A vast majority of manufacturers agree that robotic automation is the best solution to reduce costs, increase productivity, address labor shortages, and aid in recruitment and retention. But a robotic system is a big investment in both capital and energy, and it deserves some special consideration and planning before pulling the trigger. Without proper planning, projects can be cut short, drag on too long, or never get off the ground. Here are five steps to ensure success when implementing a robotic system.
The foundation of most success stories in life or in business starts with understanding your why. Establish the business case for a robot to determine if the investment is worth it. Be specific and communicate your why to those involved in the decision. Are you trying to increase productivity, grow market share, address labor challenges, improve quality?
It’s important to have agreement on what criteria will make the project successful. The most important measurement is often the ROI. On average, companies consider 2 years to be an appropriate payback, but does that work for your organization? When calculating ROI, there are many factors to consider, here are a few:
A robot’s ability to work consistently all day every day allows it the potential to increase production on a line. If a company has been limited to what they can produce due to labor capacity or efficiency, then incorporating robotic automation to complete the mundane and repetitive tasks will undoubtably increase production and boost profit. What specific production increases are you targeting?
The speed and consistency of a robot moves parts through the process much faster over an entire shift, which reduces the cost to make each part. On average, materials account for 75 percent of a product’s cost, with labor being the other 25 percent. A robot can reduce costs by eliminating scrap and reducing rework. If you can pass that savings onto the customer, you’ll have an advantage in winning business against competitors and growing your business. What specific part cost reduction are you targeting?
Safety is a huge focus across many industries, especially in the manufacturing environment. Even a relatively minor injury can result in high compensation costs, insurance cost increases, and expenses for hiring and training a temporary replacement. When a robot handles the most dangerous tasks that involve heavy lifting, bending, and repetitive motion, there’s a lower risk of injury and related costs. What specific injury costs are you targeting to avoid?
Departments across your organization will be impacted when you deploy a robotic solution. Anyone impacted by the purchase, installation, operation and maintenance of the robotic system needs to be a part of the discussion from the very beginning. This is often an uncomfortable step for owners and business leaders and they want to avoid the vulnerability and potential pushback within their organization. Before purchasing a robot, educate and talk with senior management, plant managers, senior engineering, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, IT, safety managers, shop floor staff and HR. Communicate the investment and business case to everyone within the organization.
It’s absolutely critical that everyone on the shop floor understands the basic facts about robotic automation to quell any possible fears: that it can open new opportunities for the company, make many jobs easier, and does not replace shop workers. Robots can take over the repetitive and dangerous tasks, so employees can be allocated to more fulfilling roles, such as quality control and robot technicians and operators.
To determine the level of investment that is justified, you should perform an evaluation of the value a solution to your problem could present. Some of these considerations include:
There are many hidden costs to having human operators that are often higher than the wage itself. These costs include worker benefits such as insurance, paid vacation days, supervisory labor, facility costs, HR staff for hiring, worker training and risk insurance.
If a robot can increase production that is saleable right away, the new volume potential needs to be factored into the ROI and be considered in the budgeting process.
On the front end, a robot may require the purchase of some accessories and other related equipment or upstream process changes. Those are up-front capital investments that will be recovered many times over in the long-term.
Before calling a system integrator, have all the right information ready to make the process faster and easier. To set yourself and your integrator up for success, prepare some data: 3D part models; 2D part prints with tolerances, material specs and notes; work definition; machine and fixture descriptions, machine manuals, models and drawings; and pictures and videos that really tell the story. Additional non-technical information such as TAKT time, process cycle times, and annual volumes can be just as helpful.
Get comfortable with the idea of sharing detailed information about your timeline, budget, business drivers, approval process and other commercial details. This is a “you get what you give” situation; the more information shared about your why the better the outcome.
Once all five steps have bene completed, it’s time to bring in a robotic integrator. A good integrator will ask a lot of questions and dig deep into the process and understand your business before making any recommendations. Look for an experienced integrator that has seen a lot of automation applications; they will be the best at providing consultation with real-life success examples. Look for an integrator who is willing to discuss both the success stories and the cautionary tales and has a solid grasp at what kinds of projects they do well. Look for a company positioned to be there for the long-term.
Beyond the data you provide, the system integrator will do a thorough assessment by looking at the upstream and downstream tasks and identifying opportunities to consolidate multiple tasks under a single robotic solution.
To get started, look at a list of certified robot integrators that demonstrate excellence as determined by a third-party expert organization, A3 (formerly Robotics Industry Association): https://www.automate.org/a3-content/meet-the-a3-certified-robot-integrators
To streamline your manufacturing processes with automation solutions tailored to your needs, get in touch with Acieta today. Call 844-4-ACIETA or visit acieta.com to discover how robots can enhance your production efficiency.
Connect With Us
