PBA Group to open non-profit robotics hub

SINGAPORE-BASED PBA (Precision Bearings and Automation) Group plans to open a non-profit robotics hub in June that will help smaller business and factory owners understand more about the various robotics solutions available.

Upon opening, the Robotics Automation Centre of Excellence (Race) will house roughly 20 to 30 robots and four to six full-time employees. PBA plans to place only robots that are "initially relevant to their industry" at the hub, but will constantly work to increase the kinds of robots available, as well as any other supplementary technology.

The PBA Group owns 20 companies in total, each specialising in every part of the automation chain. Starting out as a bearings and mechanical components trading company, the group has since branched out into various other sectors such as contract manufacturing, aerospace components distribution, spindle repair and IT services. It represents and distributes robots from various manufacturers, but also produces its own robots and customised solutions.

The Race hub will be set up as a separate entity from PBA so as to maintain its neutrality. It will be used solely for educational purposes, and PBA has no plans to profit from the sale of specific robots.

"It will be a neutral ground where manufacturers can feel confident enough to have their technology displayed here and leave it to us to train the masses because they would know that we aren't prejudiced in training participants in another competitor's brand versus their own," said Derrick Yap, regional director of PBA Industries.

"Similarly, the people coming in to learn also won't feel that we have vested interests. We wouldn't promote any brand over another, because this training centre can't sell. The mandate is not to sell, the mandate is just to train the participants," he added.

Participants will be able to learn about and test out each robot equally and decide for themselves which is best for their own production lines, without interference from any profit-driven interest on PBA's part.

Upon its launch, there will be two to three marketing and communications employees at Race who will oversee efforts to raise awareness of what the hub offers. Another two to three employees will be full-time trainers at the hub, focusing on the educational aspects. Race staff will also work to plan its own unique curriculum for training sessions.

The hub will also occasionally invite external trainers from their respective robotics firms to educate participants on what the robots do and how to operate the machinery involved.

Since the cost of robots are relatively high, Race offers participants a rare hands-on learning opportunity, whereby small business and factory owners will get the chance to test out each robot before committing to such a large investment.

Robotics solutions are a complex process chain, and require many different technologies to be put together to work as a complete system, explained Mr Yap. These systems are often made up of several types of robots, with many more different parts and pieces that help it function in the best way for each customer.

With each robot costing roughly S$20,000, smaller businesses often struggle to justify the total cost of automating their processes with such solutions.

Thus, PBA will be pumping in an estimated initial amount of S$500,000 to set up Race and furnish it with at least one of each kind of robot with the aim of providing participants with the most complete range of solutions available on the market today. Mr Yap estimates that the centre will open with a set of 20-30 robots.

"So if you think about it, we're like a marketplace. We're like an Alibaba for robotics. Everyone can come to us and we will present all the technologies to them so they get a broader view of all the different types of robots," said Mr Yap.

After testing out each robot, should participants feel confident enough to make a purchase, experienced PBA staff will be on hand to guide and advise them on how best to install the robots to optimise their processes. These consultations will also come at no cost to participants.

"If (the participants) choose to use us (to install the robots for them), that's great. But if they choose to use someone else, that's also fine. They are not obligated to choose us if they come to the robotics centre," said Mr Yap.

PBA came up with the idea for the hub after spotting a gap between what the government hopes to achieve, and what the private sector wants in robotics.

"The government recognises this gap and tries to enlist the help of the research institutes to teach the private sector about robotics. But the problem is that they end up teaching very high-level generic stuff because they are publicly funded, and can't be seen taking sides with any company. So they teach them things like what a robot is," explained Mr Yap.

Some of the research institutes have already reached out to PBA to discuss their interest in engaging in joint projects in the future. PBA hopes that in time, they would be able to partner the research institutes to point participants in one another's direction depending on their respective specialities.

"What we have now is that we are complementing the research institutes in the areas they are lacking. So if (the participants) want a specific thing that we don't have, we can direct them to the research institutes that have it and vice versa," added Mr Yap.

PBA envisions the Race hub to be a place where they can educate smaller businesses and factories on what robotics are, walk them through the entire process of automating their production lines and guide them through their uncertainties.

"The idea is that when you educate them, the market will expand and everyone stands to gain from it," said Mr Yap.

PBA hopes to be able to work with the government on future projects as well. Possible areas that the group is looking to develop include co-sponsorships on the hub's training programmes with the various government agencies such as the Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

On a national scale, PBA hopes that Race can help to grow the Singapore market for robotics. So far, the group has already been approached by several clients in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand to participate in some factory automation jobs.

These requests are a reflection of the burgeoning demand for higher-level automation solutions in South-east Asia, and presents an opportunity to grow Singapore's robotics sector and establish the country as the robotics hub of the region.

"Singapore has very skilled workers. We have this advantage over others in the region. The need for automation constantly goes up, but you need to find people with the right skillset to do it," explained Mr Yap.

Ultimately, as Race works to cultivate the domestic robotics landscape, PBA hopes that it can pool the newly trained engineers and system integrators to "not only service the Singapore market, but also the regional market".

"If we train up this talent pool, and they are all on a common platform, we can band together and reach further. Then we can all take on bigger international projects together," explained Mr Yap.

"There is an opportunity for Singapore to become the automation hub of the region now, and if PBA doesn't do it, someone else will surely step in to fill the gap."

Race is expected to open its doors in June and will be housed in the PBA building in Yishun Industrial Park.