What About Manufacturing Automation Post-COVID-19?

Automation has been an integral element of manufacturing since Roman times when the invention of the waterwheel completely revolutionized crop irrigation and grain grinding. But manufacturing automation has never been any more crucial than it is today. 

The high speed of digital adoption in 2020, thrust by the pandemic, has been absolutely staggering. While the direction might not have changed that much, there’s no doubt that we have been catapulted many years forward. 

The new normal is now beginning to materialize. The difference between the technology haves and have-nots is becoming ever more prominent. The post-pandemic future of manufacturing will surely be digital. But how?

COVID-19 has given manufacturing a hard time.

Manufacturing has felt the full force of the pandemic. 80% of manufacturers expect that the pandemic will have a heavily negative financial impact on their business. That's compared with the overall cross-industry average of 48%.

Manufacturers have been hit with a Covid triple punch:

1. A majority of the 13 million workers in the US manufacturing industry work on-site, in a heavily worker-dense environment, and cannot carry out their work remotely.
2. The global slowdown in economies has seen the demand for manufactured goods go down.
3. Manufacturers are now experiencing severe supply chain disruption.

Companies that have involved the services of a manufacturing automation consultant and invested in their manufacturing automation have found themselves nicely placed to weather this storm. They are less dependent on manual workers, so they have avoided the full plant closures and have been able to scale back their operations at relatively low costs.  

Manufacturing automation is the solution.

A recent Thomas Industrial Survey, which delved into the impacts of COVID-19 on the industrial sector, found that 25% of US manufacturers are expanding their manufacturing automation because of the pandemic, and 20% have already put the necessary automated systems in place. This leaves more than half of all manufacturers at risk. But there are six crucial areas where they can invest to build post-pandemic resilience-

1. Handling of automated materials 

The movement of all raw materials through human-operated forklifts and cranes is now being replaced by AGVs (autonomous guided vehicles) and AMRs (autonomous mobile robots). The difference between the two is that AMR users program the start and endpoints right within the system and the robots find their own route, while AGVs follow a clear path set by the floor markers, buried wires, magnets, lasers, or cameras.

Automated materials handling allows for a streamlined flow of materials, components, and even finished products. Manufacturing processes can now be completed with the maximum levels of efficiency, which translates to shorter lead times, lower consumption of resources, rapid product testing, customization potential, and, ultimately, a much better financial performance.

1. Assembly automation

High-volume, repetitive tasks are often completed faster and with greater accuracy by robots, and they've been used this way for decades. Automated assembly is what most people think of when they hear the term “manufacturing automation.” The benefits are wide-ranging and very well-known: increased workplace safety, reduced labor costs, better productivity, and enhanced product quality.

The most recent iterations of fully autonomous robots, powered by Machine Learning and AI, can work with each other and also collaborate with humans. Highly versatile, they can be programmed to carry out unlimited non-repetitive, and highly complex tasks.

1. Automation of human-machine interaction

AR (augmented reality) enhances the workers' perception of reality by overlaying computer-generated imagery on the physical world. Manufacturers can then use this key Industry 4.0 technology for supporting tasks, from the warehouse to even the factory floor. 

Manufacturing automation software transfers text, stats, and information in real-time to workers in the field, increasing overall efficiency and safety too. With AR, workers can "see" if a piece of equipment is too hot to touch by giving it just a look or visualize the restricted areas as they move around the factory, unharmed by wires or cumbersome gear.

VR (virtual reality) is a highly immersive experience that, unlike AR, kills out in the real world. It brings the simulation and optimization of different machines under a number of potential future scenarios, giving manufacturers a chance to maximize their efficiency without any risk of downtime or even product recalls.

1. Automated Additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing)

Additive manufacturing is the "printing" of 3D objects according to CAD data. An entirely hands-off process, it makes the use of plastics, ceramics, and even metals to produce hard-wearing but lightweight and complex products. 

With additive manufacturing, the differential cost between the output levels is pretty minimal, which means that the manufacturers can make single-unit batches as well as high-volume production runs. They can also welcome a new batch of potential customers and render customization at scale.

1. Automation of both- CPQ and visual product configuration

Visual CPQ connects the customers, sales, and engineering teams to the shop floor, cutting out bottlenecks and also reducing the manufacturing costs through automation. 

Sales reps or end-customers can easily configure complicated, customizable products through a visual product configurator, pointing and clicking on the screen of their devices for adding or removing parts, upgrading the features, and even adjusting the variables from colors to dimensions. 

Product rules that are built into the software eliminate human error and ensure that every configuration is feasible and optimized from a technical perspective. Once a configuration gets submitted, CAD and design files get automatically generated and sent downstream to the engineering, production teams, and machines.

1. Automated networks for sensors and IIoT

The IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) combines machines, analytics, and the workers in networks that monitor, collect, exchange, analyze, and deliver important new insights with the help of interconnected sensors.

Intelligent analytics and reporting can easily identify the bottlenecks, failures, and even quality issues even before they happen. Manufacturers can also access real-time production data to improve the efficiency and financial performance.

How can you make the right decisions for manufacturing automation?

The high speed of technological change brought by COVID has left the manufacturers scrambling to automate. But at what cost? 

How can manufacturers make sure that they are spending their automation budgets wisely and not automating just for automation's sake? While all the above technologies deserve very careful consideration, they are not going to be great for every business.

McKinsey identifies three important criteria (added a fourth too) that any new manufacturing automation solutions should satisfy:

1. Automation should be consistent with high-level business operations strategy. Choosing the perfect balance of technologies and approaches will be determined through overarching goals.
2. Automation should address a set of clear problems. Why is automation the perfect solution? How will automation offer improvements?
3. Automation should give out a clear ROI. The bigger the company, the more likely they are to over-specify and overspend. Designing for outcomes, not features. Much of the automation can be achieved within the existing frameworks. 
4. Automation should get integrated into existing systems. The siloed data trapped in disconnected systems should be shared seamlessly between machines on the factory floor and beyond. Manufacturing automation can connect the supply chains and even entire industries through universal data networks that your company should be a part of.