Send robots into overdrive with modernization

Feature articles

Imagine you’re a top-level motor racing team owner with the world’s best car. Plugged full of the latest technology, your car wins every race during its first year, so you decide not to make any changes ahead of the next season. But fielding the same vehicle year after year will soon see your team start to slip down the finishing order as the technology used by other teams catches up and eventually overtakes you.   

Robotic technology may move at a slower pace than motor racing but it’s the same principle: Continuous improvement is the only way to stay ahead. That’s why the most successful companies regard reviewing and modernizing their automated systems as a key element in their continuous improvement campaigns.  

Unlike motor racing champions, the best robots don't retire. They modernize. 

Modernization delivers three essential advantages: 

  • Avoid technology obsolescence:  keep controllers, software and connected systems supportable and secure. 
  • Improve sustainability: extend the useful life of installed robots and protect the value already embedded in them. 
  • Stay competitive: use planned upgrades like a racing pit stop, with targeted and timely interventions designed to return production to peak performance. 

1. Modernize to avoid technology obsolescence 

Upgrading existing automation systems should be an iterative process, driven by both the “push” of new capabilities and the “pull” of new demands.  

Business needs change over time and that impacts on the demands placed on robots. Mainstream automotive vehicle programmes run on cycles of roughly six or seven years, while industries such as electronics have much shorter product lifecycles. This means that robots will often be called on to keep working across multiple product cycles. From shorter production runs and more-frequent repurposing to evolving expectations around connectivity and asset availability, a lot will change over the operational life of a robot.  

A robot often remains mechanically productive as the world around it changes. But the big question is whether the system can continue to meet the user’s operational goals. In addition to simply considering its mechanical movement, users should be reviewing associated technologies such as the robot’s controller, software, engineering tools and application capabilities to see if they still deliver the right business benefits.  

ABB’s OmniCore control platform shows how fast capabilities have moved on. It provides robust motion control complete with safe working features, as well top-tier cyber security, and connectivity, as well as integrated sensor and AI processing. This helps users reap the maximum added value from their automated systems.  

The right modernization programme starts with the outcome the user needs. Priorities may include: 

  • Greater productivity and a stronger return on investment. 
  • Improved resilience and lower operational risk. 
  • Faster adaptation to new products and production requirements. 
  • Longer asset life from robots and systems already installed

2. Modernize for sustainability 

A planned programme of modernization ties upgrades to evolving business needs while extending the useful life of installed assets, preserving what still works, updating performance where it’s needed and avoiding premature replacement. 

Planned modernization prevents companies falling into the trap of upgrading simply because a new technology is available. That’s not to say that emerging technologies should not be used to drive change. Clearly, the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine vision can completely transform the capabilities of existing systems, paving the way for new ways of working.  

For example, ABB’s Autonomous Versatile Robotics (AVR) robots don’t just follow instructions. They use the power of generative AI to autonomously plan and perform complex tasks in real time, from navigating around busy factory floors to handling objects with unpredictable sizes, shapes, and orientations. This unlocks potential applications that would previously have been out of scope for robots. 

3. Modernize to stay competitive: the pit-stop mindset 

Modernization should work like a well-planned pit stop, enabling focused improvements at the right moment, minimizing disruption and returning the system to production ready for the next challenge. Flexibility is what enables companies to keep pace with shorter, more volatile product cycles and repeated rounds of adaptation and repurposing. 

Hardware and software can both help to optimize the flexibility of robotic systems. Modular tooling enables a quick swap, for instance, while simplified programming techniques make retraining the system easier, as well as helping to plug the skills gap.  For installations where worker safety is a requirement, adding ABB’s SafeMove software will ensure safe control of the robot within a defined safety zone, automatically regulating its speed and movement in the presence of human operators.

Another important measure of flexibility is how risky it is to make changes. Simulation tools such as ABB’s RobotStudio® Suite and AR Viewer App can help by modelling potential upgrades before putting them into practice on the factory floor.  

RobotStudio® enables users to design and test new ways of working in a virtual environment without disrupting production. It mirrors real-world performance so accurately that in many cases it can cut commissioning time by up to 90%. This makes it easier than ever for users to adapt and repurpose existing systems.  

The need to future-proof technologies creates a strong case for ensuring that the user’s automation platform can support emerging capabilities rather than remaining frozen at the specification established when it was first installed. And because robots are breaking out of their old, isolated ‘islands of automation’, they should also be able to integrate easily with newer systems as they arrive. In fact, integration is one of today’s biggest automation challenges. 

Regulatory compliance is yet another area where the goals inevitably shift over time, demanding additional flexibility from robots and their users. Most recently, amendments to ISO 10218-1:2025 introduce new safety requirements for industrial robots that will need to be factored in to many existing installations at some point in their operational lives.  

Where to start? 

While there is clearly a strong case for managed modernization in principle, many robot users find it challenging to decide when and how to act in practice. They often choose to work with a trusted supplier such as ABB to develop a phased modernization roadmap aligned with their operational strategy.

Working with an experienced automation partner helps users to: 

  • Assess the installed base to better understand robot condition and lifecycle position. 
  • Identify looming risks, enabling proactive steps to address issues such as obsolescence and operational problems before they become urgent. 
  • Target investment and focus on capabilities that deliver a genuine business benefit. 

The roadmap should align upgrades with production plans and investment cycles, phase work to keep projects manageable and preserve the value of existing assets. 

The risks of doing nothing 

When things appear to be working well, postponing modernization may look like the obvious choice, especially when budgets are tight. However, standing can often allow operational, technical and strategic risks to accumulate. 

Without a phased plan, users can face an increased risk of: 

  • A major failure that forces an unplanned response. 
  • Integration barriers between legacy systems and newer technologies. 
  • Unacceptable downtime risk and an urgent, costly replacement. 

A phased modernization roadmap can reduce ongoing costs and optimize productivity. Users can also enjoy the improved reliability and connectivity available with modern manufacturing systems, including shifting from planned to predictive maintenance, optimizing uptime and extending the life of their assets while reducing maintenance costs.   

Protect and evolve 

Robots have a working life expectancy that typically exceeds many other types of industrial machines.  Such valuable assets should not be limited by issues around associated technologies such as outdated software or controllers.  

Modernization helps ensure that automation capabilities continue to match changing production needs as part of a wider process of continuous improvement. The emergence of transformative technologies such as AI and machine vision extends this idea, making it possible for existing robots to take on brand new applications.  

Ready, steady, improve 

To return to the motor racing analogy at the start of the article, modernization offers the best path to ensuring a robot system can stay in the race for as long as possible, offering top level performance through timely, pit-stop-style improvements. 

To find out more, visit our customer service page at www.abb.com/robotics.