OVI, the innovation that changes the work of industrial robots 
 

OVISO Robotics has received technical and commercial support from itsme ES Elektro Romania specialists 

​​​​​​​The number of industrial robots in Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania, has substantially increased in the last fifteen years. Faced with labour shortages from millions of Eastern Europeans having migrated towards the West in recent decades, this region now has a unique chance to improve its economy through automation. All without having to put pressure on social and pension systems, as is happening in other parts of the world.
 

Many industrial companies in Romania are also taking the step towards automation, with – as is the case almost everywhere – the automotive sector taking the lead. And whenever such a radical change happens, there is always room for creation and innovation. In 2010, the entrepreneur Ovidiu Stan founded the company OVISO Robotics in Cluj. His aim was to introduce an innovative product which would greatly facilitate the industry’s transition towards automation. 
 

At the same time, itsme ES Elektro Romania, part of the international itsme group, was looking for a start-up in Romania with the potential to launch a revolutionary product; a start-up that they would support technically and even commercially. And that product – now known as OVI – has arrived, thanks to Ovidiu Stan’s vision.
 

What is OVI? 
 

In essence, OVI is a product that facilitates production flexibility, a product that includes a Universal Robots trademark robot which has an important function. It is a mobile solution through which the end customer can move its robot from one workstation to another with minimal effort and without requiring an external integrator.
 

“With OVI the customer can move a robot by themselves, without any effort”

“We are talking about an innovation! Robots have been in industry for years and they’re doing a wonderful job, but we have noticed a big problem in their flexibility. Before OVI, moving a robot from one workstation to another and then changing the operation it was supposed to perform used to be a process that took several days. It entailed serious mechanical, electrical, software and pneumatic efforts. We know this because that is what we did in the first phase. We were integrators; we would move robots for customers. With OVI, the customer can move a robot by themselves, without any effort. All the parametrisations that an integrator used to spend a few days doing in the back are now done by the software in just a few minutes. We invented a complex socket that sends all the signals to the robot (electricity, internet, sensors, pneumatics etc.), and only needs to be disconnected and then connected to the next work station. Then we attached an automated tool changer, which quickly facilitates changing the robot’s work tool and gives the new commands to the robot”, the founder of OVISO Robotics explains.
 

What does the mobile robot do?
 

​​​​​​​OVI is already on the market, and its users are amazed by its capabilities. Its implemented software functions allow it to be moved between workstations and turned back on in the shortest time possible. These software functions also give the OVI system the capacity to automatically identify the workstation where it was installed and to load the program for that particular workstation. The software system is able to detect whether the robot tool is suitable for the application, which helps to reduce operational risks, minimise downtime and return to service in less than ten minutes.

​​​​​​​First of all OVI serves companies in the end-of-line sector, for example the packing and palletisation process. Second of all, it is very suitable for powering or discharging an automated machine in a factory, thus successfully replacing a routine job that might require several people. OVI may also radically change the wood processing industry, as it is able to perform several operations: painting, varnishing, engraving, stapling etc.

Beyond its specific applications, there is room for OVI within any business that uses the pick & place operation. The company has already delivered the solution to several businesses in Romania, and the robot is brilliantly up to the task.

"Support from itsme ES Elektro was invaluable”

OVI would certainly have seen a different fate had its inventors not benefitted from the technical and commercial support of itsme ES Elektro Romania. “We have a long relationship which existed even before the creation of this product. We are very grateful to our partners: their support was invaluable. If it wasn’t for their advice, our OVI product would have been much more expensive and would maybe even have had a shorter lifespan. The strength of itsme ES Elektro’s people is represented in the decades of experience they have. We wouldn’t have had time to go through the stages that they went through in decades. You cannot buy this experience with all the money in the world, and that is why we turned to them for help. I emphasise that there were two categories of support: technical support (in choosing components) and support in the commercial area”, says Ovidiu Stan, founder of OVI.
 

OVISO, another satisfied customer
 

"Creating OVI was a complex yet challenging and fascinating process at the same time”

Marius Nodiș and Mihai Kast, two of the specialists from itsme ES Elektro Romania involved in the partnership with the OVI creators, also emphasise the professionalism that characterises their relationship with OVISO Robotics company. It was Marius who provided useful advice regarding the electrical components, while Mihai, with a vast experience with subassemblies, ensured that everything went according to the schedule. “We offer technical, commercial and logistic support through our specialised consultants. Creating OVI was a complex yet challenging and fascinating process at the same time. We are proud to have worked so hard on such an innovation, which might change the manufacturing process in the industry entirely”, declares Marius. 

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