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Strategic plant automation requires thorough planning and development for companies who are in the stages of ramping up production or in the stage of opening a new plant wherein full automation is desired from the outset.

Why automate?

There are many grounds for companies to automate. For one, automation improves efficiency and accuracy of production. It reduces the costs of labor and increases manpower output where it is most needed, in specialized fields instead of in monotonous tasks best left to machines. Automation also allows faster production. Where a man or worker can process only 100 products, a machine can process thousands in batches.

The costs of plant automation

The biggest obstacle to automation is the prohibitive costs required to install the machinery and systems needed to run an automation process. Most businessmen or executives who decide to have their factory plants automated calculate the return on their investment using a simple formula. They divide their profits by the capital invested in the automation installation. For example, if automation costs 10 million, then the company's profits need to be in excess of 10 million to garner a return on the investment. But this isn't calculated in the first year of installation, but rather amortized year by year on a prorated basis. So if a company plans on recouping investment on a five-year timetable, then the 10 million in excess of profits needs to be reached before the 5th year is up. Profits and not gross income is calculated because net profit reflect the true return rather than the gross which does not reflect expenses and taxes that will be deducted before true earnings can begin.

Beyond automation and efficiency

Beyond increasing efficiency and enabling performance of tasks in dangerous environments and/or conditions, plant automation provides a clear pathway for the eventual replacement of all undesirable tasks in a plant environment. The best outcome of automation is the predictability of turn-around time and safety for personnel.

By having tasks automated, production time can be calculated exactly. Managers and plant supervisors know exactly how many products will be produced and how long it will take to produce them. This can be helpful in developing business strategies and in managing supply and inventory chains.

Machinery and Software

In plant automation, both machinery and software are important components of the automation process. Machinery acts as the mover while the software acts as the manager. Modern robotics has enabled more complex tasks to be automated.

The future of automation

In the future, it is predicted that full automation (without the need for constant human intervention) will not only be possible, but that it will actually be the standard. As artificial intelligence is developed, humans will be less and less needed in overseeing the operations of automated plants and factories.

This will pave the way for humans to be more productive with their lives, concerning themselves with innovation and development rather than with production and repair. The original intent of automation has always been freeing humans from manual tasks deemed too dreary, repetitive, non-intellectual and unsafe.