“The factory of the future will have only two employees,” said Warren G. Bennis, “a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.”
We haven’t reached that point.
Machines are, however, becoming more fully automated and more able to take on complex tasks requiring multiple units to communicate and work together. Human beings are less often needed to do work with their hands in manufacturing, and more often can focus on more challenging and rewarding work.
At the same time, automated machinery is becoming safer and moving toward the ability to collaborate with humans. Skilled machine operators and robots can do more together than either could do apart.
So there will probably be more than one person working in the factory of the future.
But there will certainly be more automation. Automation in manufacturing allows for multiple benefits:
- greater precision
- greater speed
- consistent products
- fewer errors
- less waste
- greater safety for humans
- lower prices
As for the dog, it’s hard to say. While we wait to find out, be sure to call upon us for support for your Rexroth electric drive and servo technology.