35 COMMUNICATION ISSUE Given our current labor shortage situation—isn’t everyone looking to add robots to their production floors? If not, you should be! While labor is certainly one of the top reasons that robots are added, there are far more considerations to think about when it comes to adding any kind of expensive automation. From production containing parts with varying sizes and weights, to machines required to talk to each other gathering useful data— installing a robotic cell can be one of the most productive and cost-effective ways to enhance your production. However, the automation options are tremendous: sensor technology, robot advancements, integration into other processes… it’s hard to know where to begin. Modern manufacturing is where all your material flows are managed automatically, with data flowing between machines—this is not just our future; it is now. What’s not to love—reducing overall labor, while reducing worker injuries in dangerous environments, increasing quality from reducing defects, and reducing costs with automation that continues to decrease in price. Today, robotic work cells are increasingly adding advanced capabilities that only make adding automation attractive to any production floor. Robots that used to just follow the same path to deliver an assembled component in a fixed manner, can now remember product orientation to change how it discharges the part to another path, rack, or conveyor for assembly, finishing or packaging. Robots are providing additional new sources of value that have simply never been imagined before. Robotic automation has well entered the artificial intelligence (AI) arena to detect, orientate, reject, pick, and place at high speeds with accuracy—all without expensive programming. IDENTIFYING NEEDS, WANTS & WISHES The most obvious consideration for adding automation is looking at your type of production to identify where it is today to understanding your needs, wants, and wishes, in priority. For example, if your production is high volume of a highly repeatable process then this is typically a simple task for robotic automation. But today’s production is usually more complex, and require exceptional part handling along with managing other processes. The first question to ask, is most likely answered by reviewing your last value stream map, that determined your current and future state. While projecting the future can sometimes be difficult, as a rule, we see part production grow in size, complexity., and volume. If reducing labor is your top priority, then it is critical that it be defined clearly and quantifiably. Perhaps it is a reduction in expensive or inexpensive manual labor. If so, then include all the direct and indirect costs such as salaries, training, worker injuries, safety issues, insurance, and human resource expenses. Robotic Automation is Reshaping the Production Floor—how to get started CHRISTOPHER CLARK President BHS Robotics Inc. ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Understanding AI technologies to detect, orientate, reject, pick & place • Robots are flexible, scalable, and mobile • Realizing your future state Continued on page 37
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