Automation Knowledge Helps Make A Manufacturing Automation Project Successful
The excitement level rises when you have realized that implementing robotics in your
small manufacturing operation will give you some excellent benefits. That is a very good feeling. You are ready to start working with new devices. You want to take the path of your company in a new direction. You want to apply new technology to your business as soon as possible. It is important for you to realize at the same time that you cannot just buy a robot and slap it into the production line and reap great benefits forever after. This should not be a reaction purchase like when you go through the drive-thru at a fast food store to get a sandwich to woof down. You need to put the brakes on, and go about the process of automation in a scientific way. That thought may seem overwhelming to you, but you at least need to go through a set of steps to get automation knowledge so your business will get the grand benefits.Especially if you are a small manufacturer and this is your first step into automation, you need to do the steps in order, don't skip any and you will likely have a good result that can help your business a lot. In your case you might think that planning might be the first step to take on this trail to technology. But you would be wrong, the first step for you is gaining automation knowledge. You need to do some investigation of such things as robot types, what are the different types, what are the general ways that they can be applied to a manufacturing operation, what are the capabilities of each of the types, and how are they controlled. These are just the beginning of questions that you should have when learning about robotics and their uses.
The educational process should include anyone in your employ that is going to be effected by the addition of automation to your workforce. Non-salaried employees are the ones that are most intimidated by the possible addition of automation. There addition to the educational process is of utmost importance. If these folks feel that they are being left out of the automation process, you can be sure they will not advocate it, but they will be its adversary. This is especially true if you have labor unions that represent some of the employees. They need to have a positive outlook to the coming automation.
The first automation project in your company has added importance outside your business. Such technology additions are of great interest to the general population. The success or failure of an automation project can reach a lot more people than just the ones inside your business. The failure of a project may have some negative long-term effects on your business reputation. Making the first automation project a success may, however, have a great positive impact on your future reputation in the community.
Part of the automation knowledge can also include the start of the identification of parts of the production process that might be a candidate for being automated. The information about this area can come from employees that you wish to have a positive attitude about the addition of automation. The employees who are the closest to the actual tasks that are to be automated can give you some very great insight into what needs to be automated and why it should be. On the other hand, these same folks can tell you what might be best not to automate and why. Your education in this case is not only about the robotics and its uses, but it is also about the most productive uses of automation in your operation.
A good target for you in attaining your automation knowledge is to determine what are the benefits of the automation that you will want in your business. This should only come after you have learned enough about the devices and what capabilities they have. Your goal should also include realistic productivity levels for the soon-to-be acquired automation. What can certain devices do to add to your production rates? You should have an open mind about considering the negative impacts of automation. Any automation implementation can improve things for your company, but may be a negative for the employees. It could also be negative for both employees and the company. Consider what the ramifications are for automation and try to be reasonable about estimating the effects of such a project on your company. You will have to be the one that makes the decision to implement automation or not based on your automation education and what it tells you.
by: John Mitchell