Taking place at WorldSkills 2019, between 22-27 August in Kazan, Russia, the Robot Systems Integration competition provided aspiring professionals under the age of 25 with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills. Representatives from France, Germany, China, and Russia travelled to Kazan to take part in the challenge, which was jointly organised between educational organisation WorldSkills, and FANUC, global leaders in robots and factory automation.
FANUC UK was the lead sponsor for the new robotics competition, and as part of its partnership with WorldSkills, will also be exhibiting at WorldSkills UK Live at the NEC in Birmingham 21-23 November, with a demonstration event for Robot Integration.
Andrew Armstrong, UK sales and marketing manager at FANUC, commented: “The ongoing global partnership between FANUC and WorldSkills is both a promotion and a celebration of young robot programmers. The profession has a promising future, as we see instances of automation increasing across the manufacturing sector.
“However, there is a concerning lack of skilled workers in many countries, and action is needed to help address the gap. By partnering with WorldSkills, FANUC aims to give young people the opportunity to learn more about integrating robots, as well as programming and highlight its viability as an appealing career option.”
Over 1,000 competitors from more than 60 countries competed at WorldSkills 2019, in front of an estimated 250,000 spectators. The Robot System Integration challenge was just one of many opportunities for young people to learn more about robot programming.
Details on what the challenge entailed were kept a secret, with participants kept in the dark until the day of the competition. This helped to simulate the versatility required of modern-day programmers, necessitating an ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Andrew concludes: “The enthusiastic response that we witnessed to the Robot System Integration challenge, which is also due to be part of the official WorldSkills competition in 2021, highlights the healthy future of our industry.
“FANUC remains committed to providing young people with the necessary skills to enter the world of automation and robotics. The event in Kazan was an exciting look at the programmers of tomorrow, and we’re thrilled that our ongoing global partnership with WorldSkills is contributing to a healthier future for our industry.”
