Industrial Automation in Manufacturing
January 20, 2022
Automation has been a driving force for manufacturers to embrace the era of Industry 4.0. Industrial automation in manufacturing uses computers or robots and information technologies to handle different processes in the industry with minimum human intervention. Industries aim to increase productivity by transforming factories into smarter factories, and automation plays a crucial role. Using automation and other advanced technologies, manufacturers can produce sustainable growth at all levels, assuring significant improvements in productivity. Initially, the purpose of automation was to increase productivity and reduce cost, but now, it is more about improving quality and flexibility in a manufacturing process.
Industrial Automation - Advantages
High Productivity: Implementing automation allows manufacturers to be productive 24*7 for the year. Machines can be used to their maximum potential with minimum breakdowns or malfunctioning. By reducing the time for plant maintenance, organisations can improve their overall productivity.
High Quality: Automation equals zero error in the process. Products produced will be of high quality, and the number of scraps produced will be less when compared to the process done using traditional methods or human labour.
High flexibility: Industrial automation provides more flexibility to the organisation in adapting to newer technologies. While innate human nature is to resist change, robots can quickly adjust to a unique situation and continue the work without any interruption due to the new transition.
High Information Accuracy: Data collected will be less prone to errors as they are automatically and directly collected from each machine. Users get the data on the count of good or scrap products, making it easier to make data-driven decisions.
High safety: Health and Safety at the workplace are essential. Industrial automation will ensure that the production lines are safe for the workers and can also deploy robots to handle high-risk tasks.
Though the initial investment in automating and digitalising the organisation is BIG, the organisations will see a rise in ROI in the long run.
Future of Industrial Automation
Fully automated factories are called dark factories, and the term is attracting a lot of people. Dark Factories (where the lights are off) are futuristic factories that will work 24*7 using fully automated robots and increase productivity with almost zero error in the manufacturing process. Dark factories are capable of replacing nearly 90% of the human workforce without making any compromise in the production process. These industrial robots will be multi-functional, highly productive and will be able to make data-driven decisions and work autonomously. Industries worldwide are already moving towards an automated industry, and it has become necessary for industries to be more advanced and updated. Moving from a smart factory to a dark factory can be an economic decision. Studies reveal that a fully automated factory can increase productivity by up to 250% and decrease errors by 80%. Undoubtedly, within five to ten years, industries worldwide will embrace the change of becoming smart factories and sooner transform into fully automated ‘Dark Factories’.
