The CEO of Augmentus believes the future of manufacturing blends autonomy with essential human oversight

"We're just a bunch of engineers trying to change the world," Daryl Lim, CEO of Augmentus, says matter-of-factly. "Our vision for manufacturing is to make it fully autonomous. Imagine having only one or two operators overseeing the plant — Augmentus essentially becomes the eyes and the brain of robotic automation."

Let’s take a step back. What comes to mind when I say “robot”? If pop culture has its way (or has already seeped into your psyche), robots, as movies and television imagine, resemble much closer to what Boston Dynamics has been teasing all over its YouTube channel — a machine that resembles a human person with movements that similarly mimic ours. 

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I ask because the reality is perhaps closer to what the robots that run on Augmentus software look like — mechanised arms (or arm, singular) that weld and paint metal parts. Sure, it's less sexy and fun than a 180cm hulk of a machine doing backflips, but they still get the work done. 

"Traditionally, you might need perhaps about 20 painters for a job of a certain scope," Lim explains. "But what if, instead of 20 painters, you only needed five, with each one managing four robots? We're not just focusing on traditional engineers; our target users are process operators. We want to make their processes faster and more efficient."

And although Augmentus is currently only at 20 to 30 per cent of where it wants to be as a business, Lim elaborates that this is already bringing value to the industry.

No code, no problem

Today, Augmentus is revolutionising the way the world approaches robotics. "It's kind of like what you mentioned about coding a website," Lim offers when I ask him to describe what Augmentus does. "In the past, you needed to write HTML and CSS to build a website, but now you have platforms like Wix, Webflow, and others. That simplifies everything a lot."

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"We're like the no-code platforms for robotics — offering simulation and graphical programming that's straightforward enough for anyone to use." By offering a user-friendly interface complete with drag-and-drop functionality, Augmentus allows users to quickly set up and deploy robots across various industries, from manufacturing to healthcare.

This slashes the setup time and significantly reduces downtime, ensuring businesses can get their robotic systems up and running with minimal fuss.

From my perspective, Augmentus has the potential to be a game-changer for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that may not have the resources for specialised robotics programming. By democratising robotic automation, Augmentus is opening up a realm of possibilities for more efficient, precise, and safer operations in traditionally labour-intensive industries. This could be a beacon of hope for SMEs, offering them a competitive edge and a path to growth. 

And if their previous funding round in 2023 was any indication, investors see a bright and shiny future in the world of no-code robotics. Led by Sierra Ventures and Cocoon Capital, Augmentus raised $5 million in Series A funding to scale their operation in the United States, Europe, and Asia. A portion of the investment will also be used for research and development.

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However, at the heart of what Augmentus is trying to solve is a manufacturing workforce at the tipping point of crisis. Chief of the issue: labour. "When faced with a burgeoning workload, many manufacturers hire manual workers. But then, if you only focus on hiring manual operators and workers, you eventually hit a point where either manual labour costs get too high, or talent is scarce," says Lim, elaborating that only about 20 per cent of manufacturers use robots. "This is surprising since nearly every manufacturing process can be automated."

A fear of the expected

Still, while Lim is aware of the fears surrounding robotic automation, he's not worried. This is even as the world tries to grasp a reality where there's simply not enough workforce to replace a generation of older skilled workers in the manufacturing industry, much less maintain production levels.

"Most of the time, there's this assumption that robots will replace human labour. But in reality, we haven't really seen that happening, especially not in SMEs."

He reckons the reticence is driven by the reports of mass layoffs we often see in the news. People read these reports and tend to assume that the big bosses and corporate management are just trying to cut costs. Lim understands how it may seem straightforward: costs down, revenue up equals more profit.

"But anyone with a good understanding of HR knows that a solid team is worth far more than just the incremental savings from cost-cutting. Talent is hard to find and develop, and it's not something you can quickly replace."

One has to also contend with the current economic situation. "When automation becomes more prevalent in such times, it's easy to think that this must contribute to job losses." To that end, Lim explains that most manufacturers are now turning to reshoring to manage expenses. Reshoring is the process of bringing manufacturing and production operations back to a company's home country from overseas.

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"Reshoring is necessary for maintaining manufacturing, especially in developed countries," he adds. It's a major topic in Singapore and other developed nations as well. Automation is the only way to make reshoring feasible in these countries because relying on manual labour wouldn't work anymore.

A race to win

Recognising this shift, Singapore heavily promotes advanced manufacturing, for which Lim is thankful. He explains that this "is crucial because manufacturing is the backbone of any economy, essential for any kind of self-sustainability, whether that's in energy or producing the goods we consume.

He further observes that the government's strategy includes attracting talent in this sector with various incentives in place, such as grants and supportive settings. "And all this while also trying to appease the general populace (about their job safety), which isn't always easy."

Lim is not only impressed but also reassured that Singapore has become a home for MNCs and large corporations to innovate. "The combination of government support and a culture that encourages innovation is very beneficial, making Singapore a unique and effective place for advancing manufacturing and technology." 

He's confident that this will create an environment more open to risk-taking, particularly in fields like robotics. And, if you ask me, it may be precisely the kind of forward-thinking approach that Singapore needs to compete in the global robotics race.