Company: Fu Zhuan Steel
Industry: Sheet metal processing
Location: Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Cobot System: Universal Robots UR12e with SmoothTool
For manufacturers operating in high-mix, low-volume environments, automation often comes with a frustrating trade-off
While traditional industrial robots can improve output in processes such as laser welding, their complexity can also create new bottlenecks through lengthy programming, specialized training requirements, and limited operational flexibility.
For Taiwan-based Fu Zhuan Steel, these challenges became increasingly significant as customer demand shifted toward greater customization, faster lead times, and smaller production batches.
With over three decades of expertise in sheet metal fabrication, Fu Zhuan Steel needed an automation solution that could do more than weld. It needed to simplify operations, reduce dependency on scarce skilled labor, and make robotic welding accessible to more of its workforce.
The Challenge: Complex Automation in a Fast-Changing Market
Before adopting collaborative automation, Fu Zhuan Steel relied on conventional industrial robots for welding tasks. While technically capable, these systems required advanced programming knowledge and extensive employee training, often taking more than a month before operators could work independently.
This created several operational barriers:
- Only a small number of employees could operate robotic systems
- Scaling production was difficult due to labor shortages
- Frequent design changes slowed down production adjustments
- Traditional apprenticeship models became harder to sustain
In a market increasingly defined by agility, this approach limited responsiveness.
The Solution: SmoothTool + UR12e
By combining the UR12e with SmoothTool from Smooth Robotics, Fu Zhuan Steel transformed its laser welding workflow.
SmoothTool enabled operators to program welding paths quickly and intuitively, eliminating the need for advanced coding skills. Together with the UR12e’s hand-guiding capabilities, this significantly reduced complexity and dramatically shortened onboarding time.
Key outcomes:
- Training time reduced from over one month to just 1–2 days
- Faster setup for new welding jobs
- Greater flexibility for high-mix, low-volume production
- Lower dependency on experienced robot programmers
- Improved production scalability despite labor shortages
Book a free consultation today and find out how SmoothTool
can transform your welding automation.
Empowering Operators, Not Just Automation
At Smooth Robotics, our mission is to make robotic welding practical and accessible for real-world manufacturers, especially those navigating workforce shortages and production variability.
For Fu Zhuan Steel, SmoothTool helped bridge the gap between advanced automation and everyday usability, enabling more employees to operate welding systems confidently and productively.
“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
Redefining Competitive Advantage Through Simplicity
Fu Zhuan Steel’s success demonstrates that modern automation is no longer just about replacing manual processes, it’s about removing complexity.
With SmoothTool, manufacturers can unlock the full value of cobot welding by making programming simpler, deployment faster, and production more adaptable. Discover how to Select the Right Robotic Welding System for Your Business.
As more manufacturers face the pressures of customization, labor shortages, and speed-to-market, accessible robotic software will be a defining factor in staying competitive. Fu Zhuan Steel is a clear example of how the right software-hardware combination can transform these challenges into measurable growth.
This article is inspired by the original article written by Universal Robots, which can be found here.
FAQ
Before adopting the UR12e cobot and SmoothTool, Fu Zhuan Steel relied on traditional industrial robots that required advanced programming skills and lengthy operator training. This limited the number of employees who could operate the systems and made it difficult to respond quickly to frequent design changes and labor shortages.
SmoothTool enables operators to create welding paths quickly and intuitively without extensive coding knowledge. Combined with the UR12e’s hand-guiding capabilities, it significantly reduces programming complexity and allows new users to become productive much faster.
Training time was reduced from more than one month with conventional industrial robots to just one or two days with the collaborative welding solution. This allowed Fu Zhuan Steel to onboard operators faster and address workforce gaps more effectively.
High-mix, low-volume production requires frequent product changes and rapid setup adjustments. The flexibility and ease of programming provided by SmoothTool and the UR12e enable manufacturers to switch between welding jobs quickly, improving responsiveness and operational efficiency.
By implementing SmoothTool and the UR12e, Fu Zhuan Steel improved production flexibility, reduced dependence on specialized robot programmers, accelerated job setup times, and increased its ability to scale production despite ongoing labor shortages. This helped the company remain competitive in a market driven by customization and fast delivery requirements.
Why Choose Smooth Robotics?
At Smooth Robotics, we specialize in intuitive and flexible welding automation. Our SmoothTool software is designed to work with many power sources, making cobot welding easier than ever. Plus, our team of experts can help you tailor the perfect cobot welding setup for your production.
Book a free consultation with our team today! Schedule a Meeting