It’s estimated that by 2030, Australia will automate approximately 25-46% of all work activities as companies look to increase productivity and safety while reducing costs.
If you walk into a factory space, for instance, the immediate visual is of machines producing products or materials at a consistent pace while the factory workers are simply operating, monitoring, and maintaining these machines and other equipment.
According to reports, the impact of automation is likely to be two or three times greater in the coming decades. The only way to ascertain the best possible results is for people and technology to work in unison.
Automation has a plethora of benefits for companies that use it optimally to complement the work activities that they perform. It can help them evolve and stand out from the rest of their competitors to obtain favourable results.
So here are the top 5 reasons your company should invest in an industrial automation system.
#1: Increases productivity
Any business in any industry has one goal—to produce more, with the highest quality at the lowest cost. With industrial automation, companies can reduce the number of errors that even the most experienced skilled workers can make.
When employees perform repetitive tasks every day, the likelihood of mistakes increases. In contrast, machines are programmed to perform certain tasks, in a certain order, during a predetermined period.
This means that they don’t forget steps in the assembly line and can improve their performance by protecting workers from accidents, avoiding costly damage, monitoring production, and reporting any areas that require immediate attention automatically.
Studies also show that productivity can improve by as much as 50% without job losses since employees who were previously operating these machines were promoted from machine operators to robot programmers.
#2: Betters efficiency and quality
One of the benefits of industrial automation that we touched on earlier is the increase in productivity since the machines and equipment perform faster. Aside from the speed, however, it’s also important to point out that automation helps businesses maintain precision when meeting deadlines.
For instance, workers can generally take different times to produce the same product since everyone has different physical and emotional capabilities that can play a significant role in producing a product.
Automated systems, however, will always take the same amount of time to produce a product, making it much easier to assign deadlines and forecast the volumes that can be produced each day accurately.
With the machines working in unison, the quality of the end products will also be consistent. Businesses can also rest easy knowing that the end products they need will not only produce the desired volumes but also the desired quality.
#3: Improves working conditions
When it comes to industrial work, it’s understood that the industry includes monotonous or difficult tasks for people to carry out.
This makes employees feel unmotivated, fatigued, and annoyed, leading to a general reduction in productivity.
Automating your industrial processes, however, can encourage your workers and create a more pleasant work environment.
They will be more willing to develop their careers by performing more strategic and productive tasks and increasing quality and productivity.
#4: Offers additional security
Along a production or manufacturing line, certain accidents can occur and aside from the harm they can cause to humans, they can also compromise the production cycle and reduce efficiency. These are all scenarios that companies want to avoid—this is where automation can offer more safety.
Imagine for a moment that your manufacturing space has several different areas, from assembly and production to distribution. If a machine malfunctions and creates a situation that requires immediate action, it could mean that your employees would face potentially catastrophic outcomes.
Automation ensures that your employees aren’t in the direct manufacturing line and are in a good position to address any malfunctions before they take on a more serious tone.
Your employees can quickly take the necessary steps and control the situation, making it much safer for your employees and equipment.
#5: Creates operational improvements
Metrics are important for any business, but when you’re in the manufacturing industry, the need for organised and accurate metrics becomes much more important.
Business leaders can implement new sound strategies with more ease when they have the right metrics.
Before automation, businesses had to devote more time and manpower to gathering information, analysing them, and developing solutions to improve their processes.
With the adoption of new technology and automation techniques, however, businesses can adapt faster and become more agile to the world around them.
Industrial automation systems are the future
Contemporary businesses are trying to find the best solutions that are both effective and cost-effective. Getting high-quality industrial automation systems can be difficult, especially with the number of automation solutions that are emerging.
Finding the right automation solution for your business, therefore, is critical rather than investing in a generic solution that doesn’t make any significant improvements to your existing processes.
If you’re looking for an automation solution that you can count on, speak to one of our automation experts by scheduling a consultation today.