INSIGHTS & EVENTS

Manufacturers everywhere are challenged to adopt contemporary business approaches in order to produce more quickly, with greater precision, and for less cost to the organization. Regardless of industry sector or size, manufacturers are driven to consider an array of automation solutions—ones that might have previously been completely unimaginable—as a way to meet evolving needs and stay competitive in the market.

As manufacturing automation becomes less of a commodity and more of a necessity, a host of significant trends are emerging. So, what’s on the horizon for automation in manufacturing, and in what directions are organizations apt to find themselves moving as a result?

Check out these four notable trends impacting manufacturing automation.

As consumers evolve, so do their expectations for manufactured goods. This evolution—among other factors—has compelled significant change in the way manufacturers operate. Today, everything from consumer demand and market challenges to production efficiency and regulatory requirements impacts the management of your manufacturing systems.

Fortunately, the power of technology has answered this call with advanced automation options. But even as manufacturing companies embrace modernized approaches, many struggle to make the transition a successful and profitable one. If you’re planning an integration of automated manufacturing systems at your organization, leverage this critical list of expert dos and don’ts to formulate a smart path forward.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) estimates that just three years ago, there were approximately 2.1 million stand-alone industrial robots installed worldwide, with the largest applications including manufacturing operations such as machine tending, welding, soldering, and assembling materials. In addition, analysts have predicted strong future growth of collaborative robots throughout 2020 and beyond.

There’s a host of reasons why forward-thinking, growth-driven organizations have been integrating automation and robotics within their manufacturing operations, not the least of which is the capacity to significantly reduce human errors that eat away at a company’s bottom line.

The historical realities of the manufacturing industry paint a vivid picture of assembly line workers moving products in rote cadence. Many of us conjure images of nondescript factory employees in identical hard hats and protective gear manually turning the metaphorical cogs that keep a giant production wheel in continuous motion. 

Over the last several decades, however, the evolution of manufacturing automation has transformed once difficult, slow, and hazardous production tasks into remarkably safer and more productive ones. Even so, many organizations still cling to traditional (and often outdated) methods throughout their daily operations.

Throughout the process of researching robotics integration for your manufacturing organization, there’s apt to be a concentrated focus on the financial component. Every operation has its own budgetary constraints, so it’s only natural to be concerned about cost. What many manufacturers might not understand, however, is the complete breadth of information involved in determining the true, or total, cost.  

Whether your goal is to reduce manpower, decrease waste, increase productivity, or achieve a higher level of precision and quality within your manufacturing operation, effectively leveraging a robotics system is a smart way to position your company for success. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that designing and building this type of system is a complex process, regardless of the industrial robot’s actual size or specifications. 

Truthfully, carrying out a safe and lucrative robotics integration plan often requires a great deal more than the efforts of an in-house engineer. 

The manufacturing industry has undergone immense transformation in the last few decades, propelled largely by the ongoing advancement of automation opportunities. In fact, technology is quickly refashioning how manufacturing companies operate their entire businesses.