As factories begin to reopen around the world after weeks or months of shutdowns in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation unit is offering support to help businesses restart their production lines. ABB has launched a digital package and virtual and field-service support initiatives.

In addition to helping its customers troubleshoot and fix problems related to robots and operations that have not been in use, ABB said its tools can help customers optimize processes and be more proactive in maintenance activities, which can reduce costs.

“As manufacturing and production begins to ramp up, we want to ensure the restart is as smooth and efficient as possible. In addition to virtual training, field service teams and spare parts, we can help customers remotely monitor, troubleshoot and optimize entire robot fleets via ABB Ability Connected Services,” stated Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business. “Our digital solutions and tools can help to ensure maximum performance and avoid unplanned downtime during this critical period for the world economy.”

ABB Robotics keeps parts in stock, offers upgrades

ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation said it will support its customers with a virtual consultation and audit to help identify issues and support needed. Field service maintenance packages include preventative maintenance, virtual tech support, and inspections under warranty, said the company.

ABB added that it has spare parts in stock to ensure that customers have the correct parts for a quick and effective restart of production and to minimize risks in the restart process.

Alternatively, old controllers or manipulators can be upgraded to extend the life of installed robots.

Remote robot services

ABB Ability Connected Services is ABB’s remote services offering, monitoring the health and performance of more than 9,000 robots in over 1,000 factories worldwide. It enables customers to securely integrate and aggregate their data, apply predictive analytics, and generate insights to help drive performance and productivity improvements.

All OmniCore-enabled ABB robots come ready to be connected to ABB Ability Connected Services, wirelessly or hard wired, while older robots can be retrofitted with a Service Box to access connected services. They include condition monitoring and diagnostics, plus asset-optimization services.

Other remote offerings include Web-based digital training on robot programming and the RobotStudio digital tool.

More information about ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation’s service and support is available at its Web site.