Autonomous Mobile Robots can be the alternative to the staff shortage in the Romanian industry?

Autonomous Mobile Robots can be an alternative way for companies in Romania to overcome the shortage of personnel needed to handle materials and products in production and warehousing facilities, says Paul Olariu, Area Sales Manager for Central and
Eastern Europe at Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR), the leading manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots (AMR).

At the beginning of April, in Romania, there were more than 30,000 job vacancies for unskilled people and without high school education, according to data from the National Employment Agency (Agenția Națională pentru Ocuparea Forței de Muncă – ANOFM).

“Of these, more than 2,000 were for handling products and materials, an activity that autonomous mobile robots can easily take over. Modern companies are widely adopting autonomous mobile robots, bringing a high level of automation and traceability. Robots accurately record any operation and the data is immediately introduced into management systems. Furthermore, autonomous mobile robots are certified to work with humans, meeting the highest safety standards”, says Paul Olariu, MIR Area Sales Manager for Central and Eastern Europe.

In Europe, the adoption rate of autonomous mobile robots is overgrowing, driven by cost reduction, streamlining intralogistics operations and reducing dependence on human labor.

Robot base to grow steadily by 30-40% over the next few years

The installed base of autonomous mobile robots will grow steadily by 30-40% over the next few years, reaching more than 4 million units by 2027, according to a recent study by Interact Analysis.

“Manufacturing and logistics facilities need raw materials or various components to be transported continuously between assembly lines and temporary warehouse spaces. This intralogistics activity is traditionally carried out with employees and manual transport systems (trans-pallets) and can be easily affected by a lack of human resources, especially when working in shifts or when production units are placed outside towns. It is a demanding activity due to the long distances to be covered and with a low added value, which transforms it uninteresting for Romanians looking for a job“, explains the MIR manager.

The robots can work individually or as part of a fleet, are 100% autonomous, and carry out loading&unloading of the standardized palles or carts and their transports.

They can run for 8-10 hours on a single charge, and the average consumption for an eight-hour working day is 1.73 kWh, which costs a maximum of two to three RON. Depending on the degree of charging, and the number of shifts and missions performed, the payback on the investment in a fleet of MIR autonomous mobile robots can be even faster than a year.

One robot can compensate the lack of four people handling products and materials

“Romanian companies are facing an acute staff shortage for internal product handling in the logistics and production areas. These are physically demanding activities with low added value. Mobile robots can successfully take over these activities, in whole or in part, transporting loads of up to 1,350 kg and traveling tens of kilometers daily. With their high efficiency and low cost of operation, autonomous mobile robots represent an investment with an incredible payback”, adds Paul Olariu.

Companies that need people to handle products include those in the automotive industry, electronics assembly or pharmaceutical manufacturing.

One MIR robot can compensate for the lack of four people who handle products and materials, serving multiple locations. The robot can carry out 100 intralogistics (handling and transport) tasks in a single shift and travel more than 20-25 km daily.