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Three-week welding robot integration to overcome labor shortage

Shun Fu Enterprise

Watch how Shun Fu Enterprise introduced Universal Robots' UR10e collaborative robot and the SmoothTool welding software

In Short

Shun Fu Enterprise is a family-run welding factory in Changhua City, Taiwan, approaching its 10th year of establishment. Faced with long-term labor shortages and increasing orders, the company introduced Universal Robots' UR10e collaborative robot and the SmoothTool welding software, exclusively distributed in Taiwan by Roboenter Technology. Despite having no prior experience with robotics, the owner, Mr. Lin Sheng-Wei, (Mr.Lin) was able to operate it independently within three weeks. The UR cobot not only solved the labor shortage issue but also reduced operation time by about 80%. Mr. Lin believes that this user-friendly automation not only reduces costs but also ensures high-quality welding, potentially attracting more people to join the welding industry.

The Challenge

Located in Changhua City, Taiwan, Shun Fu Enterprise is approaching its 10th year of establishment. It primarily provides design and metal welding services, including its specialty CO2 welding, as well as electric welding, argon welding, and stainless steel welding subcontracting services. For a long time, the company mainly relied on the owner, Mr. Lin, and one family member to complete orders manually. Thanks to its excellent product quality and craftsmanship, Shun Fu Enterprise has won the trust and recognition of many customers.

Regardless of the company’s long-time success, Mr. Lin, the owner of Shun Fu, says: "We have always faced the challenge of not being able to find skilled welders." Faced with the broader labor shortage issue, long-term health concerns, and constantly increasing orders, relying solely on Mr. Lin and one family member was no longer sufficient. As a family-run factory focused on small-batch, diverse production, Shun Fu Enterprise urgently needed a flexible and efficient solution.

Through internet research, Mr. Lin learned about collaborative robots. Considering that the company operates on a small-batch, diverse production model, requiring mechanical adjustments before welding each new batch of products, the flexibility, speed, and ease of operation of the robots and welding software were all factors that Mr. Lin highly valued. By chance, he watched an UR’s video, which sparked his interest to learn more. At the same time, he noticed that other users had successfully solved labor shortages and welding process issues after using UR collaborative robots. This prompted him to further consult with UR professionals and personally experience the cobot.

Shun Fu Enterprise

Industry Metal and Machining

Country Taiwan

Number of Employees 2

Cobot used UR10e

Key value drivers:

Reduced costs.

Improved production effectiveness.

Tasks solved by collaborative robots:

Automated the small-batch, diverse welding processes.

Automation challenges solved:

Small-batch, diverse production.

Increased production output.

Labor shortage issues.

How they did it

Three-week welding robot integration to overcome labor shortage

No prior experience in operating robots or programming

Mr. Lin had no prior experience in operating robots or programming background. However, under the guidance of Roboenter Technology Co., Ltd., combined with the easy operation of SmoothTool welding software and the intuitive UR cobot, even without any programming experience, he could operate the cobot following the instructions on the software interface. Additionally, the after-sales support from Roboenter helped him quickly overcome initial difficulties, building his expertise and boosting his confidence in using the welding cobot.

Mr. Lin says, "I was able to operate the cobot independently in just three weeks, accelerating the welding work." Mr. Hong Zhong-Yi, the founder of Roboenter, further adds, "The operating of the cobot is a concept. For those with professional welding knowledge, combined with SmoothTool welding software, they can quickly operate independently to meet diverse welding needs."

Flexible cobot can assist personnel without professional welding backgrounds

As the labor shortage problem becomes increasingly severe, skilled welders are becoming harder to find. Introducing easy-to-use and flexible cobot can assist personnel without professional welding backgrounds in carrying out the work.

Mr. Lin says, "The biggest change brought by using the UR10e cobot is solving the labor shortage problem while significantly improving work efficiency. Unlike the past, which required long hours of welding, now we only need to set the working path of the cobot at the beginning of production, and it can work for me. Compared to before, we now save about 80% of the operation time, giving me more time to expand business and schedule orders."

The UR10e robot is easy to operate and user-friendly

He further states, "I believe the UR10e robot is easy to operate and user-friendly. It not only reduces time and costs but also produces high-quality metal products. I hope that by improving the work environment and enhancing the appeal of welding work, we can attract more people to join the welding industry and pass on this craft."