The future of Robots and Humans on the Plant Floor

A Q&A with Josh Alphonse, Product Line Manager, Modular Robots, ABB Robotics

1. How will robotics change careers in manufacturing?

The increase of automation in manufacturing, lab automation, and logistics centers focus on targeting tasks that are repetitive, dangerous, and dirty. Finding and retaining talent to perform this work is growing harder each day in the current job market. Companies are finding that automation is a requirement to continue operating which is a stark contrast to the commonly accepted idea that automation is taking jobs from those in search of employment.

Careers are changing in manufacturing from individual task performance to process related acumen. As repetitive tasks are being replaced by automation, application and process knowledge of assembly are the next area of focus for students and workers. These skills focus on the process itself at the lowest level and then branch into many overarching disciplines such as quality control, process improvement, maintenance and equipment optimization, assembly line layout, or operations management with a focus on industry 4.0 connected machines for data driven management.

2. Are there new skills sets/roles/titles that are being created?

As technology continues to evolve and increases the implementation of the connectivity of machines, artificial intelligence or machine learning, and vision guidance, there are new roles to implement, manage, and improve these processes. Colleges that typically focus on concentrated degrees such as Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering are seeing the need for hybrid programs to offer a more diverse and applicable knowledge base for the skills that are needed in the workplace. These programs are often referred to as Mechatronics where electrical, mechanical, programming, and vision coursework are combined into a two year or four-year degree with a culminating design project to challenge each of these disciplines.

As process efficiency, quality, and measurability becomes increasingly more focused through the use of automation, roles supporting these tasks will continue to grow. The shift from a manufacturing task focus to process focus places an emphasis on skill sets that increases value to the company by reducing cost, driving productivity, and delivering quality products. The benefit to the worker is that these skills are transferable and create a foundation for career growth in various disciplines.

3. Where do robots fail to do tasks in manufacturing settings?

The challenge for robots is tasks that require a high amount of dexterity where repeatable actions are not always able to complete the task. This is also the case where part quality is low, and the robot cannot repeatably complete the action due to changing dimension of the incoming parts. The use of vision and artificial intelligence are commonly applied to these tasks to overcome the obstacles. The deciding factor for the use of a robot is the return-on-investment analysis in considering the amount of technology that is needed to be invested to complete the task accurately and repetitively versus having an operator perform the function.

4. Is workplace safety a greater or lesser concern with robotic solutions on shop floors? How?

The risk of injury in a manufacturing setting is reduced when a robot can take over a dangerous function. This can range from retrieving a hot piece of steel from a press to the ergonomic task of lifting and inserting heavy parts into an assembly. The safety of implementing automation is a separate risk analysis which has established and known safeguards such as fencing, safety zones, and lidar scanners to keep operators safe while in the same space.

5. Please describe an “ideal” human/robot collaboration scenario on the shop floor. Why is it successful?

There are many applications where humans actively collaborate with robots in manufacturing. This can range from pure collaboration environments where a human is actively sharing the workspace with a collaborative robot to jointly assemble a product to a more co-existing environment where an operator is loading in parts for the robot to use but the workspace is not shared. Both of these scenarios are successful in increasing productivity, product quality, and quality of life for employees.

6. How should leaders determine how much to invest in robotic solutions?

The deciding factor for the use of a robot is the return-on-investment analysis in considering the amount of technology that is needed to be invested to complete the task accurately and repetitively versus having an operator perform the function. There are many inputs to consider in this equation such as the current and forecasted ability to hire and retain the needed talent as well as labor costs. The focus of leadership needs to be on investment of process personnel roles to increase quality and productivity through the use of automation to perform the individual manufacturing tasks.

7. Do robots take human jobs? Which ones? Is this good or bad for the future of manufacturing?

In today’s manufacturing environment where there are barriers in availability of hiring labor, a skills shortage, and rising labor costs, companies both small and large are turning to automation to meet the basic manufacturing functions to stay operational and competitive. The challenge for today’s manufacturers is not being able to find and retain the talent that they need to stay in business. Post COVID, there is an increasing challenge to entice workers to perform repetitive, boring, and non-career enhancing tasks. Automation is essential in keeping US businesses operational in today’s labor market and competitive in the global economy.

ABB Robotics is the only company with a comprehensive and integrated portfolio covering robots, AMRs and machine automation solutions. For more information, visit https://new.abb.com/products/robotics.