AUTOMATION SEPTEMBER 2020
As COVID-19 changes the way we work, automation is set to become increasingly
important – so should we be worried about the impact it will have on our lives?
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
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BY KEITH TILLEY, CEO, INTOWARE
COVID-19 requires people to stay at home
and with jobless claims rising as the
world’s economy shrinks, automation
anxiety is set to rise again. So how will
those that work in manufacturing fare
when they go back to work?
Manufacturers will be keen to ‘pandemicproof’
their operations particularly as recession
looms. This means that fi nding new ways to be
more productive and cost effi cient has never been
greater, particularly as consumers will search for
cheaper goods as times get harder.
As demand for greater automation is set to
accelerate, does it mean that robots will put jobs
at risk? Recent analysis from Oxford Economics
states, that ‘up to 20 million manufacturing jobs
around the world could be replaced by robots by
2030.’ But this report also states that productivity
from automation should boost growth, meaning as
many jobs will be created as lost, but how?
Streamlining business processes
To understand how this is possible we need to
consider the role of workfl ow automation in
manufacturing and how when it is combined with
robotic process automation (RPA) it can deliver
real digital transformation returns.
Streamlining your business process is the major
benefi t of workfl ow automation, our Workfl oPlus
platform for example, guides employees through
a process from beginning to end to increase
effi ciency. It works on both mobile and wearable
technology (such as Realware HMT).
It can replace paper driven processes or be used
to design new processes, executing them across
systems and people, managing tasks and using
data capture output for continual data analytics
that drive on-going improvement for optimal
productivity and effi ciency.
This means both employees and customers
will benefi t, as the ability to digitise information is
spurring on redesigns of ‘endto
end’ processes, improving
the customer experience
and creating more effi cient
operations.
Workfl oPlus actually
empowers employees, we do not
replace them as we tend to be
involved in those processes that
cannot be automated by robots
either physically or fi nancially.
Improving accuracy
With advanced workfl ow
technologies, it is now possible
to harness robotic process
automation (RPA), this
means a robot or bot can cover
an individual task in your
business processes, usually
mundane, repetitive work with
greater accuracy.
While Workfl oPlus and RPA
are both distinct in their own
right, they can work together
harmoniously, to provide
a powerful platform that
enables digital transformation
throughout the business, thereby
giving exponential productivity
improvement per employee
with both increased safety and
decreased risk.
A major benefi t of
automation is that employees
don’t have to spend time on
these repetitive tasks and aren’t
frustrated by slow processes,
they feel more satisfi ed, invested
and more engaged in their work
as they are freed up for higher
value tasks.
A connected workforce
means you have employees who
are more focused and productive
as a result, working with
technology and not in fear of it,
which is better for business. It
becomes more critical therefore,
that businesses invest in their
workers through technology and
retraining.
We must remember too
that businesses processes
require human involvement,
even Tesla, a beacon of
technology advancement in
car manufacturing, famously
drafted in humans as robots
had slowed down its Tesla 3
production. As one newspaper
put it, ‘In a delicious turn of
fate Elon Musk has put robots
the world over on notice...
he replaced the highly touted
automation system at Tesla
with a better, more intelligent
paradigm: humans.’ Elon
himself was quoted as saying,
“Yes, excessive automation
at Tesla was a mistake. To be
precise, my mistake. Humans are
underrated.”
Automation fears are often
overstated, the reality is that
some jobs may be lost, but
automation technologies will
create many more that will
not only be more rewarding
for employees but will enable
manufacturers to be more agile
and profi table.
zapp2photo /stock.adobe.com
Automation
will bring new,
higher-paid and
more skilled
jobs to the
sector, says
Keith Tilley
AUTOMATION
ANXIETY Gorodenkoff /stock.adobe.com
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