Empowering the workforce with an employee-centric approach to robotics and automation

Kate Rattigan explores how a people-first approach to robotics and automation can address workforce shortages and improve job satisfaction by automating repetitive tasks, freeing workers for more meaningful roles, and fostering skills needed for the future of manufacturing

In manufacturing, as in other industries, advances in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) have brought with them concerns over worker displacement, job loss, and even obsoletion. Yet, these concerns sit in direct contrast to significant and widely reported global worker shortages.

The reality is that these technologies present a straightforward solution that can ease the strain on a workforce largely bound by manual, repetitive, and unfulfilling tasks, creating new and appealing value-added roles, while empowering workers with essential skills for the future.

The answer lies in taking an empathetic, collaborative, and employee-centric approach to technology adoption.

The misconception around worker displacement

According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2020, the shift in labour between humans and machines could displace as many as 85 million jobs by 2025 while creating 97 million new ones.

This shift in labour represents an opportunity for businesses to reimagine tomorrow’s workforce. Rather than technology replacing humans, businesses should create a symbiotic environment where machines can automate dull, dangerous, unpleasant, and difficult-to-fill roles, while leaving fulfilling, value-added roles to human workers.

Indeed, many simple yet business-critical tasks bring very little job satisfaction, breeding worker fatigue, frustration, and risk of injury – plus proving difficult to fill – while accounting for hundreds of working hours each week. In manufacturing, this includes production reporting, manual data entry, extraction, transfer, packaging and palletising, and physical quality control processes. Such tasks can be easily automated using robotics and automated tools designed to replicate simple processes with great accuracy.

Examples of these types of automation might be product labelling and verification, including advanced coding automation software that negates the need for manual data entry, and machine vision systems that check the accuracy of product codes. These automated solutions offer vastly greater accuracy than manual processes reducing the strain on production workers and providing more time for value-added activities. 

A recent study from Stanford University also touts the benefits of AI in tasks such as image classification, which can be used in quality control with machine vision. However, it suggests that such tools lag behind humans with more complex tasks requiring common-sense reasoning and planning. The research found data to suggest that workers were more productive when using AI tools for repetitive tasks, while maximising human analytical skills.

In recent years, we have witnessed a rise in outcome-based, ‘equipment as a service’ propositions that promote strategic use of technology to help manufacturers achieve their goals. Such solutions support the shift from manual to machine-based labour, and in doing so, reduce the risk of errors and improve efficiency and safety, amongst other things.

The human in the loop

Allowing automation and robotics to take care of repetitive tasks will not only lessen the skills gap for manufacturers and help increase productivity but also provide space for human workers to focus on more varied, engaging work – which can help to increase worker satisfaction, in turn making workplaces more attractive to prospective workers.

Of course, not all technology is fully autonomous, and many new systems and solutions will require a degree of human collaboration. Outside of simple, repetitive tasks, collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ have a significant role to play.

For example, we are seeing a significant rise in the use of robotic technology within industrial welding processes, in which machines conduct the welding while traditionally trained human welders supervise the process. Other examples include robotic testing and measurement, where skilled human oversight may be best suited to analyse and interpret results. In both cases, robotic technology allows for precise and quick results, less waste, and greater worker safety. Meanwhile, the ‘human in the loop’ provides creativity, problem-solving, and training and development of new talent.

By reducing staff demands, a company can create a more appealing work environment with high-value roles – such as data integration, planning, and quality assurance – that are more likely to attract talent. In a recent study of Generation Z workers by Dell Technologies, 80% of respondents expressed a desire to work with cutting-edge technology, with 91% reporting that the type of technology used would be a factor in choosing an employer.  

New skills for the future of work

Robotics, automation, and AI should all be considered tools to support and attract workers rather than replacements for human skills and innovation. Businesses should ensure that existing workers are part of a collaborative discussion process for any new technological implementation and that roles that offer the most worker satisfaction are preserved.

As new value-added roles requiring robotics, automation, and AI emerge, reskilling and retraining will also be necessary. Businesses must foster a culture of learning surrounding the adoption of new technology, invest in internal resources for upskilling and retraining, and allow employees the time and space to encourage research, experimentation, and creative thinking.

Conclusion

By embracing these innovations in robotics, automation, and AI, manufacturers can refine the future of work, empowering employees to focus on more fulfilling, value-added tasks while enhancing productivity and safety in the workplace.

An employee-centric approach to technology integration will not only help address the current skills shortage but also pave the way for a more sustainable and efficient manufacturing industry where humans and machines work together for the greatest possible benefit.

Kate Rattigan is Senior Product Manager – Advanced Services, Domino Printing Sciences.