Almost half of the manufacturing workforce are unable to work on-site whilst COVID-19 continues to drive behaviour. The physical and manual labour of this industry means that lack of workers is singularly damaging when compared to other sectors.  

And it’s not like putting things on pause is a viable option. Executives in the manufacturing field must continue the procurement of talent whilst also effectively training their current staff – all the while exploring automation tools to transform workerless factory floors into hubs of productivity once again. 

In the words of Cognizant’s CDO for Manufacturing and Logistics, Prasad Satyavolu, “automation provides the capability to improve the ease of operations, not only for customers but also employees, partners and suppliers of the manufacturing sector, and when integrated correctly, automation can amplify people’s skills and strengths to increase workplace efficiency.” 

Manufacturing automation 

Manufacturing, or industrial, automation is the process of using production management software and/or robotic tools to operate a factory which is making a physical product. 

Since its advent and mainstream entry in the 2000s, factory floors have been transformed by manufacturing automation. Advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning have enabled machines to dramatically increase productivity across all verticals. Every year, the number of industrial robots increases by 14%, whilst the total amount of task hours completed by humans will fall by 13% in 2022.  

Potential like this naturally attracts investment, which, for manufacturing automation in particular, is on a global scale. More than half of international companies hold some automation capacity, and the total automation market size was valued at almost $170 billion in 2019, a figure projected to almost double by 2027. And that’s just manufacturing automation. 

When exploring the benefits, it’s easy to see why the market is so large: 

Reducing cost and production waste is a prime concern for manufacturing executives, as they relate so directly to the bottom line. Human error has plagued business for generations and if technology can help reduce it, efficiency would increase exponentially. Manufacturing automation helps executives to track their inventory movements, WIP manufacturing costs, and operation progress seamlessly and, as such, gives a birds-eye view across the factory floor, which reduces costs and production waste. 

Greater worker safety will be more important than ever in a post-COVID world. That same human error can also prove costly when employees make mistakes on the production line. Injury and wider health and safety issues can shut down factories for days – with the consequence of considerable financial loss. By using machines and robots for the most physically dangerous tasks, employee safety can be assured. 

Improving product quality is a competitive edge for tight markets and margins. With real-time data, executives can better streamline their processes in the day-to-day whilst increasing visibility across the product development phase. With these insights, business leaders can better surface areas for improvement in their products and make the requisite changes to deliver better service. 

Improving response time using real-time data also affords manufacturing executives with minute-to-minute stock level information. This information can help to prevent stockouts and increase business fulfillment rates – the greatest advantage being that it helps to compensate for skilled labor shortages. 

Alan Duncan, Senior Industry Strategy Director at Blue Yonder, suggests that automation & the pandemic go hand-in-hand, “ultimately, it’s machines and people working together that will get us through this crisis… automation has evolved into having a greater focus on flexibility, scalability & process adaptability… a tool to optimize efficiency through manufacturers’ ability to adapt to demands.” 

Continue the debate at the NG Manufacturing Digital Summit, where we bring together senior manufacturing executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best technology solutions. 

GDS Group hosts experts to help experts. We strive to provide an atmosphere for our attendees that enables them to confidently lead their companies through major transformation projects. For information on upcoming events, view our  Digital Summits. To remain current on our activities, visit GDS Group on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter.