Speaker 0 00:00:00 We see the challenging automotive segment as a lever to drive innovation and continue developing high value solution, and that really defines us.
Speaker 2 00:00:17 Hello everyone, and welcome to the Robot Industry Podcast, and this is our special edition for the Automate Trade Show. And we're welcoming Sebastian Schmidt from Stoby Robotics. He is currently the robotics director North America, but before that, he has worked as an applications engineer in technical support and end user interface software. Welcome to the podcast, Sebastian.
Speaker 0 00:00:39 Thank you, Jim. Thank you for having me. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:00:41 No, it's my pleasure. And how long have you worked for Stoy for?
Speaker 0 00:00:44 I, I lost count to be honest, but I think it's in the 28 plus, uh, range. Been over 28 years with Salle. Yes.
Speaker 2 00:00:51 Congratulations. And, uh, can you tell our audience a little bit about robotics?
Speaker 0 00:00:57 Yeah. Um, Starly is, um, Swiss company, privately owned. We have four activities, textile fluid connectors, electrical connectors, and robotics. Last year we celebrated that automate we, our 40th, uh, 40th anniversary. Um, so we, we claim it. That's 40 years of passion and innovation.
Speaker 2 00:01:18 That's wonderful. And so where does Stuby fit in the robotics industry?
Speaker 0 00:01:23 So Stuby is well known for being, uh, leading international players in industrial automation. We provide engineering and technical supports for efficient and reliable solution. Our product range goes from scaa to six axis cobot as well as mobile, robotic and a G V. So a wide range of, uh, products. We're expert in many fields such as, uh, pharmaceutical, healthcare, automotive, industrial, IntraLogic, uh, logistical for, uh, a G V, but also photovoltaic food and medical robotics. So a wide range of application and industries with our robots and product range.
Speaker 2 00:02:03 It's a great company and I've been a big fan of Stobbe Robotics for years as, especially my years, uh, at, at s Automation where I would be proposing Stoy Robotics to my clients. So how big is Stoly and how many employees?
Speaker 0 00:02:17 So ST is about, uh, being privately owned, right? So we, we only publish a few, a few numbers, but, uh, 1.4 billion Swiss Fran about, uh, 5,700 employee, uh, worldwide serving 29 countries. Uh, we're over 130 years old. Uh, we have 15 production sites, uh, numerous, uh, I think over 2,200 patent pending. That's who we are in a nutshell.
Speaker 2 00:02:48 So Stokley's a really big player, and I think having those divisions kind of, they help feed off each other. So it's really, really fascinating for people in the robotics industry to know more about Studley.
Speaker 0 00:02:58 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we, we've been, uh, as I said, uh, passion and innovation is, is, uh, our motto and this is how we go by, uh, we, we fuel our engineer and our, uh, r and d with new ideas and, and, uh, and motivation for, uh, for more innovation and to push the challenge and the boundaries even further every, every year.
Speaker 2 00:03:22 And so this, I love this question and it's a little bit about some of the big trends that you're seeing from, from kind of your high level perspective.
Speaker 0 00:03:30 Yeah. So, uh, big trends. Um, so currently there is new regulation re regulatory changes in the pharma industry with Annex one that are going on, that has a big push for more automation and, uh, also the, that industry is going into more personalized medicine. So that is a big trend that we see in, in that, uh, environment. But also the auto industry is continuing its journey towards electrification, mobility, and connectivity. I'd like to quote my colleague, uh, Christo Colan Ansys on this, and he's, he said, we see the challenging automotive segment as a lever to drive innovation and continue developing high value solution. And that really defines us, is we, we take those challenge and changes to, to give ourself a purpose for, to innovate and, and give more high-end application that we can solve and, and help our customers. But on the flip side, there is also, uh, the food industry and that has, uh, had suffer from supply chain and, and, um, also suffer from, uh, uh, labor shortage and, uh, difficult economic situations. So there, uh, where they were, the adoption rate was a little bit, uh, more difficult and the matureness of the, of the markets has changed and forced people to, to move forward and faster in the automation world. So those are really the, the three main segment I see, uh, as a trending.
Speaker 2 00:05:04 It's very exciting. And one of the things that I notice about Starley is that it's very big in cheese automation. Yep.
Speaker 0 00:05:11 Cheese is part of our dairy segment, as we call it. And so the, the cheese processing, uh, has different steps in different level that requires a lots of, uh, hygienic design and challenging to be compatible with the environment and being washed down capable. And the, um, the, the performance of stably and the, its a genetic design is ability to be washed down, to be completely unclosed and sustainable, uh, to chemical, uh, cleanability. Um, that is really a, an important, uh, aspect of, uh, of our, uh, capabilities. So, uh, there we're trying to innovate to be, um, always more closer to, to our partner, closer to our end user, trying to understand their pain point and and say, okay, uh, transforming the cheese is one thing. They, their number one worries is the bacteria, right? Is how do you clean it? How do you keep your plant cleans? And, and their gie the hygienic gie design is the number one factor in importance things there. So that's where the, the challenge is. Right,
Speaker 2 00:06:20 Absolutely. And are, are there any other market segments that are growing for stability? And I know that you mentioned solar cell and aseptic environments and pharma as well as medical device.
