Part of the global Legrand network, Legrand Australia is a leading designer and manufacturer of over 15,000 electrical components under several premium brands, providing electrical infrastructure for residential and commercial applications nationwide.
At their Sydney facility, Legrand Australia was producing a high-volume commodity product – light switches – using a labour-intensive, manual assembly process. With every home and building requiring multiple switches, maintaining efficient and cost-effective production was crucial to their business model.
Faced with global supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, Legrand sought an Australian automation partner to streamline local production.
“For Australian manufacturers, the challenge is clear – either innovate to stay competitive or risk losing production to overseas facilities.
Our objective was to help Legrand maintain and strengthen their local manufacturing capabilities through intelligent automation.“- Andrew Hambly, Solutions General Manager at Applied Robotics
To address these challenges, Applied Robotics designed a comprehensive automation solution that transformed the entire assembly process from manual handling to autonomous operation.
At the heart of the solution is a system of three bowl feeders that automatically sort, orient and singulate the key components:
“The bowl feeders eliminate the need for manual sorting and orientation. Staff can simply tip bulk components into the system and let it run, rather than handling each piece by hand,” explains Hambly.
“The vision system examines each switch mechanism and tells the robot how to rotate it for perfect placement every time – something that previously relied on a manual operator,” says Hambly.
This approach enables continuous production without stopping for component changes, with multiple assemblies being processed simultaneously at different stages.
The flexible system allows Legrand to adapt to different products to meet demand:
Doubled production output compared to the previous manual process
Dramatically reduced labour requirements from continuous operator presence to periodic monitoring
Enhanced product quality through consistent component placement and assembly
Increased production flexibility with rapid changeover between different product types
Preserved local manufacturing by making Australian production cost-competitive
The most immediate impact has been the change in staff interaction with the production process.
“This kind of automation maximises human input by transforming the entire operation. Instead of an operator being tied to the machine for an entire shift, staff can now oversee multiple processes, returning periodically to replenish components,” explains Hambly.
This switch from dedicated operators to monitoring roles has allowed Legrand to optimise its workforce. Staff can now tend to multiple machines or perform various tasks throughout the facility.
Perhaps the most significant outcome is how the project has helped Legrand maintain and potentially expand their Australian manufacturing operations.
“When products can’t be produced cost-effectively locally, they inevitably move offshore. What we’ve done here is help Legrand stay competitive while keeping manufacturing jobs in Australia,” says Hambly.
With the success of this project, Legrand is better positioned to maintain its Australian manufacturing presence and potentially return more product lines to local production.
The partnership between Applied Robotics and Legrand Australia demonstrates how intelligent automation can make local manufacturing viable, even for high-volume commodity products facing intense international competition.
Combining innovative feeding systems, vision technology and flexible robotics, Applied Robotics has helped transform a manual assembly process into an efficient, adaptable production system that strengthens Legrand’s competitive position.
“Australian manufacturers don’t need to concede high-volume production to overseas competition,” concludes Hambly.
“With the right automation approach, we can maintain and grow our local manufacturing capabilities, preserving jobs and expertise while remaining globally competitive.”
This same approach can help other Australian manufacturers automate the production of high-volume components that would otherwise be at risk of moving offshore.
