www.business-review.eu Business Review | July 2020
18 ROBOTICS
New trend to watch in post-pandemic Romania: Robotics By Claudiu Vrinceanu
The COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate new trends in Romanian business environment, including robotics. Whether we are talking about robotic process automation (RPA) or the automation of certain production processes, the post-COVID-19 reality in Romania will be based on new business models. The COVID-19 crisis has also created the context for an increase in automation across Romania. The main arguments for automation start from the need for companies to protect their employees, so that they are less vulnerable, and are based on Europe’s The global average is 74 industrial robots per 10,000 employees
A
intent to consolidate sustainably through local production facilities. What are the areas expected to see growth in the coming years?
s an example, the pandemic has gen-
Romanian entrepreneurs have offered robots
“First of all, robotics, especially in industries
erated a lot of demand for UiPath’s
to hospitals in Bucharest. The technology
still lagging behind in terms of the adoption
software robots to assist hospitals
used by the robot is effective in fighting
of robots, like the food, pharmaceutical,
with processing medical tests. Health care is
bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. The
lighting industries,” said Costin Borc, Director
predicted to have a 36 percent automation
autonomous UVD disinfection robot, created
for Central Europe at SNEF. For example, ac-
potential. This means more than a third of
by Bucharest Promo Robots, the first startup
cording to IMSAT Groupe SNEF, the develop-
health care tasks—especially managerial and
in Romania addressed to the humanoid
ment potential of projects with industrial ro-
back-office functions—could be automated,
service robots market, destroys up to 99.99
bots is very high in Romania, which currently
allowing providers to offer more direct,
percent of resistant bacteria. “We are having
has 15 industrial robots per 10,000 workers,
value-based patient care at lower costs and
discussions with the Romanian authorities.
below the levels seen in Poland or Hungary.
higher efficiency rates.
Together with the Support Association, we
The global average is 74 industrial robots per
contacted representatives in the Internal Af-
10,000 employees, according to the Inter-
the physical kind, we have the example of
fairs Ministry’s Emergency Situations Depart-
national Federation for Robotics. Therefore,
autonomous disinfection robots using ultra-
ment and offered to make the robot available
in order to become more competitive at the
violet light to disinfect large and crowded
in some of the Bucharest hospitals that were
European level, Romanian industrial produc-
spaces. Normally, hospitals are very difficult
treating coronavirus cases,” said Ana-Maria
ers need new investments and projects in
to disinfect with traditional methods, so
Stancu, the CEO of Bucharest Promo Robots.
automation and robotics.
Also in the area of robotics, but this time
