Balancing people and technology to optimise plant operations.

It has often been said that necessity is the mother of invention and the COVID-19 pandemic has served as the backdrop for numerous instances when this has been proven true.

In 2018, the global cybersecurity market was already estimated to be worth an impressive £91.21 billion, with projections for the year 2024 pegged at £205.59 billion. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT), bring your own device (BYOD), machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) in business has brought a whole new level of hyperconnectivity between industries, their employees and customers. This high degree of connectivity, however convenient and useful to both manufacturers and customers, comes at a great cost as it opens up systems to outside tampering. Coupled with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and attacks, these innovations will continue to fuel the importance of cybersecurity in all business domains, including manufacturing, and this cannot be ignored. 

Technology and the manufacturing industry have always worked hand in hand. Recently, however, rapid technological innovation and the Internet have fuelled the ongoing industrial revolution in 2020 where robotic automation is expected to expand its role and impact in various manufacturing settings.

Companies should be looking to benefit from the potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence and edge computing for business success and competitive advantage.

Machine breakdowns are normal occurrences in the manufacturing industry. The repetitive functions of each machine inevitably lead to failures and downtime. The trouble with this, of course, is that manufacturing today requires greater levels of efficiency and quality output. Any equipment failures resulting in unplanned downtime can lead to service delays, disgruntled customers, and possible losses in terms of productivity and income.

Cybersecurity poses a serious threat to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) enabled devices and robotic automation equipment. Attackers who gain access to industrial networks have a number of devastating options available to them, from changing production data to causing harmful production errors.

In the past, the word “automation” has created such a buzz, especially in the manufacturing industry. The discourse surrounding the use of robots in the processing and delivery of products is a hot topic of conversation throughout various industries. Majority shareholders are pushing top management officials to adopt automation due to the numerous benefits it brings. The overreaching goal is to seamlessly integrate it into their current processes to streamline their operations. 

Warehouse storage and retrieval are set to undergo a worldwide change over the next decade. Automated warehouses will delegate many of the tasks now performed by people to robots, including automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Warehouses with automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) will have several advantages over those that rely on human labour.

Robotic automation is the future for manufacturers of all sizes and can help them save money and time and even create new jobs that weren't previously available.