Robotics are changing manufacturing–primarily because robots are now smarter than ever. Robots are now routinely equipped with smart sensing technology, they boast impressive dexterity, they can utilize memory, and they can even be trained to perform new tasks or to adapt to changes in procedures. Robots are also gaining the ability to work quicker and more efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, however, robots are becoming far more affordable. Because of this convergence of changes, the profile of the typical robotics-utilizing manufacturer has also changed. Once used primarily by large companies to perform repetitive tasks, robots are increasingly being used by small businesses to perform more specialized tasks. Here are a few in-depth highlights of how robotics are changing the manufacturing industry for small businesses.
Robots are nearly ubiquitous. The brute population of robots along has skyrocketed: the number of annual orders for robots has increased nearly 200% over the past decade.
Robots are taking on new jobs (in new industries.) Robots now perform more specialized work—enabling them to break into new industries. Though automobile manufacturing once encompassed nearly half of all manufacturing robot orders alone, it now represents a mere 17%, having been replaced by industries such as food production and services, consumer goods, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical production.
Robots Spark Economic Evolution—Not Economic Destruction. Until recently, the narrative surrounding robots and manufacturing has been very negative: robots, along with outsourcing, have been blamed for the decline in US manufacturing that occurred steadily between the 1970s and the early 2000s. Nowadays, however, that reality has changed—the US manufacturing industry is growing once again, and technology and innovation are the leading factors in that growth. Companies that invest in smart technology—be it robotics, manufacturing management software, or the newest invention of the future—stand posed for ongoing success.
The Challenges Posed by Integrating Robotics (And how to overcome them.)
Robotics offer a wide range of benefits for small businesses to take advantage of—and in today’s competitive market, they are becoming a near necessity. That being said, many small businesses hesitate to invest in robotics because they fear that integrating non-human elements into an already complex manufacturing process could lead to confusion and expensive mistakes. This is yet another problem that manufacturing management software can solve. Features such as scheduling and tracking, shop floor control software, and direct order processing can help keep production running smoothly. To learn more about manufacturing management software, visit SMe Software online today.