Speaker 0 00:06:30 Yep, absolutely. So there is also, um, there is also one sector that I have not mentioned, uh, is medical robotics. Uh, there is also a growing sector medical robotics where, uh, we've seen more and more, uh, uh, surgery being assessed robotically assisted. And, uh, this is something that is growing more and more. The acceptance level is also growing over there. It's a different aspect. It's a, a different level of, uh, engineering and also safety level. Uh, being p l e, uh, co three allows us to, to work with human and to work to the highest standard available out there.
Speaker 2 00:07:07 It's kind of a fun area when you think of, of that robots are absolutely helping surgeons do, do more, do it more often and, and being and being safe.
Speaker 0 00:07:17 Yeah. And, and being more precise is what is important. And in the end, the end result is you heal faster, you know, you're, you, you're recovering is better, you have a better result. Uh, you know, nobody is as precise as, uh, a stably robot, right? If you take, if you ask a surgeon to, to be, uh, um, precise and repeatable like a robot, it's, it's impossible right. Throughout the career. And, but, uh, that's, that's where you, you marry the technology with the know-how the surgeon, and that's where you get the best result for the patient.
Speaker 2 00:07:52 I was gonna ask you too, about the stair clean series of robots Thatto offers.
Speaker 0 00:07:57 Yeah, absolutely. Uh, so the stair clean is, is, uh, a range of our robot that, uh, allows us to, um, to go into the in septic environment. So it's more dedicated to the pharma industry where we do drugs, manufacturing, and medicine. Um, either it's compounding or it's, uh, um, clean environment where you, you manipulate the contender. So, um, there, it's, it's very important that, uh, the cleanability, the H 2 0 2, um, to make sure it's sterile environment and it's clean, uh, from one batch to another. Uh, that, so that sterile clean is capable of handling that concentration and that, uh, sterilization process. And, uh, there we are being pushed also with, uh, with the new, um, regulatory, uh, rules coming into play to even go further. And we're coming out with what we call hysteric clean plus, uh, with, uh, more features, more validation package and more elements that helps our partner go faster to market with their cells.
Speaker 2 00:09:06 And it's hard right, to be very clean, and then you're, oh, yeah, now you're stepping up the game to be even cleaner. So good for you. Yeah,
Speaker 0 00:09:12 Absolutely. Thank you.
Speaker 2 00:09:14 What is your product called Scope?
Speaker 0 00:09:16 So Scope is, is our, uh, what we call, uh, digital Solution for Smart Industry. So Scope Stand for Smart Connect, optimize, prevent, enable Smart for Smart Solution gives you the capability to access analytics data on the robots, um, statistics and possibility to, uh, to have a dashboard and, and monitor your, your install base, uh, connect. It's connecting up to 50 units. Um, so you can have one Scope unit into your plant and, and connect to all your assets in your plants and, and monitor what's going on. Optimize to optimize your equipment and reduce the stress and increase, uh, the, uh, operating time. Um, so it allows you to see the trajectory, the stress on the joints, and do predictive maintenance. That's to prevent, prevent downtime and production and as well as enable, which is enable new functionalities and benefit from updates. So automatic backups, updates and maintaining your equipment up to date. So really it's a, it's a one can solution to maintain and optimize the use of your assets.
Speaker 2 00:10:35 Thank you for that. And there's just so much going on at Stoly. You have a new three ton a G V. Can you give us a bit of background on this product innovation?
Speaker 0 00:10:44 Yeah, absolutely. So, so maybe at first I should, I should, uh, indicate that, uh, we have a new, uh, range of product, uh, a G V mobile robotics, and all this comes with the acquisition of a, a company called W F T, um, that joined the Starly, um, the Stubble Robotics Group. And that's an extension to our product portfolio that gives us the ability to now not only do robots scare us xaxis, but also now move the parts in between the machines, uh, through platform, through forklift, through, uh, uh, mobile robotics, uh, platform. So all this is, is an extension of our product. And the latest Bone is a three ton platform, um, that is, uh, ultra compact, and that gives us the ability to, uh, to position ourself in, uh, plus minus five millimeter, which is a little less than a quarter of an inch if you want. Um, and, and I have to give a sh a big shout out to my colleagues out there, uh, that design and, and, uh, created that product as they recently won the, uh, red Dot award.
Speaker 2 00:11:58 Yeah, no, congratulations. That's wonderful for, uh, for everybody involved. It's a, a very prestigious award. So supply chain's been a big challenge in the robotics industry the last few years, of course. I'm wondering how that's affected, uh, stoly and the Stoy brands and things like these new, uh, hvs.
