The manufacturing industry, which includes both small and large-scale industries, accounts for trillions of dollars in the economic growth in all countries worldwide. Industries leverage every advantage they can get to remain effective and handle the global competition. Automation requires little or no human interactions in the undertaking of various applications day-to-day operations.
One of the ways the manufacturing industry manages to keep up the global competition to maintain quality and profitability is by using manufacturing automation. Part of this automation includes using robots and other machine-controlled programs and applications. Below are the benefits that come with using manufacturing automation.
Benefits of implementing manufacturing automation
· Safety at the workplace
The health and safety of workers is a top priority in each workplace, according to the occupational safety and health act signed in 1970. However, many workplaces are not safe for humans because accidents happen.
Even businesses with the most sophisticated safety measures cannot say they are completely safety-proof. Using automated machines such as robots help to create a safer working environment. Automated machines take over dangerous and life-threatening tasks reducing accidents and making the workplace a safer and healthier place for humans.
· Reduction of labor and running costs
Labor is crucial in increasing the production and quality of products. However, labor is also expensive as it costs industries a lot of money annually to keep up with the needs of the industries.
Using automation to replace some of the manual operations reduces labor costs, thus saving the companies lots of money. Using automation also simplifies the processes of fabricating products. Automation systems focus on precise and controlled movements, which generate less waste heat and use minimum power. Saving on such things cuts many costs to raise profits.
· Increased productivity and reduces repetitive tasks
Using automation increases production because the systems work for longer hours. The systems work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the whole year allowing for mass production. Working non-stop also reduces assembly time and manual tasks.
Reducing manual operations also helps to increase labor productivity as the employees turn to do other tasks that benefit organizations with less fatigue from working long hours. Automation also gets rid of doing repetitive, boring, and tiring tasks that lead to less productivity from the employees.
· Improves consistency and accuracy
Consistency and accuracy are crucial in the quality of products. Using manual operations may not always provide consistent quality or accurate measurements of products. Automated systems come with machine-controlled programs that provide them with the same operation methods each time.
The consistency provides accurate measurements, installations, and placements, which help to keep the quality of the products high at all times. The chances of producing products that are not similar using automation are very slim.
· Eliminating and identifying errors faster
People make mistakes, which makes them prone to making errors. Any number of reasons ranging from distraction to fatigue could lead to loss of focus. Decreasing energy and strength are also physical constraints that could also limit humans to being perfect.
Using automation eliminates any possibilities of human restricted errors as they do not make any mistakes and no distractions affect their operations. On the other hand, automated systems also come with their own imperfections even if they greatly improve the production processes.
Some of the issues that affect them include malfunctions of some parts, wearing down and misalignments. However, automated systems come with sensors, triggers, and data collectors that monitor the operations of the machines and provide an alert to allow changes, servicing, or repairs.
· Reduces cycle and lead time
The time it takes to complete a cycle of the production process makes a huge impact on how much a business makes. Integrating automation systems helps to reduce cycle time leading to more production. Improving process control also reduces lead-time significantly.
Wrapping it up
The use of manufacturing automation in industries is not a trend. It is something businesses irrespective of their sizes need to improve production, product quality, customer loyalty, profits, and employee satisfaction, among other things. Besides these, automation also helps to reduce cycle times and lead times, which are crucial to the success of any business.
