Technology is a force that has permeated into all aspects of social and business life. It has transformed numerous areas of life including communication, transport and even manufacturing.
In the manufacturing industry technology is seen in numerous aspects. More and more manufacturers are adopting technology to improve their operations, their employee’s performance and the quality of their products.
Here are some of the ways that technology has revolutionized manufacturing.
Manufacturing automation
Manufacturing automation is one of the leading changes that technology has brought to the manufacturing industry. This has brought great improvements in the way factories work and that products are made.
With automation technology, factories are able to work longer hours with fewer people. They are able to produce better quality products and to drastically improve their financial positions.
Robot technology
Another aspect of technology that has revolutionized manufacturing is the ease of availability of robots. In the last few years, the robot manufacturing industry has changed to manufacture smaller and affordable robots.
This has led to the increase of robots in factories. These modern robots are known as collaborative robots as they can work alongside human workers without the need for fencing. This is as a result of the high safety standards they possess compared to traditional robots.
Ease of work in the factory
With new technology, and especially the use of robots in factories, manufacturing work is now much easier to perform.
Augmented by robots, it is now easier for factory workers to lift and move around heavy objects.
In the warehouse, technology has made it possible to quickly find a retrieve an item in the numerous stacks. In addition, this has made it easier to satisfy customers by delivering their orders on time to wherever they buy them from.
Remote Working
Previously unimaginable, it is now possible for manufacturing companies to have their employees, even key employees involved in production working remotely.
Modern robots and their technological advancements can work completely unmanned for as long as they are programmed to work. If issues come up in the course of production, the robots can easily communicate via text or other internet enabled forms of communication to a robot operator.
In turn, the robot operator can remotely rectify whatever the challenge is, and the robots can easily proceed with their task.
Industry 4.0
The fourth industrial revolution has been heralded and is now with us in the manufacturing industry thanks to technology and advancement.
Industry 4.0 factories are organizations that rely on technology to operate rather than human workers. Collaborative robots not only collaborate with human workers but also with other robots. Here, robots can work together in the factory without the involvement of any factory workers.
Lower manufacturing costs
With the introduction of technology into manufacturing, factories now have the great benefit of lowering their production costs.
With the ongoing labor shortages, the application of technology and robotic automation goes a long way in ensuring that production proceeds affordably. With robots in the factory, production output increases and thus lower production costs for the available resources.
Enhancing robotic skills to the factory workers
As more and more companies adopt technology and robots for their production process, it has become more and more important for the factory workers to develop their skills. This has led to more and more mere factory workers gaining advanced skills in robot programming and monitoring.
With these growing skills, factories are thus able to take advantage of the new technology trends in the manufacturing industry. Computer aided design and manufacturing are now no longer a preserve of large companies. Smaller manufacturers with easily accessible and affordable collaborative robots can also benefit from it.
Conclusion
Technology has completely revolutionized manufacturing. This has led to new innovations in the working of the factory. Looking forward, we can only expect more disruption as more and more factories adopt technology in their day to day processes.