Automation: Buyer Protection Program and Online Tutoring Initiated

Absolute Robot’s (ARI; Worcester, Mass.) Buyer Protection Program helps molders prepare for the eventual return to business as usual. Specifically, the program allows companies that provide it with a purchase order to defer payment while the automation supplier reserves their ordered robot in inventory for 60 days. After that time, when customers have a better idea of their needs, they can either cancel the order without penalty or continue purchase of the robot.

In a release, the company explained its rationale, framing today’s environment through the lens of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. “ARI is seeing hesitance on the part of injection molders to act on previously identified capital investments until the industry returns to business as normal. We know from previous experience, such as the slowdown in 2008, that the injection molding industry will return to normal levels. At that point, increased demand paired with supply issues caused from the COVID-19 event will result in equipment shortages across the industry and new orders may have extended lead times.”

Tim Lavigne, Business Unit Manager for ARI, said the goal is to give its customers some reassurance in a fraught time. “They will know that this is one production issue they won’t have to worry about,” Lavigne said, calling the Buyer Protection Program insurance on production capability. “When it is time to gear up, they’ll have less to worry about regarding production resources.”

Free Online Tutoring

Beginning the first week of April, ARI is offering complimentary online tutoring for customers who own A/AW, BW or CW servo robots from ARI. The company says the live online tutorials run for 4 hours per day and cover topics such as programming, preventative maintenance,  and troubleshooting. Hosted by ARI’s engineers and training professionals, they also include a Q&A segment.