Quite simply, automation makes our lives easier. Automatic windows in our cars keep us from fiddling with a mechanical crank to get a breeze, automated bill paying ensures that we never forget to pay the electric bill, and how would we ever get our grocery carts out of the store without automatic doors? Sometimes automation is nothing more than convenient, but automation can also be absolutely necessary.
Manufacturing would be nothing without automation, factory robots, and industrial motion control. Here are 5 key benefits of industrial automation.
Automation reduces costs
Employing robots is cheaper than employing human workers. After the initial cost of a factory robot, the only costs are energy, maintenance, and repairs. This results in big savings when compared to annual salaries for human workers, and a higher return on investment.
Industrial automation provides more production with fewer workers. All you need is a handful of employees to monitor and operate machinery rather than a floor full of laborers.
High production costs mean lower profit. Lower production costs and higher production translates to more affordable goods for consumers.
Automation improves quality
Humans are great, but we’re prone to error. Industrial motion control systems are more precise than human workers, and cut out the factor of human error. Not only does this result in a higher quality product, but it also delivers a more consistent final product.
Automation improves efficiency
Even your employee of the month with his impeccable work ethic needs to take a break every now and then. Robots work faster than humans, harder than humans, and they can operate 24/7.
When Ford introduced the first moving assembly line to their plant, they whittled the time it took to make a vehicle from 12 hours to 90 minutes. Today, thanks to industrial automation – as well as over 70 production facilities – Ford makes roughly 16 vehicles every 60 seconds around the world.
Automation increases human safety
Increased production and lower costs are obviously important to manufacturing, but added safety is one of the most valuable benefits of industrial automation. Robots remove humans from dangerous work environments.
People are rather fragile, especially when compared to machines. Automation removes workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals, heavy objects, back-breaking labor, poor air quality, extreme temperatures, and other hazardous working conditions.
Automation makes manufacturing better
Industrial automation not only makes manufacturing more profitable and more efficient, it also optimizes the entire process. Machinery frees humans to fine tune processes, improve technologies, and focus on the work that can’t be automated. This leads to new, innovative products, increased customization customization, and a better consumer experience.
Your factory robots must stay in peak condition to ensure that you’re reaping all of the benefits of industrial automation. Let us help keep your Indramat motion control system running like a dream. Call us today, or visit our contact page, for immediate Indramat support.