Assessing the Role of Automation in the Manufacturing Industry

Automation has been a game changer in the manufacturing industry. It has completely revolutionized the process of production, from the past mechanization days to the incorporation of robotics and machine learning. Automation in the manufacturing industry basically means utilizing technology and machinery to conduct processes which were previously done by humans.

Automation in manufacturing has numerous advantages. This not only improves productivity and efficiency but also enhances safety and quality of production. Let’s understand the role of automation in the manufacturing Industry.

What Does RPA in Manufacturing Mean?

Robotic Process Automation is a technology that helps automize repetitive, rule-based work processes with robots' help. A lot of manufacturing businesses have already integrated RPA solutions in their production process to enhance productivity while relieving employees from mundane and repetitive tasks.

Robotic Process Automation in manufacturing entails providing written instruction that directs the robots to do tasks. These robots can navigate through multiple systems, apps, as well as data sources.

How Automation in Manufacturing Industries Benefit the Work Process?

Automation is achieved in the manufacturing industry by utilizing systems, programmable devices and tools. Integration automation in manufacturing fosters business growth and helps businesses save money. Let’s discuss the advantages of automation technology in details:

1. Improves efficiency

Automation technologies in manufacturing industries help in improving business efficiency. which will keep the margin for discounted rates like the current realized margin. RPA in manufacturing industry decreases the overall production time, allowing the laborers to complete more tasks in a limited time.

2. Enhances quality

Automation ensures high work quality. When the right tasks are automized, elimination of maximum errors is possible. This further improves the quality of the output. So, automation in manufacturing industry allows businesses to offer customers good products at affordable prices at a greater speed.

3. Ensures Cost Savings

One of the most significant benefits of incorporating technologies like RPA in manufacturing industry is that it helps in cost cutting. Automation reduces labor costs by automating tasks. This also reduces waste in production and increases the efficiency of the entire production process. Thus, introducing automation in the work process reduces costs and brings profits for the business.

4. Improves Safety

Incorporating automation in the Manfacturing process increases the levels of safety in the production process. This is particularly beneficial in the case of high-risk or dangerous tasks. For instance, automating the shifting of heavy objects reduces the risk of injuries in laborers.

5. Simplifies Data Collection and Analysis

Collecting data manually always has chances of errors. Automation ensures data is easily collected and analyzed for making future improvements.

Categories of Automation in Manufacturing

There are multiple ways to automate the manufacturing work process. Automation methods for a business should be decided as per the business type and processes involved. Given below are the various automation tools used in manufacturing-

• Computer-Integrated Manufacturing

CIM automation means running the complete manufacturing process though automated systems. This includes different automation types like robots, computer-aided engineering, automated integrations and enterprise management systems.

This includes making a product prototype and manufacturing it via Robotic Process Automation in manufacturing industry. Factors like quality control, managing data, storage and distribution are automized.

• Programmable Automation

Programmable Automation means utilizing high-level programmable systems like PLCs or Programmable Logic Controllers for controlling machine and device-related operations.

This is used for producing quantities in batches ranging between a few to a few thousand units at a time. Whenever a new product type is introduced, the equipment is reprogrammed.

• Flexible Automation

This type of automation facilitates changes as per the need arises for refinements in the production systems. The manufacturing operations are conducted by machines controlled by computers and operated manually when new changes are introduced.

Use Cases of Robotic Process Automation in Manufacturing Industry

RPA in manufacturing can be used in several ways. The various use cases and examples are as follows:

Creation of Purchase Order

Drafting purchase orders can be a daunting task for businesses who are dealing with various product categories. The entire process of creating purchase orders can be made automatic with the help of robotic process automation in manufacturing. The main advantage of using RPA in this case is that it helps in producing error-free and quick results.

Robots can gather information from different systems, take permissions from the managers with emails and handle requests for PO creation.

Managing Inventory

One of the basic tasks of manufacturing industries is inventory management. Inventories need to be monitored to keep up with the demand. RPA allows inventory tracking, sending stock level alerts for products replacement whenever the stocks go down. These functions can be fully automated and will need very little human intervention.

RPA in manufacturing can also be utilized to create a detailed audit trial. Features like real-time dashboards provide comprehensive information on company operations. These insights can further help in removing disruptions in the supply chain to streamline and enhance processes.

Communication with Vendors

Smooth communications with vendors, staff and customers are necessary for ensuring easy business operations. A customer service representative in the manufacturing business must conduct various tasks like locating email exchanges, following the status of shipment in an EPR system, notifying customers and so on.

All these processes- checking mails, downloading attachments, checking the EPR portal, tracking the shipment status can be automized with the help of automation in manufacturing. Robotic Process Automation in manufacturing industry can digitalize more than 60% of processes by eliminating human labor.

Automating Administrative Processes

Administrative tasks are labor intensive. Automation in manufacturing can help set employees free from daunting administrative tasks to let them contribute to more critical areas. RPA can automate the following administrative tasks:

• Keeping inventory levels in check
• Placing Orders
• Generating Receipts
• Tracking Shipments
• Responding to emailed related to quotations and queries

Safe Data Migration

Effective upgradation in terms of procedures, systems or technology is vital for the success of manufacturing businesses. Whenever a new process is incorporated, data transfer from old to new systems becomes a necessity. Manual data transfer always has chances of errors.

RPA in manufacturing digitalizes the migration process. Robots can handle data in various formats present in legacy systems. Robotic Process Automation speeds up migration, reducing error chances and lowering the cost of migration. This can also be used to track the process to find out faulty data sets to correct the faults in real-time.

Bill of Materials

Bill of Material or BOM is a significant document in manufacturing businesses. This document is maintained to keep a record of components and materials needed in the manufacturing process. The BOM allows employees to use the recorded data for old product upgradation and new product creation.

RPA robots can fetch the information of specific products and replicate the step of employees for generating an error-free BOM. This further facilitates the process of new product creation.

Final Thoughts

Businesses which are incorporating technologies like automation in manufacturing can respond better to the demands of the customers and the market. These companies can easily handle disruption.

RPA in manufacturing industry not only streamlines processes by improving efficiency, but it also saves production cost and caters better to customer interests. Hence, to improve processes, automize processes and enhance business growth, incorporating Robotic Process Automation for businesses is the need of the hour.