The Pros & Cons of Robotics

With a lot of emphasis on Make in India, manufacturing industry has been in a constant mode of change and updation. Latest technology updates are also changing the way the industries are working every day.

These technologies have given us the blessing of automation! High performing robots are likely to replace human beings. They not only work faster, error-free and more efficient but will have the ability to communicate with other machines giving out signals/commands through IoT.
This can allow the machines to perform as per the commands without human interference. Since its innovation, automation has widely spread out in the industries in every sector. With so many qualities, it would be unbalanced if it didn’t come with any flaws. There are also some cons of this technology and which the scales shall move will depend on how we can evaluate these.

Manufacturing Process
Image Source: oemupdate.com

The Good:

 Consistency:

The best things you could describe about robots and computers are that they perform exactly the way it is programmed to. You could also instruct a human to do so, but there are chances that the output may not be the exact same as desired and especially when the job gets monotonous. Once the robots are programmed, they perform precisely and their work is much more predictable and quality variation can be avoided.

 1. Save Money:
That’s the main aim! Reduce costs and increase productivity. Robots can work 24x7 for you compared to a human. The cost of automation can be expensive at the start, but it’s an investment for the long run. You also wouldn’t require paying for its health insurances!

 2. Speed:
As said above, machines will work 24x7 without asking for a rest. The speed at which a machine works reduces the production cycle of a product produced. This speed and consistency enable a unit to perform at maximum productivity.

 3. Safety:
The risk of injuries and wounds to a worker while in production can be avoided. The safety of these machines has become much advanced and it can even prevent other workers from getting wounded. Machines also prove beneficial in the tasks which a human can’t do! Eg. Handling of molten metal, lifting of heavy weights etc.

 4.  Round the clock production:
Unlike humans, the machines don’t tire. So as long as the power is supplied nothing can stop the manufacturing process. With automation, the raw material into finished product is achieved without the presence of human. In fact, it can also be used to store and retrieve the inventory and all you need is the main system to pull out the details of the product and its location.

The Bad:

1. Initial cost of installation:
Having said that it will work 24x7 once installed, it is very expensive for installation. Being costly is at its place, but the software and training of personnel required to handle these machines can be an added cost as well.

2. Working of machines:
Making these machines work requires a great amount of programming and for that a skilled programmer is required. There isn’t a scarcity of these programmers, but the numbers are not huge either. Over that, the costs of these programmers are high which makes the working on these machines more expensive.

3.  Maintenance:
Once installed and programmed, it wouldn’t only take electricity to work on. Take whatsoever machine, from your toaster to your car, it’ll require proper maintenance! Same applies to these machines. There is a need for a properly trained hardware and software maintenance team, which nurtures them from time to time. It happens many times that the machines are installed and aren’t taken care which sometimes causes assembly line failure or reduce productivity and efficiency.

The not so ugly:

1.      Reduction in jobs:
This can be said as the most adverse effect of automation. Since industrial revolution, industries were becoming a job haven. It would employ workforce's of thousands and thousands. Automation flipped this scenario and many started to lose out their jobs to these robots. Even today, there are many areas where people are losing out on jobs because these robots are replacing them.

SolutionBuggy is an exclusive and dedicated platform for the Manufacturing Sector in India. It has been a pioneer in connecting Lean management consultants to the manufacturing sector. It connects SMEs and Large Scaled Industries with Industrial Consultants/ Experts and Industrial Product Suppliers over the internet for collaboration and success, where industries can share their issues/ problems and post requirements; consultants/ experts can showcase their capabilities and offer services and solutions and suppliers can list their products to match the industry requirements.







Previous
Next Post »