The industrial landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. For the past three decades, industrial automation has been steadily reshaping factories, warehouses, and agriculture. However, its adoption has often been limited by high costs, financing concerns, and a lack of versatility.
Fortunately, the recent rapid advancement of automation technology, AI, and machine learning has made huge strides in making automation technology more accessible than ever before, especially as we enter into the age many are calling Industry 4.0.
In this article, we’ll explore five key industrial automation future trends.
1. Industrial Automation Will Become a Necessity to Stay Competitive
In the early days of industrial automation, it was designed and priced for high-throughput manufacturing. The industries automation catered to were more niche, and high costs and low versatility made automation easy to ignore for many businesses.
Why Automation Is Important
Today, automation has become more versatile and accessible than ever, and those who don’t adapt find themselves falling behind. With today’s competitive global marketplace, manufacturers and industrial facilities need to operate at peak efficiency to remain profitable.
Automation offers numerous benefits, including:
- Increased productivity
- Reduced waste
- Improved quality control
- Enhanced employee safety
These advantages allow automated companies to outpace competitors.
Reshoring & Manufacturing Automation Efforts
Due to recent supply chain issues caused by overseas production and shipping problems, the Federal government and many local governments are establishing reshoring projects to bring manufacturing back to the United States.
Companies need automated equipment systems to stay competitive with the global markets.
Shifting Perceptions of Automation
While automation was once feared for displacing jobs, the reality is more nuanced. Studies show that automation creates new jobs while improving existing ones. Human workers increasingly collaborate with robots, focusing on higher-level tasks like design, troubleshooting, and supervision.
Future industrial automation trends indicate that automation will no longer be a “nice to have,” but rather a necessity to stay competitive.
2. The Race to Automation: Speed Is Key
In today’s fast-paced business environment, the ability to adopt automation quickly is critical. Companies that can swiftly implement automation solutions are better equipped to handle:
- Changing market demands
- Shorter product lifecycles
- Sudden disruptions
For example, a company that can quickly automate its packaging line in response to a surge in online orders can better meet customer demand and maintain a competitive edge.
Similarly, an agricultural processing plant that can rapidly automate tasks like sorting and grading crops will be able to adapt to fluctuating demand while maximizing efficiency.
Companies that quickly embrace automation and can pivot their operations to new market demands will outperform and outlast other businesses.
3. Advanced Robotics & Automation
Industrial automation is rapidly evolving, and at the forefront of this movement are advanced robots and collaborative robots (cobots). These sophisticated machines offer a wide range of capabilities to enhance productivity and streamline operations.
Pick & Place Robots
Pick-and-place robots excel at high-speed, repetitive tasks like product assembly, sorting, and packaging. They are ideal for applications requiring precision and consistency, and can significantly improve production throughput.
Cobots: A Game Changer for Small and Medium Businesses
Did you know that 93.4 percent of manufacturing firms in the United States have fewer than 100 employees? 75 percent have less than 20 employees. But just because a company is smaller does not mean that automation won’t be useful.
While traditional industrial robots may seem like a solution only for large companies with vast resources, cobots are changing the game for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Unlike their industrial counterparts, cobots are designed to work safely alongside human workers. This eliminates the need for complex safety cages and allows for a more collaborative working environment.
Here’s what makes cobots so beneficial for SMEs:
- Scalability: Cobots can be easily deployed to automate specific tasks, even in confined spaces. This allows companies to automate a single process or a few tasks at a time without the need for a complete overhaul of their production line.
- Flexibility: Many cobots are designed to be user-friendly and easy to program, often without requiring extensive robotics expertise. This allows companies to adapt their automation solutions as their needs evolve.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional industrial robots, cobots are generally more affordable to purchase, install, and maintain. This makes automation a more accessible option for smaller companies.
SMEs are finding that they don’t need to fully automate their entire production process but can leverage cobots for a gradual automation process, starting with one task at a time.
4. Edge & Cloud Computing
Traditionally, industrial systems operated in isolation, with each machine or division using its own software and communication protocols. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a future industrial automation trend that is changing this by enabling seamless data exchange and integration across your entire operation.
With the advent of platforms and standards like OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) and Margo, devices and software can now communicate in a common language, enabling seamless data exchange and integration across your entire operation.
Greater connectivity through IIoT unlocks the potential for:
Advanced Analytics & Big Data Applications
An industrial automation trend quickly gaining momentum is the extensive array of information sensors whose data can be used to:
- Track machinery conditions, productivity, and inventory levels.
- Identify inefficiencies and slowdowns.
- Implement preventative maintenance strategies.
- Improve quality control measures.
The information gained from these sensors helps management make informed, data-driven decisions.
Crucial parameters such as temperature, vibration, and lubrication conditions are tracked to give an early warning system when machinery needs maintenance. This automation helps protect your bearings and other equipment from early breakdowns and avoids downtime.
Edge Computing
Managing the vast amounts of real-time data can be a challenge. Hundreds of sensors sending information can be a lot to process. This is where edge computing comes in.
Edge computing allows for real-time data processing at the source, such as directly on a machine or robot. This frees up valuable bandwidth for cloud computing.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing offers vast storage capabilities and allows for remote access to data from anywhere. It can also communicate information between different machines. By processing critical data in real-time with edge computing and then pushing the results to the cloud, latency is reduced, and decisions can be made swiftly.
5. Industrial AI & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the future of industrial automation. AI algorithms can analyze vast data sets to forecast potential issues before they escalate into costly downtime.
Here are some examples:
- Manufacturing: AI can monitor vibration levels and machinery temperatures to predict equipment failures in a manufacturing setting.
- Agriculture: AI-powered sensors can analyze soil moisture, nutrients, minerals, and other conditions to identify potential problems and optimize crop yields.
Machine learning allows AI systems to continuously learn and improve their predictive capabilities over time. This allows for proactive maintenance and a more sustainable approach to industrial operations.
The Future of Industrial Automation Is Collaborative
As industrial automation continues to evolve, collaboration between humans and robots will become increasingly important.
An example of this is the “Industrial Co-Pilot” AI that Siemens and Microsoft are working on using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This industrial AI is expected to “‘further pave the way to enabling the industrial metaverse’ by simplifying ‘virtual collaboration among design engineers, frontline workers, and other teams across business functions.’”
The co-pilot will help generate, optimize, and debug complex automation code, help with engineering designs, and even allow maintenance technicians to use natural language to get assistance with detailed repair instructions.
Ready to Embrace the Future of Industrial Automation?
IBT Industrial Solutions is your partner in process optimization, automation design, and implementation. We can help you navigate the exciting world of Industry 4.0 and IIoT.
Whether you want to start small and automate one piece at a time or jump feet first into a full automation integration, our Automation Systems Division will make the transition smooth and productive.
Contact us to learn more about industrial automation implementation and how to stay on top of future trends.