over 40 industrial and collaborative robots demonstrated new opportunities in the sector.

Ants-Hindrek Tiido, head of the wood competence centre Tsenter, said the event aimed to inspire entrepreneurs and change the way they think about production.

“Roboticisation and automation have a very critical role to play if Estonia is to have strong potential for industrial exports and produce as much added value as possible,” Tiido said.

He added that the event featured 40 robots, along with all Estonian robot sellers, integrators and universities.

While industrial robots previously had to be given precise instructions about what to do and how to do it, artificial intelligence, cameras and various sensors are making them increasingly independent.

Robofest organiser Erkki Naaris said collaborative robots can now be equipped with cameras and pressure sensors and can recognise surfaces. “They adapt, and AI helps here,” he said.

Naaris gave the example of a small model that can be told to find a bottle in a room and then move around looking for it. Development is increasingly focused on additional equipment rather than the robot itself, he said.

Grinding is one of the main industrial tasks that can be performed by a robot instead of a person.

Mikk Varik, chief executive of industrial automation company ATEMX, said there are many different types of grinding robots, but his company aims to make its product as easy as possible to set up and operate so that any operator can use it.