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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry, but what does this mean for employees and businesses? Over the years, automation is emerging, but RPA is particularly effective.

Although it is beneficial for every participant, it may have some negative impacts. Only time can accurately explain how the manufacturing industry integrates RPA in the long term, but identifying market trends can help to see where the needs are in the market.

How is RPA used for manufacturing? Manufacturing professionals have discovered many uses of RPA in the industry. Robotics technology is most effective in automatically performing physically repetitive and time-consuming tasks. However, there are many aspects of the manufacturing process that can be easily automated. RPA has been used for intelligent inventory tracking, automatic accounting, and even customer service.

Despite its drawbacks, RPA does have some incredible advantages that can have a significant impact on the manufacturing process. From faster production to higher customer satisfaction, the advantages of RPA can compensate for its shortcomings.

According to the data of Grand View Research, the global robot process automation market will be worth US $1.57 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32.8% from 2021 to 2028.

Due to the work from home situation caused by the pandemic, the transformation of the company’s business operations is expected to be beneficial for RPA market growth during the forecast period.

Raise Productivity
One of the most common reasons why manufacturers implement RPA is to increase productivity. An estimated 20% of human work time is spent on repetitive tasks, which can be easily executed by the RPA system. RPA can complete these tasks faster and more consistently than employees. This allows employees to be transferred to more attractive and rewarding job positions.

In addition, RPA can be used to automate resource and power management, making it easier to achieve SEER energy rating goals and reduce waste generation.

RPA can improve productivity and quality control (customer satisfaction). Automated quality control can be achieved through various methods, such as using cameras and sensors to scan devices when they are offline. This efficient process can reduce waste and improve quality consistency.

Safety is the most important factor in manufacturing sites, and RPA can improve the safety of working conditions. Due to the repeated use of certain muscles, repetitive tasks are often more likely to cause harm, and employees are more likely to be less attentive to their work. Experts have found that using automation to improve security can also improve productivity and efficiency.

Robot process automation is very popular in the manufacturing industry, mainly because it has a positive impact on efficiency and productivity. But what negative effects does it have?

Reduce physical labor positions
Some automation critics have expressed concerns that robots will “take over” human work. This concern is not unfounded. The general idea is that due to the faster speed of automated production than manual production, the owner of the manufacturing factory will not be willing to pay employees to complete the same work at a possibly slower speed.

Although tasks that rely on repetitive physical labor may indeed be replaced by automation, manufacturing employees can rest assured that many tasks are unlikely to be suitable for automation.

It should be noted that the increasing demand for RPA equipment will create new job opportunities, such as robot maintenance. The cost savings of RPA are highly attractive to many manufacturers. However, RPA may be challenging for companies with tight budgets as it requires initial investment in automation and robotics equipment themselves. Managers also need to spend time training employees on how to use new machines and maintain safety around them. For some companies, this initial cost factor may be a challenge.

Robotic process automation has many potential benefits, but manufacturers need to carefully weigh their drawbacks. When considering the drawbacks of RPA, it is important to remember that the drawbacks and advantages are potential, depending on how each manufacturer implements the technology.

RPA integration does not require employees to be fired. Employees can be promoted to new positions, and they may find it more valuable than repetitive work. It is even possible to manage cost difficulties by implementing RPA step by step or implementing new robots at once. Success requires a strategy with achievable goals, while also driving people to work safely and do their best.

Mingda has multiple automated production lines, automation and manual work together to ensure quality and quantity, meet customer needs, and provide better services to customers.