How Automation Is Affecting Manufacturing

How Automation Is Affecting Manufacturing

As marketers, improvements in marketing automation over the past decade have made it possible for brands to connect with customers in a more personalized way than ever before. Marketing automation platforms allow us to send personalized emails in response to an in-store purchase, schedule meetings, and make educated recommendations for campaign direction.

Automation software is a game-changer for many other industries, as well, particularly manufacturing.

With the threat of offshore manufacturing companies looming, US manufacturers of all sizes can implement automation across virtually every component of their business to compete. Here are our top three ways automation is improving efficiencies and overall benefiting manufacturing companies.

1. Increased production speeds.

It’s no surprise that automation increases product output. Automation can be as simple as a system for feeding materials to machines or as complicated as manufacturing a massively complex product from start to finish without the need for human interaction.

We can’t stress it enough- in today’s world, workflow is everything. With automation, workflows can be totally streamlined and optimized, even with just minor adjustments.

2. Better reporting and management of materials.

With an automated process, one of the most significant benefits is the improved reporting on output, material quality, inventory, and so much more. For example, with a software in place to automate inventory levels, an order for a depleted material can be automatically queued up and sent to the distributor. This eliminates any lag in production time due to an employee oversight in ordering.

Automation also provides improved analytics which can be used for more accurate forecasts in revenue generation. Today’s automation tools can even interpret trends in the marketplace to provide incredibly accurate predictions. For manufacturing companies who sell direct to end-users, this is especially vital as more accurate forecasting can vastly improve a company’s ability to meet consumer demands.

3. Decreased overall production cost.

Think about it; with automation, the job of 10 individuals can be completed by maybe five individuals or less. But eliminating jobs isn’t the only way automation decreases production costs.

• Equipment can be consolidated with automation software. Consolidating equipment means a lower cost for maintenance.
• Quality of the product increases, which in turn leads to more products being sold.
• There is less margin for error, which means materials used for the products are less likely to be wasted on faulty outputs.
• Safety on the manufacturing floor is greatly improved, so no need for constant employee supervision, workers’ comp, etc.
• The company can become overall more flexible in other areas, like finding new ways to meet consumer needs and market trends.

With all these factors in play, companies can improve their overall output and spend less of their human capital on the manufacturing floor, shipping department, inventory, and so on, and reallocate those resources into their research and development, marketing, and more.