How Automation Frees Up Workers for Higher Roles

Efficiency can mean a lot of things, and it will mean different things to different people. Ask an engineer what counts as efficiency and you will get one answer, ask a CEO and they will tell you something else. But whichever way you look at it, efficiency in manufacturing comes down to one core principle: how to get more work done in less time, with fewer people.

To act on this principle, manufacturers can achieve greater levels of efficiency among their workforce by automating processes on the manufacturing shop floor. This requires a focus on optimizing the entire journey, from the initial raw material input to the delivery of the finished product, while always being mindful of how things can be done in the most efficient way possible. While software and hardware play a key role in fostering this shift, a significant portion of efficiency gains can be attributed to one key factor, the workforce.

The Main Issues at Play

Across the manufacturing sector, companies are wrestling with two main issues that impact efficiency in relation to the workforce. These are: 

1. An ageing workforce

Across the industry, the next several years will see a slew of experienced personnel retiring or leaving the workforce. This leaves not just a vacuum of trained individuals, but a huge gap in the information and knowledge transfer to the younger workforce. The challenge is not only capturing this information and cardinal knowledge, but making it accessible and easily understandable for the next wave of manufacturing employees, to ensure a smooth transition. 

2. Making manufacturing engaging

The other issue impacting the manufacturing space relates to the converse of the ageing workforce dilemma – making manufacturing engaging and attractive to the younger workforce. Currently, many manufacturing companies are seeing a faster outflow than inflow of talent, necessitating an enhancement in overall operational efficiency. A single, clear solution can address these interconnected challenges.

Automation as the Answer

Automation presents an approach to solve both issues at once. By allowing automation to handle the simple, repetitive manual tasks that a worker does, not only does the overall efficiency of processes improve but so too worker morale and engagement.

Replacing mundane manual tasks, either through artificial intelligence or other forms of automation, allows individuals to be reassigned to more high-purpose or creative tasks, as well as be trained to complete higher level tasks. This means the value they can add to an organization greatly increases, without impacting the overall processing capabilities, quality or efficiency. 

These tasks could range from dealing with a complex assembly job to putting their talents for advanced analytics to use, as opposed to solely focusing on more manual based jobs. By shifting focus to data analysis or finding the right time to perform a maintenance task, workers are likely to find their roles more engaging and fulfilling.

With this added value embedded in their roles, manufacturing workers can feel a greater sense of worth through the job being more exciting on a regular basis. This approach can therefore allow organizations to target higher quality talent and offer more intriguing job prospects. Here, automation is not just about completing tasks more quickly, but generating greater value across all processes and departments.

Technology as an Enabler

When graduates leave university and look to embark on a career in the manufacturing industry, they expect to see the same sort of technology they have heard about in class being used in the real world. If manufacturing companies are still using outdated, legacy or old equipment, the lustre of what was an exciting opportunity is quickly lost. 

Just as individuals seek to demonstrate high value and worth, the implementation of automated processes and cutting-edge technologies is not merely about refining operations. It’s also about providing more impactful roles to employees. 

By using technology to enhance their employees’ capabilities and elevate their roles, manufacturing companies can use automation to expand human possibilities. In doing so, they address some of the key challenges currently impacting the sector.

Learn more about improving workforce productivity here.