Life in the New Normal – Riding the Robotics and Safety Trend

In the last three articles, we talked about the post-Pandemic “new normal” and how life will change for distributors, customers, and suppliers.  In each post, we explored how we might position ourselves for greater success by anticipating these changes.  In the next few articles, we will spend some time thinking further about customer shifts.  

Research, unrelated to distribution, has shown keen interest in several initiatives being studied by our customers.  In most instances, the interest was there ahead of the COVID shutdown, but economic storms tend to accelerate trends and push new ideas to the forefront of business executives’ minds.  Very few of these changes are as pronounced as the growing interest in robotics. 

If you believe the researchers (and I do) the growth in all things robotic will come like a gigantic 64-foot wave sweeping into Honolua Bay in Hawaii.  As an industry, we are faced with a couple of choices.  We can hum a few bars of that 1962 Surf-Rock Classic “Pipeline” and ride the wave or we can sit on the beach and watch others ride it.  

Just how big will this “wave” be?  Market research company Mordor Intelligence says this:  

“The robotics market was valued at USD 23.67 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 74 billion by 2026 and grow at a CAGR of 20.4% over the forecast period (2021-2026).”

One person who closely follows this market is Christian Fell, VP of Technology and Custom Solutions at FRABA/POSITAL (an international manufacturer of encoders, inclinometers, and other sensor devices used in automation).  Fell pointed out one of the areas many distributors overlook is the even more astronomical growth in the Mobile Robotics market.  Fell also shared research pointing to growth in this sector as being greater than 110 percent.  

The moral of this story is this: If you somehow tie your sales activities to this sector, you can ride the wave further and faster than the general market.  

You do not have to sell robots to participate

Some of our readers sell robots and related equipment (grippers, end of arm tools, and all the rest).  For them, the message is simple: Double down on your efforts to position yourself as a solution provider for robotic technology, but the sales approach differs from our traditional focus on engineering, maintenance, and techno-experts within our customer base.

Remember, the interest in robotics is coming primarily from “business” rather than technical people within our account packages.  This calls for a special outreach to plant managers, production teams, and others with a stake in the customer’s bottom line.  These people’s understanding of robotics is more financial than technical.  Many struggle to differentiate between the media-driven hype of robotic applications and the technical realities of today’s new products.  Most have a thirst for better understanding and a need for a real-world review of capabilities.  That is where you come in.   

Actions for those who sell robots include:

• Identification of customer executives who want Robotics 101 tutorial

• Marketing outreach to these people that stresses local expertise for robots.

• Non-technical training on Robotics outlining capabilities, applications, and financial impact.

• Training for sellers on how to make a financial case for the robot or robot-like device.

To provide you with an example of marketing outreach, here is a link to a video developed by Canadian Automation Solution Provider Proax Technologies.  

St. Patrick’s Day Greeting featuring a Robot

The top-of-mind message was Happy St. Patricks’ Day, but the subliminal message is more important.  Proax provides robotic solutions!   Further, the video differs from most in that it contains no technology references, jargon, or other points which may turn off a non-technical business type.

If you do not sell robotic stuff, your plan is not quite as direct.  Instead, you must establish a tie with the robot technology.  For example, if you sell industrial hoses, you might showcase your most flexible hose and label it as perfect for robotic
applications.  A similar tie could be made with conveyors: which conveyor systems are ideal for interfacing with robots?  The same analogy could be made with motors, lighting, and even machine guarding.  I recommend adding pictures of robots into some of your presentations and marketing materials.  

Safety will be a customer hot button as well

There is a renewed interest in workplace safety.  Driven in part by cultural shifts and renewed governmental interest under the new US Administration, companies are now more than ever interested in providing safe working environments.  Reports indicate safety is about to undergo some of the same changes driven by Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).   New technologies will not only monitor things like machine safety but also individual safety.  

Smart wearable safety monitoring devices are on the minds of over 51 percent of safety managers.  These devices measure everything from temperature and environmental conditions to employee heart rates.  Further, many safety-related tasks have been switched from a human/machine interface to an IIoT connection.  For example, potential risks involved in measuring temperatures in electrical arch flash environments can now be measured and reported remotely via an electronic interface.

Looking back at the robotics phenomenon, each new robotic application will carry its own need for safety equipment – mechanical guards, light curtains, laser area sensors, interlocks, and dozens of other products.   Undoubtedly, the robotics boom will also carry many safety-related sales.

Like the robotics sale, the key to safety opportunity comes through the contacts most distributors do not regularly/repeatedly call on.  Safety and plant managers are critical sources for gathering information and determining company direction.  It is important to remember these folks are not interested in the technology of your products.  Instead, they want to hear about the results you can produce.  

Training is the new marketing

With robotics and safety, like most of our technologies, training is an important avenue in building awareness.  On the safety vein, one insurance researcher made this statement.  

“Hand-in-hand with the shift from detection to prevention is a renewed emphasis on training and retraining workers to better ensure compliance. Research shows that employees benefit from ongoing safety training and regular safety skills refreshers.”

Plant Engineering magazine published this graphic in May 2020, which shows the types of training maintenance people have received.  More importantly, 67 percent of users surveyed indicated they need more training for their people.

Final thoughts and tying this all together

Business in the post-Pandemic era will be brisk but different.  While all sectors of the economy show great promise with general GDP growth predictions pushing into the eight percent range, there are a few areas that will be sustainable growth well into the future.  

The sad news is many will see the growth as a reflection of their own brilliance and grow complacent.  While brilliance is a good thing, actually a very good thing, I believe the real test is the ability to set a strategy to grow faster than the market and maintain that growth even after the economy slows. 

Strategy favors those who anticipate the future.

Frank Hurtte is the Founding Partner of RiverHeights Consulting. He combines the battle scars of 28 years of front-line "in the trenches" experience with over 13 years of service to knowledge-based distributors and their manufacturer partners.

Email or call today to make these virus-driven times work for you.   

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