Forget the past, automate for the future

Beyond helping manufacturers cut costs, automation can transform what it means to be a blue-collar worker. iStock/Getty Images/sergeyryzhov

For years, industry experts and labour advocates have raised the alarm about automation eliminating millions of jobs in the manufacturing sector and potentially driving an unprecedented level of unemployment in the industry.

Although automation continues to be an area of investment for many manufacturers to reduce the skills gap, many companies are now searching for automation engineers.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is already well underway, with many factories using robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technology in every part of their operation. While it’s true that some jobs may have been replaced, the biggest problem facing manufacturers is the ongoing labour shortage and skills gap.

So, what kind of relationship can workers and machines have in the industry? Robots can actually make manufacturing a more desirable sector to work in.

The State of Automation in Manufacturing

Robots have become fairly widespread throughout the industry. Last year, Veo Robotics, Waltham, Mass., which provides sensing and intelligence technology to the world’s largest robotics suppliers, surveyed more than 500 manufacturers across the U.S., Europe, and Japan. In its report, “2022 Manufacturing Automation Outlook,” researchers highlighted how normalized robotics have become in nearly every industry sector.

According to the survey, more than half (55 per cent) of all manufacturers across the globe now have 10 or more robots in their facilities. Almost one-third (32 per cent) report having 30 or more robots deployed throughout their operations. Despite large-scale deployment of robots, most manufacturers surveyed don’t see automation affecting their labour force.

When asked, 57 per cent said that robots are working alongside human workers in their facilities rather than displacing people from jobs. Almost one-quarter surveyed (22 per cent) use robots in specific sectors of their factories. Only one-fifth of manufacturing leaders surveyed see robots actually taking over jobs. Other organizations mirror these sentiments. The World Economic Forum estimated that robots will affect about 85 million jobs across various industries by the year 2025 but create 97 million new jobs in the process.

Automation Improves Manufacturing Jobs

By and large, the biggest challenge manufacturers face is the labour shortage. In fact, more than one-third (37 per cent) of leaders in Veo’s survey report that hiring and training new workers is their biggest challenge—ahead of even the unprecedented supply chain and inflation challenges that have defined the last few years.

In spite of a successful and growing reshoring movement, Industry Week reported that hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2002, including more than 64,000 machinists alone.

Closer to home, Canada ranks just above the world average in robot density in the manufacturing industry, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

IFR’s “2020 World Robotics” report, which is based on statistics from 2019, shows that Canada ranks 18th in the world for robot density, with 165 robots installed per 10,000 employees. According to this report, the global average is 113 robots per 10,000 employees.

All this time, the primary driver of automation has been to improve efficiency and cut costs. But how can robots play a role in improving the labour supply?

Attracting the Next Generation

One of the leading drivers of the manufacturing labour shortage is the rapidly aging and retiring manufacturing workforce. As digital natives, millennials and Generation Z aren’t necessarily eager to take over old-fashioned factory jobs. In a recent survey, Oracle found that 80 per cent of Gen Z wants to work with the most cutting-edge technology and 91 per cent even claim that technology would influence which companies they want to work for.

Interacting with advanced robots, leveraging AI, and overseeing hyper-automated processes will be part of everyday life for factory workers in the future. Fortunately, these are just the kinds of activities young people are most drawn to professionally. As more manufacturing jobs become increasingly high-tech, the interest in skilled trades could completely turn around, attracting the next generation of workers passionate about technology.

Enabling More Meaningful Labour

In every industry, automation completely transforms efficiency standards, eliminating repetitive tasks. Of course, business leaders appreciate this because of the increased cost savings—but workers benefit as well. Technology has freed white-collar office workers and blue-collar tradespeople from much of the drudgery of their work, enabling them to focus on more mentally challenging and even meaningful initiatives.

Automation is allowing the manufacturing industry to move past the paradigm of mundane labour to require more holistic engagement from workers. This makes the industry inherently more attractive as incoming workers consider their career options.

Making Manufacturing Safer

The October 2022 report “Industrial Robots, Workers’ Safety, and Health,” from the journal Labour Economics, found a correlation between the presence of robots on a factory floor and a decrease in work-related injuries by 1.2 cases per 100 workers. Industrial automation doesn’t just help eliminate repetitive work, it also can reduce workers’ exposure to dangerous aspects of the job.

Assistive cobot technology can help employees reduce strain from lifting heavy objects or improve ergonomics to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Less strain on workers also cuts down on fatigue, reducing potential for exhaustion-related accidents. Robots also can reduce worker exposure to chemicals and toxins, as well as simple dirt and grime.

Automation Unleashes Human Potential

People have been worried about the impact of technology on their jobs as far back as the 1800s, but only now in this age of advanced technology have we become capable of full automation. Beyond helping manufacturers cut costs, the digital transformation has the potential to completely transform what it means to be a blue-collar worker.

Nearly all of the 97 million new automation-related jobs foreseen by the World Economic Forum will require advanced skills, like the ability to troubleshoot complex machinery, manage AI programs, and code software and applications. In the future, there may be even greater mobility between white-collar and blue-collar jobs.

David Foster is district sales manager – Canada at Master Fluid Solutions, 501 W. Boundary St., Perrysburg, Ohio 43551, 800-874-0105‬‬‬, www.masterfluids.com.