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Robots are doing it for themselves

ABB will offer a new and unique Remote Service concept for its customers’ robots that will identify and even predict problems remotely, and dispatch help automatically.

This Remote Service concept is aimed at extending the mean time between failure of robots and robotic components; shortening the subsequent mean time to repair; and lowering the overall cost of ownership of the robot unit. An additional beneficiary will be the environment, with fewer service-related call-outs, travelling and fuel costs involved.

The service package centres around the concept of logging a robot’s key performance data and sending this remotely to an ABB service centre via GPRS technology. The information can then be stored and used for reference, and alarms can be directly monitored. Trends can even be spotted before problems become evident.

With Remote Service, the robot automatically alerts the central database. It triggers an SMS to the on-call service engineer, who can immediately access a detailed data and error log and quickly identify the exact fault. From that moment, ABB can offer support without being physically at a customer’s side — especially important for customers in remote parts of Australia who have no direct representation.

“Shorter Mean Time To Repair offers a clear benefit to many of our customers,” said Nicole Ebert, Service Manager at ABB Australia. “These companies are heavily dependent on robotisation to meet the just-in-time nature of their businesses, and unplanned stoppages can have dramatic consequences.”

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 111,000 people.

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