NRC with Ryobi & Kawasaki Robot

Northern Regional College Manufacturing Engineering Department has enjoyed good industrial relations with many of the local manufacturing companies across N.Ireland and globally. It has become the leading provider of Industrial Robotics training/support in N.Ireland delivering bespoke programmes on a range of robot manufacturer systems to a large number of industrial robotics users across N.Ireland and beyond.

NRC RYOBI & KAWASAKI

NRC utilise a range of robot systems for training provision in their Manufacturing Engineering Centre of Excellence in Ballymena and also on site. Based on the success of Robotic training courses previously delivered Ryobi has worked with the college in obtaining the programming skills for Kawasaki systems to add to the portfolio of robotic training that can be provided. This was brought about by the recent installation of a state of the art production line, producing finished parts for Ford and the need to train Ryobi’s machine shop personnel in the operation of the Kawasaki robots that are integrated within it.

In March 2013 two of the college’s lectures Alan Reid and William Watson attended an intensive training course in Kawasaki UK, funded jointly by Ryobi and Connected and then set about developing bespoke training courses to be delivered to their staff.

Currently Ryobi have identified approx 60 personnel for training including operators, maintenance, engineering and supervisory personnel. The first course was delivered in June 2013 with additional courses delivery in July and Sept. Ryobi are already seeing the benefits of the training with operators being more independent in the running of the production line leading to reduced down times.

Future plans exist between Ryobi and NRC to further develop additional training programmes for delivery in 2014 on programming and maintenance of additional robots.

Montupet also have recently taken installation of a new production facility utilising Kawasaki robots and wish to develop local training support with NRC tailored to their individual requirements.

For more information contact Alan Reid.
Telephone number: 028 2566 4249 Email: alan.reid@nrc.ac.uk