Speaker 0 00:12:17 Yeah, absolutely. Well, we, we haven't, we have not been, uh, uh, set aside from the, from that turmoil and challenge and of the supply chain, right? Uh, we've all been impacted by it, um, from a raw material to an electronic component and, uh, and shortage. Um, we do see a light at the end of the tunnel. We see improvement. Um, we've seen that, uh, delays in reil reliability, availability of component has become, um, um, more towards a, a normal, uh, situation, right? Um, so we are finally getting into a situation where we are recovering. Um, but all this for us has been a, a lesson learned, um, to improve, uh, to improve how we manage our supply chain, how we manage our relationship with our supplier, and, and more than anything, how we maintain and, and, and, uh, communicate with our partners and with our customers. Uh, the lesson learned is that, uh, we need to get and stay close to our, and collaborate with our partner, with our customers to understand their pipeline, understand their need, understand what is their next step for us to better anticipate their needs and better respond to their need. So overall, it's a lesson learned for improvement. We have improved and we're, we're behind that hurdle stronger.
Speaker 2 00:13:50 Thank you for that. Sebastian, there's so much going on, but what's in the future? Foroy, uh, robots,
Speaker 0 00:13:55 Uh, so much, uh, passion for innovation, sparks new product idea and, and, and, uh, more product in the dedicated, uh, markets that we focus on. Uh, we have focus on, on pharma, on food, on automotive. So we have in each and every of those, uh, we are creating workshop, we're working with, with our, uh, key partner key players, uh, to understand their need to, to be even more focused and dedicated. I mentioned a a few minutes ago, uh, uh, talking about hysteric clean, going to hysteric clean plus that sets even further boundaries on how we compatible we are for those environments. So, um, this is really, uh, where we going next is, is partnering with those key partner with key players in each and every industry to make sure we address their pay points.
Speaker 2 00:14:50 And we're kind of recording this just weeks before the automate 2023 show. So I wanted to have you just chat with me a little bit about what you're gonna be showing at Automate.
Speaker 0 00:14:59 Yeah, absolutely. Um, so we, we will be showing a few things. Uh, we will, uh, for the general, what we call classifi, uh, classifier, general industry will have battery application, which address the automotive electrification, uh, journey will show easy programming, which is a theme of everybody wants robotics to be more accessible, uh, collaborative Cal Palletizing as well, which, uh, in the co world is always important. But we'll introduce also our a GV with our three ton and part of our mobile offering. And then in the service, um, area, we will address the capability, our service capability, as well as our digital transformation with the Scope product, what it takes, what it brings to the table for our customers. And then we'll have an entire section for the sensitive environment. Sensitive environment. How do we address the pharma, the food, the electrostatic, uh, electronic, uh, handling. So the e s d, um, product, all this is to, uh, to show that it is important to be compatible with the environment and to understand and to be sensitive to which environment we are playing within. So all this will be on display, of course, we will have an hospitality area with our cafe where we welcome our customers and spend time with them to, to understand what their pain point they are, what their projects are, and how we can help them solve them.
Speaker 2 00:16:38 Well, that's great. And uh, I'll make sure to, uh, be at your booth. And what booth number is that, by the way? Sebastian, uh,
Speaker 0 00:16:45 The booth number. I knew you would ask for that. So we will be on booth 26 32.
Speaker 2 00:16:51 Well, thank you very much for coming on to the show. And, uh, like I say, I wish you good luck at Automate. I don't think you're gonna need it. Um, I did want to ask you, what, what do you like to do when you're not selling and, and marketing robots?
Speaker 0 00:17:02 Sure. A little bit of personal, uh, uh, uh, personal thing here and activity. I'm, I'm recently an empty nester with my night with my wife. All the kids are out for, uh, college or out. So, uh, I enjoy gardening, uh, taking care of my yard. So that's a, that's a one thing that I, I enjoy doing, uh, being outdoor, you know, we travel a lot. We work a lot and, and then being home and enjoying, uh, the outdoor is really something I'd like to do hiking, of course. But I also enjoy, uh, competitive sports. I watch Formula One, which is a growing sports in North America with now up to four races. Um, I travel to watch my, uh, youngest daughter play rugby. Uh, so that's part of, uh, part of the game there. And, uh, of course, uh, what I enjoy the most at the end of the, uh, uh, day is, uh, grilling and watching my backyard <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:17:57 Well, that's great. Thanks again for coming onto the podcast, Sebastian, and we will see you at Automate 2023.
Speaker 0 00:18:03 Thank you for having me. I'll see you there.
Speaker 2 00:18:05 Our sponsor for this episode is Earhart Automation Systems. Earhart builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing, they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing and project management, delivering the world class custom automation on time and on budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Earhart can build for you. Their email is info airhart automation.com. And Earhart is spelled E H R H A R D T. And I'd like to thank and acknowledge our partner, E three, the Association for Advancing Automation. They are the leading trade association in the world for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors, and the industrial artificial intelligent technologies. Visit automate.org to learn more, and I'd like to thank and recognize our partner Painted Robot. Painted robot builds and integrates digital solutions. They're a web development firm that offers s e o and digital social marketing and can set up and connect CRM and other e r P tools to unify marketing, sales, and operations. And you can find
[email protected]. And if you'd like to get in touch with us at the Robot Industry Podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening. Be safe out there. Today's podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing, and I'd like to thank Chris Gray for the music, Jeffrey for audio production. My partner Janet, our partners, a three painted robot and our sponsor, Earhart Automation Systems.
