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I am fascinated by how to achieve optimal synergy between automation and a company’s organization. How do you ensure that the interests of all involved stakeholders and teams are aligned? How can engineering and operations achieve fruitful collaboration? And how do you make sure that a new automated system truly works for the people who ultimately have to use it? In this blog, I delve deeper into these questions based on my consultancy experience.
More and more companies in the process industry are choosing to automate and robotize (parts of) their processes. Precise process control, increased efficiency, and a shortage of operational workers in the labor market are just some of the many possible reasons for this. Moreover, the rapid rise of AI and the ability of automated systems to provide essential data offer new opportunities. Think of process optimization, reducing waste and downtime, and making accurate predictions.
Because the stakes are so high, extremely careful preparation of all the decisions to be made beforehand and the final implementation of new automation is essential. And this is certainly not just the domain of purchasers, IT specialists, engineers, and their system and software suppliers. The people who will actually be working with the new system on the shop floor also have questions, needs, and interests. The same applies to other departments, including Safety & Quality, Maintenance, and Logistics. It’s crucial to quickly identify where interests may clash, what potential bottlenecks and risks may arise, and to proactively involve everyone at an early stage. Good conversations and the sharing of interests can bring teams and individuals closer together. What does each party need? Do we understand one another? And how can we build bridges between us? This creates trust, engagement, clarity, and broad belief in the success of the entire automation project. On that basis, you can define your goals and requirements, communicate them to suppliers, and make the best system choice for your organization. The commitment created in this way also serves as a solid foundation for starting the implementation.
Automation also largely means shifting from manual labor to working with a system. A system that is always available and unaffected by everyday human factors but that still requires collaboration with people. People who provide the necessary flexibility by, for example, straightening a crooked crate on the line. And who, with a keen eye, notice deviations and retain final control. New technology must therefore be carefully integrated into the overall organization. This requires a new structure, adjusted processes, new tasks and responsibilities, and new forms of management. The people who will be working with the new system on a daily basis will also need different competencies. A solid training and education plan is therefore essential to enable them to perform their (new) meaningful tasks effectively. After all, the ultimate success will be determined by the new, optimal collaboration between humans and technology.
Jan-Pieter Kuipers
Principal Consultant, ARV Group
P.S. My role as a consultant at ARV Group is to bridge the gap between the system world and operation. By creating structure, facilitating dialogue, and fostering ownership. I'm of course curious about your experiences with process automation in the manufacturing industry. Would you like to share them? Or do you have questions about it? Feel free to let me know!