Many enterprises and industries employ industrial automation to develop more efficient processes, but many think this technology is not for them. Do you know the applications of industrial automation and how they can benefit your specific business?
Industrial automation technology helps enterprises improve safety, save time, increase quality, reduce monitoring, and lower expenses. These advantages lead to increased production, efficiency, and profitability for businesses.
Making sure your product will be delivered
If you sell consumer goods, your clients may have a faithful relationship with your brand. But what happens when they arrive at the store and your product is missing on the shelves? Will they try another brand?
According to Salesforce, 48% of consumer goods executives said they would invest in AI and automation in customer interactions over the next two years.
There is a reason for this, one of the applications of industrial automation is to guarantee supply and demand. We call this reliability.
Your automated systems will generate the information you require to avert significant disruptions in production while also automating manufacturing according to supply and demand. So, you can make sure your order will always be ready to hit the shelves at the right time of the month.
Manufacture seasonal goods
You won’t find consumers looking for Easter eggs in mid-July or Candy Canes in April. But if you are a candy factory, you need to have production scheduled all year round.
In any industry, warehouses are frequently faced with a rise in the number of stock due to limited-edition holiday products and increased inventory due to increased demand.
However, the same machine you use to manufacture something in the first semester can be adapted to create something in the second semester.
Another thing that can be addressed with industrial automation is the labour shortage during the holidays. Instead of hiring many temporary workers creating a whole new set of issues in locating staff, you can adjust your equipment.
Follow a complex recipe
Maybe your business relies on a classic recipe that your grandmother taught you, but when it is time to expand, how will you guarantee everyone will be able to taste the same thing?
Many people think that industrial automation equals giant robotic arms, but there is a lot of programming and flexibility. And one thing they do very well is following recipes.
This is not only useful for food and beverage but also for pet foods and even plastics.
With automation, you can select the number of ingredients, temperature control, the velocity of mixing, viscosity, consistency and even decide to add steps for human employees to do their jobs.
Have a sterile and sustainable environment
Pharmaceutical manufacturing settings are becoming increasingly complicated. Human contact with manufacturing is increasingly crucial in today’s highly complicated pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
Reducing the danger of contamination as feasible in aseptic medication manufacturing is an ongoing engineering issue.
Another one of the applications of industrial automation is environment and climate control because human operators are the most common source of contamination in a cleanroom. A growing consensus is that automated systems that do not require human involvement are the best option. But automation can also help by controlling factors, such as temperature and pressure, so even if humans still need to work on a product, we can reduce the chance of contamination.
Do things faster
It’s critical to understand what can be automated before deciding where automation would be most beneficial in your company.
It will come down to how much it will cost to automate the process, how much time and money it will save, and whether it will boost your company’s overall productivity and efficiency.
When you apply this to your factory floor, you may save time, resources, and money by allowing employees more time to do their duties rather than line supervisors having to search for data all day.