City supports manufacture of industrial robots
By Phi Tuan - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC - The HCMC Department of Science and Technology is implementing a program to support companies in designing and manufacturing low-cost robots.
A senior official from the department said companies in the city are in need of industrial robots but they cannot afford them because prices are too high.
“The lowest cost of a robot at the moment is some US$20,000, so companies are seeking ways to get second-hand ones, which consume a lot of energy but have a short lifespan,” the official said.
The official also told the Daily that the program will focus on manufacturing low-cost robots, which should be 20-30% cheaper than imports.
Since 2005, industrial robots have been manufactured under pilot projects and the city is hoping to produce high-performance robots at a low cost for use in factories, as a way to boost productivity.
Robot manufacturing is one of the 46 high technologies given priority to develop, according to a decree passed by the Government in July, with an aim to help move Vietnam out of the list of low-value manufacturing bases.