Manufacturers continue to move away from physical labor and more towards advanced, connected machines that gather data about every aspect of the manufacturing process, from beginning to end. The overall concept is called smart manufacturing. Innovative firms that embrace smart manufacturing stand to disrupt the entire industry, but they must first prepare the workforce.
New Skills
As companies shift away from human-based labor towards using machines, firms must hire people who know how to work with mechanical apparatus that run assembly lines. Smart manufacturing companies need highly skilled technicians and engineers who can design, run, program and fix the machines that keep the operation running smoothly. Obtaining these advanced skills requires education beyond high school. Firms must work with grade schools, high schools and colleges to create degrees and programs that teach future workers.
Manufacturers can point educators to software, hardware and resources needed by the workforce of the future. Educators at all levels can then create curricula geared towards training new workers. Making an entirely new educational backbone requires the investment and effort of stakeholders across the entire spectrum of smart manufacturing, from CEOs down to individual teachers. The idea is to lower the skills gap that may produce a looming labor shortage in manufacturing.
New Collaborations
CEOs, human resources workers, floor managers and teams must all collaborate to turn smart manufacturing into a reality. In the planning stages, leaders must show workers how better machines benefit them. Workers become empowered to make real-time decisions that improve production. Likewise, improved production increases the quality of the end product while delivering better results more efficiently. It all adds up to more profits, more orders and more workers. Once employees realize the value added by advanced machinery, they have a vested interest in making this paradigm a reality.
Collaborations go beyond those found on the factory floor. Manufacturers must find like-minded suppliers, logistics firms and partners that also plan to use smart manufacturing or advanced robotics technology. Firms must actively seek out partners that help bring about this revolution. When everyone uses better technology, the investment pays off in the long run with reduced costs, less downtime and fewer disruptions.
New Machines
The so-called Industrial Internet of Things leads the way with this type of manufacturing. Connected sensors, machines and devices create data along every step of the manufacturing process. Computer programs then analyze the information, and humans make decisions based on the information they see. Data, combined with advanced robotics and machinery, allows companies to make real-time decisions that produce better production techniques. For employees at all levels to learn, integrate and understand the Internet of Things, they must know what data is important, how machines gather massive amounts of information and which analytics programs they need to digest the data.
The smart manufacturing revolution might not happen right away. However, companies should integrate this way of doing business into their normal process as soon as possible before the manufacturing skills gap worsens.
Photo courtesy of Krista at Flickr.com
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!