According to estimates of the AOK federal association, the demand in Germany alone is expected to be sufficient until the summer:
- 47 million FFP2 masks
- 63 million disposable protection products
- 55 million packs of disposable gloves
- 12 billion protective masks per year are needed due to the obligation to wear temporary masks, according to Germany's Minister of Economics Altmaier.
But how can the German economy cope with this exorbitant demand for protective equipment?
Mass Production gains new importance
In an urgent procedure, many companies have switched their production to medical products in the fight against Corona in recent weeks. Car manufacturers rely on respirators, the textile industry produces protective clothing on a large scale. Existing production lines must be supplemented or converted. Completely new production lines are created. The use of automation technology is an essential factor in being able to produce the enormous demand for protective equipment or to accelerate laboratory processes and measurements. In the corona pandemic there are many important tasks in which automation and robots provide valuable services.
Investments in modern ROTTE-solutions
As an experienced and long-standing machine builder, we offer companies a broad product portfolio of automation technology to meet current challenges:
- High-speed automation: Parts handling with robots
- Feeding of components from unsorted layers: 3D Bin Picking
- Quality inspections: Automation of measurement technology
- Robot-automated compilation of partial quantities: Automatic picking
- Fast and efficient packaging solutions: Automatic packaging
Investments in automation lead to increased efficiency in the entire value-added chain, such as increasing output and product quality. We advise on the selection and definition of individual process machines, from single machines to the overall concept. As an automation specialist, we plan, layout, build and program completely automated robot cells including individual assembly or process processes, all from one source with a vertical range of manufacture of 100%.
And what comes after Corona?
The pandemic and the restrictions in supply chains, especially from Asia, could bring the advantages of local production back into focus. Interest in long-term national production of medical and protective equipment is particularly high. Robotics and automation would benefit from this: Production facilities in Germany must be automated more than in many other countries.
By the way: When needs change after the crisis, integrated robots can often be flexibly trained for new tasks.
