Fu Zhuan Steel revolutionizes laser welding efficiency with the UR12e cobot

Overview

Founded in 1989, Fu Zhuan Steel has specialized in a wide range of sheet metal fabrication projects for decades. As market demand shifted toward high-mix, low-volume production, conventional industrial robots—due to their complex programming requirements and steep learning curves—could only be operated by a small number of experienced employees. Faced with rapidly changing customization demands, tight delivery schedules, and an ongoing shortage of welding labor, Fu Zhuan Steel needed a novel automation approach. After introducing the UR12e collaborative robot from Universal Robots, Fu Zhuan Steel successfully overcame such challenges. With the intuitive hand-teaching capability and user-friendly interface, the cobot operations can be mastered within a single day, even by staff with zero programming background. This significantly shortens training time, alleviates labor constraints, and enhances both efficiency and flexibility in the high-mix, low-volume production, enabling Fu Zhuan Steel to meet customer lead times faster and strengthen its market competitiveness.

Fu Zhuan Steel

Industry Metal and Machining

Country Taiwan

Number of Employees 80

Cobot Used UR12e

Key value drivers

Addressing labor shortages: Lower the barriers to learning and attract inexperienced newcomers to the field.

Improving productivity: Rapid program adjustments to support high-mix, low-volume orders.

Reducing costs: Shorter training periods and programming time, easing staffing constraints.

Tasks solved by cobots

Automated welding for small-batch, high-mix production

High-precision laser welding with fixed parameters, replacing traditional manual welding

Automation challenges solved

Time-consuming programming and high technical skill requirements for operating conventional industrial robots.

Limited production scalability due to labor shortages.

Difficulty sustaining the apprenticeship training model for welding, with low interest from younger workers.

From one month to one day: Cobots dramatically shorten the learning curve

Fu Zhuan Steel’s primary challenges were labor shortages and the demands of high-mix, low-volume production. Although the company had previously deployed conventional industrial robots, their reliance on advanced programming skills resulted in training periods of over a month. As a result, only one or two employees were capable of operating the industrial robots, limiting scalability. With the introduction of the UR12e collaborative robot, operators can quickly learn through the intuitive Freedrive hand-teaching function, typically becoming proficient within one to two days. For workers with prior welding experience, almost no additional training is required, and productivity can be achieved in just one day.

No coding, fast adjustments, and true high-mix flexibility

The UR12e cobot allows operators to set welding paths and parameters quickly using intuitive hand-teaching capability. Compared to conventional industrial robots that require extensive coding, the UR12e significantly reduces setup time and responds quickly to frequent design changes in sheet metal fabrication. With its flexibility and high precision, Fu Zhuan Steel can efficiently manage the high-mix, low-volume production while maintaining a competitive edge in a demanding market.

In the past, training operators to run a conventional industrial robot often took more than a month. With the UR12e cobot, training can be completed in just one to two days. That not only fills labor gaps quickly, but also makes the high-mix, low-volume production far more efficient!

Yi-Chun Chang, Special Assistant to the General Manager, Fu Zhuan Steel

Looking Ahead

Laser welding has long carried the perception of being physically demanding and high-risk, which further worsened labor shortages and recruitment challenges. “By introducing collaborative robots, we aim to transform the traditional apprenticeship training model. Employees will be operating robots rather than performing welding work directly,” Special Assistant to the General Manager of Fu Zhuan Steel noted. “This lowers the entry barrier for the industry, allows people with zero experience to get a foothold quickly, and reduces the health risks associated with traditional welding.” Looking forward, Fu Zhuan Steel will continue to leverage smart manufacturing and collaborative robot automation to create a more attractive work environment, ensure sustainable talent development and stabilize production capacity, as well as inject new momentum into the industry.

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