Global Impact of Automation with Milton Guerry

Just about sixty years ago, robots were a notion of the future, automation was a novel and inspiring concept on the horizon. Now, robotic technology is an everyday feature. Milton Guerry, President of Schunk, a clamping and gripping systems technology company, sits down with host Joe Gemma as a leader of the industry to share his perspective on how the technology is shaping today and the future.

“We work in such a fantastic industry of pioneers, innovators, and leaders and I consider myself much more of a beneficiary,” started Guerry, who began in the industry as an engineer and is now the second North American President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

IFR is important to recognize what automation is to our world moving forward as the voice of robotics worldwide. Guerry noted that the pandemic did not change the path robotics was and is on, but simply accelerated it.

Talking about co-bots and mobile robot uses, Guerry said, “They are really serving us in ways that are deepening automation, let’s say, where it’s going and it’s actually serving to kind of get more out of our human capital.”

A mobile robot in a warehouse, for example, can save tens, perhaps hundreds of miles in a day. Robotics are now being used to reduce repetitive actions to better help their human counterparts.

Artificial Intelligence is making these capabilities stronger and easier. Guerry said, “It’s making it not only technically feasible but technically reliable.”

Now, teams are working to integrate these capabilities at a much more minute level, “…to give the user access for quick deployment, quick re-deployment,” said Guerry, while also serving to personalize an individually ordered concept.

The robotics industry is a dynamic, versatile sector. Guerry noted,“The automation market’s a hot destination…for so many reasons and my humble opinion is the promise that it brings…We’re also seeing that there’s a lot of excitement for investment in our space cause they see that automation is going to land in all these different industries…”