The use of automation in industry has been expanding for quite some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath could significantly speed up innovation and adoption. For the past several decades, manufacturing and engineering companies have been required to be agile and innovative, designing their systems and processes to be flexible and efficient to meet fast-changing market demands. More and more, companies are developing connected systems that collect and distribute data, helping internal and external customers monitor and optimize productivity and safety. Now that the world has been dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, the question is, "How can automation help us recover faster and keep our workers safer?"
Today, the IoT has made its way into industrial applications, using sensor, GPS, Bluetooth and wireless technology to monitor and predict maintenance issues, automate processes, track inventory and waste levels, and monitor human activity. Forward-thinking companies in the business of production, maintenance and transportation of physical goods will be looking to the industrial IoT to expand their capabilities, create efficiencies and cultivate game-changing business models.
By now, most of the industrialized world understands the future workforce is changing due to demographics, technological advancement and recent pandemic considerations. Smart technologies will open doors to new ideas and ways of working, enabling more efficient and sustainable manufacturing and safer delivery of products, maintenance and systems. Fear of future pandemics will bring supply chains closer to home, changing the focus from cheap labor to the development of technology.
In the oil and gas industry, maintenance is critical to keep organizations up and running. Many companies view maintenance activities as high-risk and low-value and are looking for ways to keep their assets running longer. Industrial automation and the development of the IIoT have opened doors for condition-based maintenance, in which the system enables real-time monitoring and assessment of the actual conditions of an asset. This "smart" system does several things, such as notifying production and maintenance personnel when maintenance needs to be performed. A condition-based maintenance strategy allows for a more proactive approach to maintenance activities, helping facilities optimize maintenance cycles and reduce asset failures. While this type of equipment is expensive to develop and install, in the long term it can reduce the cost of asset failures, improve asset reliability, and minimize unscheduled downtime and maintenance.
Using automation and technology has drastically improved worker safety. According to the Department of Labor, worker injury rates have been dropping for years. The advancement of the IIoT will continue to improve these statistics. The use of sensors and software to monitor potential failures can reduce catastrophic accidents. Using robots to perform work in unsafe environments can reduce or even eliminate exposure to high-risk activities. The safety benefits of industrial automation are plentiful.
The criticism that the acceleration of automation has resulted in job losses is not undeserved. We can't forget about the pain many people have felt, and will continue to feel, as the job market evolves. As the IIoT takes hold, new jobs will be created to analyze performance data and manage systems, and workers can be retrained and find upward mobility by moving from physical labor to software, data and systems management. Shifting the workforce away from hazardous and grueling operating conditions might also increase employee retention, enabling companies to better leverage their investment in employee development. This transition won't be easy, nor will it be well received by everyone, but this is what comes with a dynamic and evolving economy. The burdens and benefits of future ways of working must be distributed as thoughtfully and fairly as possible. Rather than denying the future of automation, we must prepare for this future, focusing our resources on retraining the workforce, enabling technology, and developing more sustainable products, processes, systems and shared prosperity.
For more information, contact Kerry Siggins at kerry.siggins@stoneagetools.com.