The pandemic changed many aspects of an established work routine. Many workers moved to work from home. While there is no issue with the office workers who can work from their home offices conveniently, things are different in the industrial manufacturing where people are needed to perform many routine activities.
Thus, the matter of industrial automation is nowadays extremely important. While many processes in the leading enterprises are automated already, there is still an increasing need for automation. The urge increases if one thinks of al the massive precautions that shall be taken when people work in a plant.
Experts believe that it will allow not only to let people stay at home whenever it is possible but to reduce the manufacturing costs. There is no doubt that to automate the industry to the needed level, many investments are needed.
The cost of equipment is high. Even the basic actuators, for example, aren’t cheap. Considering that the basic equipment isn’t always the right choice, you can calculate how much money is needed to get for example waterproof electric actuators which are used in many plants. However, even with such expenses, automation seems to be a more efficient solution than keeping everything run as it used to before.
Automation Perspectives in the Manufacturing Industry
The entire field is benefiting from automation already. While some parts were still slow in the implementation of automation solutions, the trends are changing now. Now, all the benefits that robots can provide are highly valued:
- First of all, robots don’t get sick, thus, no temperature shall be taken, no social distancing is needed, etc. In a facility that is maximally automated, nothing has changed. It means also that such a facility can work without interruptions even during the pandemic times;
- Machines can work non-stop as long as there is a power source. While people shall take a break at least to sleep;
- Robots are perfect for performing monotonous work without getting bored and less efficient. In many enterprises, machines are used to perform such works and show even a higher efficiency level than people do;
- Machines are more efficient and consistent to use for work in harsh environments or environments that are considered hostile to humans. It allows us to use the resources that would be not available otherwise.
However, the main target, for now, is to reduce the exposure of people to the virus and thus, to reduce and further, to eliminate the cases of disease. In the future, automation will allow to eliminate the cases when the production has either to be stopped or people have to be exposed to danger.
Final Thoughts
While a trend to automate many processes has already been observed in leading enterprises, now, it is a task for smaller companies, too. The current situation will speed up the automation procedures in all the industries. It will reduce the danger to get sick and will allow keeping the industry moving on even during the pandemic time.