The concept of robotic aids have gone beyond Rosie the maid in the cartoon series “The Jetsons” and been embraced by modern households in everyday solutions, such as the Roomba brand of automated vacuums. For beverage-makers and distributors, robotic solutions have come to embody reliable, flexible and safer options for their operations. Within the industry, installation of robotic equipment continues to grow with new applications for manufacturing and distribution, experts say.
“If you rewind seven, eight or 10 years, robotics were probably considered pretty novel, and there was a lot of uncertainty,” says Dick Motley, account manager for North American Distribution for Fanuc Robotics, Rochester Hills, Mich. “I think at this point there’s a real proven track record, and there’s a recognition of the reliability and the flexibility that they deliver.”