Efficient Plant May 2022 - 10

feature | automation strategies
Robots are a key element in HMLV production systems
Autonomous intelligent systems
 Screw driving
 Injection molding
 Industrial assembly
 Gluing, dispensing, welding
Automated systems
 Packaging and
palletizing
 Pick and place
Flexible automated systems
 Quality inspection
 Lab analysis
 Machine tending
points in their implementation eff orts:
Have a clear strategy. Manufacturers need
to inventory current automation and robotic
capabilities. It's diffi cult to get up to speed and
have the team quickly become technology
experts. Align your top team around a clear
strategy and include all functional areas and
workgroups.
Measure ROI from your digital-transformation
plan, then implement an incentive
to capture benefi ts from fully automating
production fl oors. Use these savings to extend
the plant's digitalization.
Know your current technical level. Consider
building automation muscle by launching
a training program focused on deployable
technologies.
Close the technical gap in your leadership
team. Build a strong automation team that
includes engineering, IT, strategy, and functional
production experts who can be available
for existing and future implementations.
Find top opportunities. Manufacturers
need to develop a roadmap that identifi es
opportunities that can be enhanced by digital
10 | EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
transformation and inspire plant personnel.
Obtain plant buy-in. Manufacturers
should ask production personnel to submit
ideas for high-impact automation technology
and robotic-solution implementations.
Reward contributions and highlight how they
help the plant's digital transformation.
While these actions are straightforward,
they contain the ingredients for a successful
digital-transformation journey. However,
the real challenge can be carrying the concepts
to the factory fl oor. Tasks vary greatly
with HMLV work, creating productivity
challenges and overall equipment effi ciency.
Th erefore, it's important to have an experiential
learning approach to your automation
technology and robotic deployment for
your production fl oor.
As you deploy a digital-transformation
strategy, take care to weave in integrated
operations across production lines to
accelerate your automation technology and
robotics deployment. Your journey will be
fi lled with many diff erent tasks and equipment
to consider automating. However,
keep an open mind when choosing the correct
solutions to deploy across your plant.
Cater to fl exibility with automation and
manage production bottlenecks with automation
technology, robotics, and modern
conveyor systems. Challenge production
leaders to leverage advanced technology to
optimize HMLV environments.
Th e trends are encouraging for manufacturers
looking to deploy automation
quickly; the cost of entry is coming down,
and the learning curve on these systems is
decreasing. Th is all leads to more opportunities
for automation deployment. EP
Aurelio Banda is Motion Ai Senior Vice President
at Motion, Birmingham, AL (motion.
com) with 25 years of experience in automation
distribution and manufacturing. His
background includes the positions of President
and Chief Executive Offi cer of PHD
Inc., President and CEO-North America for
Beckhoff Automation, and the owner and
CEO of Controls Plus Inc., in Noblesville, IN.
Learn more at ai.motion.com.
MAY 2022
http://ai.motion.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
Efficient Plant May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant May 2022
