Automated Manufacturing Benefits Customers and Employees

The knowledge that experienced employees have about manufacturing operations comes from “hands-on” work that they do every day. This body of information is probably the closest a company can get to “expert” about their daily manufacturing operations. It is important for management to realize that having this experience available when the company is going through a changeover from non-automated to automated manufacturing can be very important. Using this knowledge is a far better course of action than hiring an outside consultant to come in and study the company operation in order to optimize the installation of automation. This could be one of the reasons that employees are not so readily displaced by automated manufacturing. All of the minor tasks that are completed to make the manufacturing operation go smoothly each day are tasks that employees who work on the line have learned from daily experience. This experience can be invaluable going forward toward automation. It is best for management to learn as much as possible about these tasks in setting up manufacturing automation. These same employees are also the best source of production line operators that the business could find. The company would be well advised to continue the building of the knowledge base that these employees have already started by training them to “run the robots”. The company can pay the employees more as their knowledge level increases and the production rates go up because of it. It is a “win-win” situation.

Following the installation of production automation the business will be able to satisfy the demands of customers by delivering products to meet the schedules of these customers. Over time this accurate delivery schedule will allow customers to be more stringent in building up inventory levels. There is not a need to have so much inventory on hand if deliveries of products from automated suppliers is so precise. Increased volume of shipped products and excellent timing in scheduled shipping really helps to compete with foreign competitors in the world market.

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