香港自動化科技協會 專刊 (香港工業總會轄下第32分組)

The Startup Story So Far 初創企業之路 Having been recognised in entrepreneurship competitions with their innovative technology and business concept, Inovo is now deep in development stage, while engaging target customers already with initial trials of the technology. They plan to get the first proper trials to customers in 9 months’ time. The intended launch is about 18 months away. Jonathan demonstrated that the user-friendly interface of the modular robotic system would run smoothly on a tablet or a smart phone. The graphic representation would be intuitive in showing how the robotic arm is working.Inovo intends tomake it easy for someone to operate the robot and to add or remove any module - all done with a few taps on a touchscreen device. The Inovo engineers have made good progress in explaining to investors andmanufacturerswhat they do andhow their technology improves productivity. There has been a lot of interest but fund- raising remains one of the challenges they face. Jonathan shared his observation: ‘Compared to software-based products, it is apparently tougher for a hardware-based product to attract investment.’ In this startup founded by engineers, they are becoming increasingly entrepreneurial, reaching out to investors and target customers and developing a vision for the company. Planning to hire business development and technical staff at the moment, they are trying to bringing in more investment to scale it up. It seems clear to us that this imaginative and pragmatic approach to automation would make robotics more accessible to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Imagine how it would increase productivity and upgrade their workforces in the very near future. We look forward to seeing their hard work of engineering and development come to fruition, benefiting our industries in Hong Kong and beyond. 結合尖端科技與嶄新業務概念， Inovo 團隊在一些創業比賽中表 現優異，現時正在研發階段中埋頭苦幹。團隊同時為廠家提供 初步測試和諮詢，以了解市場需要。他們計劃在九個月後讓客 戶試用產品，十八個月正式推出市場。 Jonathan 表示『模組式 機械臂』的操作介面非常簡單，操作員只需透過平板電腦或手 機畫面上的系統，便可實時檢視機械臂的狀態；輕觸屏幕更可 以裝換配件。 Inovo 的創始人們都是工程師，向投資者解釋這種創新科技如何 幫助廠商提高生產力時，獲得正面的回響。然而，融資仍然是 一個挑戰，正如 Jonathan 解釋︰「跟軟件類的初創產品相比， 硬件類的產品在融資方面難度更高。」這些工程師們也是初創 企業家，接觸投資者、潛在客戶，同時為公司發展出一套願 景。他們也忙著招聘業務發展和技術人才，希望下一輪融資能 把公司帶到一個新階段。 Inovo 團隊結合想像力和務實的態度，看到一條可行的自動化 之路，增加生產力的同時，亦能提升員工的能力。這就是自 動化為中小企帶來的機遇。我們期望在不久的將來看到 Inovo Robotics 的研發成果，為香港與其他地區的工業作出貢獻。 back at history, technology has created more jobs than it has made redundant. Automation presents an opportunity for manufacturers as employers to develop their staff with new skill sets, providing a more fulfilling work environment with personal progress.’ With this in mind, the close-knit group of engineers at Inovo are initially targeting customers in Western Europe, where labour costs are much higher, while also engaging some businesses in Hong Kong. Their versatile, affordable robotic system, Jonathan commented, ‘focuses on serving the demand of SMEs with assembly lines,industries like casting,injectionmoulding and any industry where there is a changing need and a level of repetition that can be addressed by adopting automation.’ Inovo 團隊從客戶了解到，重覆作業、性質沉悶的工序自動化 後，廠商方能把人手分配到價值和生產力較高的崗位。關於「 科技是否會影響工人的就業機會」這個課題， Jonathan 深信科 技是改變人手工作，不是取代人手工作。「我們回看歷史上的 科技革新，雖然令某些工種式微，但卻創造了更多就業機會。 自動化也促使廠家重新分配和培訓人手，讓工人學習新的技術 和知識，在職場中向上流，改善大家的工作環境。」 Inovo 的工程師們一邊發展這套思維，一邊與潛在客戶接觸，尤 其是西歐國家和香港的廠商，因為他們面對人力資源成本昂貴 的問題，比較積極推動自動化。 Jonathan 指出：「『模組式機 械臂』是一套多功能的機械系統，可應用於中小企業的壓鑄成 型、塑膠注塑、以及其他有需要改善生產力、重覆作業較多的 工業。」 29 Connecting Practitioners 業界專訪