Over the past two decades, automation in manufacturing has been transforming factory floors, the nature of manufacturing employment, and the economics of many manufacturing sectors. Today, we are on the cusp of a new automation era. The rapid advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are enabling machines to match or outperform humans in a range of work activities, including ones requiring cognitive capabilities.
Industry executives—those whose companies have already embraced automation, those who are just getting started, and those who have not yet begun fully reckoning with the implications of this new automation age—need to consider the following three fundamental perspectives: what automation is making possible with current technology and is likely to make possible as the technology continues to evolve; what factors besides technical feasibility to consider when making decisions about automation; and how to begin thinking about where—and how much—to automate in order to best capture value from automation over the long term.
How manufacturing work and manufacturing work forces can change?
To understand the scope of possible automation in the manufacturing sector as a whole, a study of manufacturing work has been conducted in 46 countries in both the developed and developing countries, almost covering about the 80 percent of the entire global workforce. It shows that as of 2015, 478 billion of the 749 billion working hours (64 percent) spent on manufacturing-related activities globally can be automatized with current available technology. Even though manufacturing is one of the most highly automated industries globally, there is still significant automation potential within the four walls of manufacturing sites, as well as in related functional areas such as supply chain and procurement.
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