The Importance of Automation in Manufacturing

It seems like new technologies are emerging and reshaping the way we work every day. In the manufacturing industry, the use of automation is rising and gaining traction. The main goal of automation is to have machines or applications that perform the repetitive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous tasks previously performed by labor resources. 

After the effects of the 2020 global pandemic, we will see a continuous rise in the implementation of automation in all parts of the manufacturing process. From production and assembly to tracking and monitoring, the benefits of automation will be observed. Physical distancing measures causing restrictions in the supply chain are likely to boost the demand for automation to allow manufacturers to meet production demands using fewer labor resources. 

The Advantages of Automation in Manufacturing:

1. Increased Production Output 

One of the main benefits of automation is that tasks are able to be performed at a constant speed for longer amounts of time. This means that you can increase your overall production output by having your machines run for longer periods of time. Furthermore, the use of machines can allow you to maximize your production space by adding more workstations.

2. Increased Quality of Products

Machines can be programmed to perform highly skilled and precise motions which can increase the consistency and quality of your products. When production processes are automated, you can have the peace of mind that the quality of your products will remain at a satisfactory level. This will save you time and money as fewer scraps will be produced and less re-work will be required to create high-quality products.

3. Creation of Fulfilling Jobs

While it is true that automating operations can reduce the number of physically demanding and manual jobs, workers now have the ability to spend their time doing more fulfilling jobs that would not be possible if their time was solely allocated to doing manual labor. Automation will take over the repetitive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous tasks involved in production to give workers more time to do management, problem-solving, and complex critical thinking tasks. Companies may need to invest in training to smoothen the transition while implementing automated processes.

4. Increased Resiliency

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of the current supply chain models. Many companies that relied on large amounts of manual labor in production were forced to shut down which caused disruptions in the global supply chain. An increase in automation would allow those same companies to require fewer workers on the shop floor and would have made them more resilient to the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Whether your goal is to cut costs, increase production, or save time, automation can help you achieve it. At PlanetTogether, we provide a solution to automatically create and optimize your production schedules so that you can save hours of your time.

Before it took hours to schedule [our production] manually because scheduling was based on reports, now it only takes seconds.

LES HOWELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IT, ILLES SEASONING AND FLAVORS

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software

Advanced Planning and Scheduling Softwares have become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations as customer demand for increased product assortment, fast delivery, and downward cost pressures become prevalent. These systems help planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans. APS Systems can be quickly integrated with an ERP/MRP software to fill the gaps where these systems lack planning and scheduling flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency.

With APS you can:

• Create optimized schedules that balance production efficiency and delivery performance
• Maximize throughput on bottleneck resources to increase revenue
• Synchronize supply with demand to reduce inventories
• Provide company-wide visibility to resource capacity
• Enable scenario data-driven decision making

The implementation of an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency by taking advantage of the operational data you already possess in your ERP system.