![]() ![]() Now is the time to start planning for the future. Manufacturers are returning to work with safer‐at‐work policies that likely will guide new-normal, go‐forward operations, which can go a long way toward preparing the industry for further shutdowns and future pandemics. From remote monitoring that allows access to real‐time data, to drag‐and‐drop job scheduling that eliminates costly down‐time and assists with planning preventative maintenance, as well as identifying the reasons for machine downtime, automation augmented with ERP is a winning solution that provides value to both large and small manufacturers. The path to automation starts with accurate data, which is enabled via enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions. ![]() According to McKinsey, at one industrial manufacturing company, robots deliver raw materials and semi‐finished goods to different production lines, helping supplement the reduced workforce while eliminating close contact between production and material‐handling employees. Here, automation can provide a solution to labor capacity constraints. Consider Alternative Automation StrategiesĪs lockdowns are lifted, manufacturers must look to technology‐enabled strategies to support social distancing and related safer‐at‐work practices. All these are areas where high-quality and even lights‐out conditions are required to minimize the introduction of various types of contaminants, and/or where production environments involve hazardous materials that introduce risks to human safety. Scenarios where automation has already been in place for years include manufacturing films, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals, among other products. Robotic work cells are an example of a hybrid lights‐out automation model relegated to a specific area or plant process, and some manufacturers are looking at a shift‐model, where the night shift is automated with a robot workforce to supplement the human workforce that arrives in the morning. This could be the case when millions of the same or a few parts are required, or in which many thousands of tests are required. Scenarios where production volumes are so high that a human workforce could not achieve the quota, require automation. As a result, 41% of manufacturers already have started to form new relationships (i.e., partnering with technical schools) to develop a more robust talent ecosystem. ![]() One challenge is upskilling employees to work in these more technology‐oriented environments. This makes it one of the biggest factors in deciding to automate, to address the need for truly advanced automation that can fill highly specialized (if still repetitive) tasks.Īs production picks up, 61% of manufacturing companies will develop hybrid models, using more automated, less human‐intensive processes, according to Deloitte. According to the World Economic Forum, 2020 was the year that automation started taking over the workforce, due to the ongoing and widening skilled labor shortage in manufacturing. There are three specific scenarios, however, where it makes sense to implement lights-out automation in the machine shop: In general, while a large‐scale lights‐out automation strategy may make sense for large manufacturers, for machine shops it's often far too costly. With humans still needed in the loop, the value proposition of reducing space, at this time, is counter to COVID‐19 compliance and physical distancing requirements. What’s more, they often require skilled human operators to fulfill the kinds of tasks that involve adjustments and on‐the‐fly thinking. To date, most automated retrieval systems have remained prohibitively expensive and have proven to be problematic unless used under highly predictable and repetitive operations. Given the cost of the transition, a lights‐out automation program will not pay for itself in less than a couple of years.Īnother argument for introducing lights‐out automation is improved capacity, for example, saving space with auto‐retrieval. During last year’s shutdowns, manufacturers that enabled lights‐out manufacturing shined as positive examples of business continuity.īecause robotics and other machines can run in the dark and under a wide range of temperatures, one frequently cited benefit of lights‐out automation is savings in lighting, heating, and cooling. Automation increases the visibility of operations at critical points of the manufacturing process. Lights‐out automation - where machines run unattended and/or remotely - makes it possible to maintain production with minimal or zero human involvement. As COVID‐19 capacity constraints and social-distancing requirements seem to be fixtures in manufacturing now, there is a new interest in lights‐out automation. ![]() We are a full year into the COVID‐19 pandemic and its related impact on manufacturing, and we are starting to see a return to normalcy – a new normal – that includes social distancing and safer‐at‐work strategies. ![]()
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