OMRON launches automation center Singapore for logistics to embody innovative-automation concept

OMRON, a global leader in factory automation including Industry 4.0 solutions, has announced opening of its 1st Automation Center exclusively catering the Logistics Industry in Singapore, South-East Asia and Oceania. This is OMRON’s 2^nd Automation Center in Singapore, 6^th in APAC and 38^th worldwide.

Named as OMRON AUTOMATION CENTER SINGAPORE for Logistics, it is one of the first solution development centers to support the adoption of Robotics Middleware Framework (RMF) in the logistics sector. It will enable and showcase interoperability between complex and heterogenous multi-robot systems (MRS). This is an important step towards enabling stronger and seamless human-machine collaboration, where mobile robots using natural or existing infrastructure within the warehouse perform autonomous movement of goods (handling, moving and storing warehouse assets) as they work alongside the human workforce on the shop floor.

Catalysed by the Singapore National Robotics Programme (NRP) to address interoperability issues among heterogenous fleets of robots and infrastructure in hospitals initially, RMF has moved beyond the healthcare industry to other sectors, such as facility management, manufacturing and logistics, where different robots are needed for various applications. The ROS-Industrial (ROS-I) Consortium Asia Pacific, managed by A*STAR’s⁽¹⁾ Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), has been actively supporting the growth of RMF adoption in these sectors.

The center aims to work closely with partners in the robotics and automation eco-system to catalyse the uptake of Logistics 4.0 in Asia Pacific’s by addressing some of its biggest issues—such as labour scarcity, limited space, supply chain disruptions, and the pressing urgency to leverage sustainable technologies to stay resilient while maximising competitiveness. It will help to address the region's growing needs for warehouse automation, which is expected to rise with a compounded annual growth rate of over 14% over the next 5 years, with a higher increase in both developed and emerging countries in Asia Pacific.⁽²⁾

The center is a unique facility housing many solutions for intralogistics such as demonstration of an end-to-end fulfilment center operation using collaborative robots and custom mobile robot solutions using natural feature navigation to perform autonomous movement of materials, 3D-vision-guided pick, and palletize solutions, interoperability of mobile robots using RMF, logistics training cells as well as assortment of technologies enabling sustainable operations.

OMRON plans to actively work with technology companies, system integrators and start-ups with technology offerings relevant to the logistics industry to pioneer warehouse automation solutions catered to the specific needs of 3PL and 4PL fulfilment centers, e-commerce providers and other warehouse management end-users.

In conjunction with the launch, OMRON also initiated a partnership with the ROS-I Consortium Asia Pacific to facilitate the incubation and development of capabilities and applications that leverage the Robotics Middleware Framework (RMF) for the logistics industry. The partnership also aims to develop common standards for robotics and automation that can be applied globally leveraging OMRON’s custom mobile robot solutions and use the center as a test-bedding facility to model the RMF in logistics. This partnership is initiated through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between OMRON and the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), A*STAR, which manages the ROS-I Consortium Asia Pacific.

(1): A*STAR : Agency for Science, Technology and Research 

(2): Source : (IQ Research report, 2021)