Podcast: Automation for all — How small and mid-size manufacturers can thrive by embracing new technologies

Aug. 20, 2024

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, learn the five key benefits of automating and how companies of all sizes can benefit from adopting automation.

Automation can be a touchy subject among small and mid-size companies that feel it isn’t designed for their operations. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Advances in automation have made it so that any company, of any size, can realize its benefits. Join Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest as she discusses five reasons that make it hard for small and mid-sized companies to turn away from automation.

Below is an excerpt from the podcast:

Number 1. Automation mitigates labor issues

We all know that there’s a labor shortage. Finding and paying qualified employees is challenging at best. For smaller jobs, this results in lead times expanding as they simply can’t keep up. Or, to do so, they need to find (and pay) people to work overtime. When you bring in automation, that issue diminishes, as specially trained and highly skilled workers can be deployed to other critical non-automation roles robots cannot handle. When companies do start to automate, they usually see increases in efficiency and process stability almost immediately. Lead times can easily go from six to two weeks, and workers are freed up to be more innovative and strategic in their operations. The result is more workflow, new growth opportunities, better utilization of capital assets, and happier customers.

Number 2. Automation works well in low-volume shops with smaller floor space

A common misconception about automation is that you must do high volume to justify its incorporation at any level. Many shop owners believe they must be producing in batches of 5,000 to 10,000 or more and have facilities of 100,000 square feet or more. This is just simply not the case. Today, automation technology is available and works well in job shop environments with batch sizes as small as 20 to 100, and shop floors of 20,000 square feet or less.

Number 3. The integration and changeover to automated solutions is easier and faster than expected

Many people associate automation with old-school robots, which could take weeks to implement or days to change over to a new job. Technology enhancements have significantly reduced this changeover to less than 15 minutes. With intuitive operator interfaces and easy up-front rollouts, automating is now easy on staff and process flow.

About the Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.