Technology is shaping the future of work.
In manufacturing, as in other industries, the rise of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) has given way to fears about worker displacement, job loss, and even obsoletion. And yet, the reality today is that many manufacturing companies are facing significant worker shortages.
A recent Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute report suggests that the US manufacturing industry could require as many as 3.8 million new roles by 2033, of which as many as 1.9 million could go unfilled.
The worker shortage poses a significant challenge for manufacturers, and new technologies present an innovative solution that could help ease the strain, create new value-added roles, and equip workers with essential skills for the future.
With this in mind, this blog will explore how automation, robotics, and AI are paving the way for a more empowered and efficient manufacturing world with human workers at its heart.
Will robotics, automation, and AI lead to job losses?
According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2020, the shift in labour between humans and machines could displace as many as 85 million jobs by 2025, while creating 97 million new ones.
The shift in labour represents an opportunity for businesses to reimagine how humans and machines can share the load, automating dull, dangerous, unpleasant, and difficult-to-fill roles and leaving the fulfilling, value-added roles to workers.
In doing so, businesses can reap the benefits of human-machine collaboration, overcome the skills gap, and make themselves more attractive to future workers.
Sharing the load: identifying tasks for robotics, automation, and AI
In her 1958 book The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt distinguished between ‘work’, which is fulfilling and offers opportunities for self-development, and ‘labour’, which is repetitive and tedious but necessary to survive. This helpful distinction provides context for the tasks best suited to robotics, automation, and AI.
Many simple, business-critical tasks bring very little job satisfaction, breeding worker fatigue and frustration while accounting for 100s of working hours each week. In manufacturing, this includes production reporting, manual data entry, extraction, transfer, and physical quality control processes. Such tasks can be easily automated using robotics and automated tools designed to replicate simple processes with great accuracy.
An example of process automation in play can be seen with Domino’s solutions for automated product labelling and verification, including advanced coding automation software that removes the need for manual data entry and machine vision systems that check the accuracy of product codes. These automated solutions offer significantly more accuracy than using manual processes while reducing the strain on production workers and providing more time for value-added activities
A recent study from Stanford University touts the benefits of AI in tasks such as image classification, which can be used in quality control with machine vision, while suggesting that such tools lag behind humans with more complex tasks requiring commonsense reasoning and planning. The research found data to suggest that workers were more productive when using AI tools during their workday, especially for repetitive tasks.
In recent years, we have witnessed a rise in outcome-based, ‘equipment as a service’ propositions that promote strategic use of technology to help manufacturers achieve their goals. Such solutions support the shift from manual to machine-based labour, and in doing so, reduce the risk of errors, and improve efficiency and safety, amongst other things.
Simple, repetitive manual handling tasks, including pick and place type roles such as packaging and palletising, are an example of tasks that can easily be automated. Repetitive, manual tasks can be some of the most challenging roles for manufacturers to fill, particularly when they involve working in inhospitable environments – such as chilled or frozen food packaging halls – and come with an increased risk of worker fatigue, injury, and workplace error.
Robotic systems can be adapted to suit a variety of simple manual handling tasks, helping to reduce unfilled job roles and increase worker satisfaction, while minimising the risk of injury, and helping to support business objectives. Indeed, the Bank of Korea (BOK) found that regions with a significant number of industrial robots from 2010 to 2019 showed a decrease in industrial accidents, noting that a 1% increase in industrial robots led to an 8% drop in workplace injuries. Moreover, this type of robotic technology is more accessible than ever before, with EY reporting that the average price of an industrial robot has halved over the past decade and is expected to continue dropping.
The human in the loop
Allowing automation and robotics to take care of repetitive tasks will not only lessen the skills gap for manufacturers and help to increase productivity but will also provide space for human workers to focus on more varied, engaging work – which can help to increase worker satisfaction, in turn making workplaces more attractive to prospective workers.
A recent Harvard Business Review survey of warehouse workers reported significant optimism among respondents that automation would increase productivity and improve the quality of their work. In addition, reducing the number of simple, repetitive tasks means that workers have more space to think, research, and focus on strategy.
To give an example from Domino’s manufacturing processes, we recently installed an automated pallet dimensioner for use in our Bar Hill warehouse. The system automatically weighs and measures all our finished order pallets, speeding up warehouse processes, while helping our warehouse team to deliver accurate dimensioning and expedite customer deliveries.
Of course, not all technology is fully autonomous, and many new systems and solutions will require a degree of human collaboration. Outside of simple, repetitive tasks, collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ also have a role to play.
For example, we are seeing a significant rise in the use of robotic technology within industrial welding processes, in which machines conduct the welding, while traditionally trained, manual welders supervise the process. Other examples include robotic testing and measurement, where skilled human oversight may be required to analyse and interpret results. In both cases, robotic technology allows for precise and quick results, less waste, and greater worker safety, while the human aspect allows for creativity, problem solving, and training and development of new talent.
By reducing staff demands, a company can create a more appealing work environment with high-value roles – such as data integration, planning, and quality assurance – that are more likely to attract talent. In a recent study of Generation Z workers by Dell Technologies, 80% of respondents expressed a desire to work with cutting-edge technology, with 91% reporting that the type of technology used would be a factor in choosing an employer.
New skills for the future of work
Robotics, automation, and AI should all be considered tools to support workers rather than replacements for human skills and innovation. Businesses should ensure that existing workers are part of the discussion process for any new technological implementation and that roles that offer the most worker satisfaction are preserved.
As new value-added roles requiring robotics, automation, and AI emerge, reskilling and retraining will also be necessary. Businesses must foster a culture of learning surrounding the adoption of new technology, invest in internal resources for upskilling and retraining, and allow employees the time and space to encourage research, experimentation, and creative thinking.
At Domino, we are witnessing the evolution of a number of different roles within the company that are developing around the use of new technology; find out more about Domino’s vision of the engineer of the future and the chemist of the future.
Conclusion
By embracing these innovations in robotics, automation, and AI, manufacturers can redefine the future of work, empowering employees to focus on more fulfilling, value-added tasks while enhancing productivity and safety in the workplace.
An employee-centric approach to technology integration will not only help to address the current skills shortage but also pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient manufacturing world, where humans and machines work together for the greatest possible benefit.