洞察力的出版物 |自动化辅助

 

每年, Masters Gallery Foods supplies an estimated 250 million pounds of cheese to grocery stores, 食肆及批发商. 为了跟上需求, 自动化 is necessary as the Plymouth company’s 53 robots place products on packaging film, 将它们包装成箱子，并将箱子放在托盘上，然后移动到冷藏库.

“为了安全, the robots take away the human ergonomic issues of lifting, 弯曲和重复动作,蒂姆·伦茨说, Masters Gallery’s director of technical services. “质量, the product that is being handled is never touched by a human hand, 哪种方法可以降低细菌感染的风险. Production times also improve due to the speed at which robots can move, 比它们的人类同伴快得多.”

Masters Gallery是该地区众多使用机器人和自动化来满足消费者需求的制造商之一, especially as many companies struggle to find enough workers. 制造业, 总的来说, continues to do well despite the pandemic and resulting recession.

“自动化是一种非凡的工具,科林·威尔逊说。, senior consultant-自动化 with WMEP Manufacturing Solutions. “It can help lower costs and get more products out the door. Automation will help Wisconsin manufacturers stay cost competitive.”

Manufacturers embrace 自动化 for several reasons, including improved safety and increased productivity. 在威尼斯注册送38元, 首席执行官迈克尔·尼古拉(Michael Nikolai)表示，使用机器人可以提高铸件的质量和一致性.

他说:“机器人提供精确、可重复的结果，有助于招聘和培训新工人。. “我们已经看到机器人应用将不受欢迎的任务变成了有趣和有吸引力的工作, 从而提高员工的敬业度.”

制造商知道自动化工作. 普华永道2018年的一份报告发现，近60%的制造商已经使用了某种形式的自动化. 90%的现代机器人设备都在工厂里，用于提高生产效率, 研究发现.

另一个好处是，自动化可以跟踪产品从原材料到最终包装产品的全过程，尤其是在产品安全至关重要的食品和饮料制造业. 这种方式, products with a defect can be tracked back through the system to see where the error occurred, 威尔逊说.

人才难觅

While some analysts say 自动化 decreases the overall number of manufacturing jobs, 统计数据显示，事实并非如此. 制造商仍在努力寻找足够的员工来填补空缺职位，而员工的退休速度也快于替代速度, 这个问题不会很快消失, according to a 2019 analysis from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

工人短缺并不是威斯康星州独有的问题. Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute estimate that 4.6 million manufacturing jobs will become available through 2028. 在这4人中.600万个工作岗位.4 million will go unfilled due to a shortage of skilled workers.

威尔逊说，机器人不会抢走人类的工作，而是帮助维持生产力，创造更安全的工作条件. “Qualified employees are still needed to maintain and operate machines. 机器人不一定是工作的接受者，而是为了保护员工免受可能对他们造成伤害的任务,他说.

自动化通常会影响制造业的工作，人们可能会觉得无聊或过度重复，或存在安全风险，并造成人体工程学伤害, 杰罗德·奥斯本说, vice president of manufacturing and engineering for Waupaca铸造, which utilizes 自动化 at all of its locations. 机器人, 例如, 打开托盘, pick up raw castings and take them to CNC machines and then over to packaging.

“机器人将操作员从不符合人体工程学且可能造成伤害的位置上移开,奥斯本说. “Humans then provide jobs with a higher skill set. 机器人 are changing the jobs available and the ones we are recruiting for. The higher-skilled jobs are attractive to job seekers. They also see the 自动化 and are attracted to it.”

因为机器人代替了一些工作, 威尔逊说 that allows manufacturing employees to take on higher-skilled work, with more computer programmers and engineers being hired.

这就是萨金托食品公司的情况, Bruce Wisnefske说, Sargento导演, 先进制造业务. 他表示，自动化的好处使萨金托“可以将自动化作为我们劳动力的补充, 而不是作为替代品.”

自动化还允许制造商增加机器运行的小时数. 使用自动化, 制造商可以实行两班倒, with the second shift running in a “lights out” mode, which means workers check on the machinery on a daily basis, 但这些机器随后会彻夜运转, 威尔逊说.

一起工作

Sargento began using robotic systems more than 25 years ago, 在装箱系统的初步应用，以提高公司员工的人体工程学, Wisnefske说. 多年来, the Plymouth-based manufacturer expanded robotics to include product pick and place, 包装对齐和拣选系统, 托盘包装, automated storage and retrieval systems and order picking/staging systems.

“There are many benefits that we realize using 自动化,” Wisnefske说. “我们使用机器人的大多数应用都是在操作速度比人工系统更高效的领域. 除了, 使用自动化为员工提供了机会，让他们从重复性的工作转向为我们的运营增加更多价值的岗位.”

在马斯特斯画廊, 哪家公司从2011年开始使用机器人, robots work autonomously in an enclosed cell and provide improved safety, 质量和生产时间, 楞兹说. Employees start and stop the machines and change the recipes as needed.

这是制造工厂的常见设置，机器人在人类的指导下自行工作. 在某些情况下, 人们与协作机器人一起工作, 协作机器人旨在在共享空间内实现工人和机器人之间的直接交互.

当投资自动化时, 威尔逊说，它不需要是一个完整的系统安装，甚至不需要一个固定的基础设备. 有很多低成本的选择, 例如机器视觉系统或零件送料机, that can introduce 自动化 into a single production cell. Those small steps can provide manufacturers a chance to see how robotics will work for them.

机器人 and associated 自动化 are a key capital investment strategy for Waupaca铸造, 尼古拉说. 该公司的2021年中期管理计划包括主要用于加工和清洁铸铁件的铸造车间的关键自动化项目.

“从2019财年到2021财年, $53 million has and will be invested in robotics and 自动化,他说, 威尼斯注册送38元与福克斯谷技术学院合作，培训员工与机器人一起工作，并有自己的培训计划.

新增的机器人是Foundry 4的一部分.奥斯本说，他在威尼斯注册送38元工作. 机器人在相互连接的单元中工作，最终将开始相互通信，并与工厂的其他流程通信. 使用人工智能, 运行机器人的计算机收集和处理数据以做出决策并与其他机器通信.

“They can send text messages to an employee if something is off,奥斯本说. “我们希望在未来几年看到它们在相互沟通方面取得更多进步.”

威尔逊说 manufacturers often start with a few robots and add on as they see the benefit. That’s the case at Waupaca铸造, which had 125 robots a year ago and today has 135.

“We’re seeing a progressive increase in the number of robots we have,奥斯本说. “除了安全和人体工程学, we’ve also found robots can help with social distancing, 哪些是应对COVID至关重要的.”

Masters Gallery produces hundreds of varieties of cheese products for its customers, whether it’s a grocery store looking for cheese in slices, 酒吧, 碎片和棍子, 为食品服务运营商提供5磅和10磅的奶酪包装，或为工业客户提供奶酪块(有些重达640磅).

能够轻松适应变化的机器人对于管理产品的数量和多样性至关重要. 楞兹说 the company also will likely add more robots due to the unemployment levels. “Workers are hard to find and this kind of technology helps to offset that,他说.

威尔逊说 as more manufacturers struggle to find the right talent, 对自动化的需求只会增加. “如果自动化被用于一项工作, 也许更多的人能够做到, 向更多的人开放这项工作,他说.

COVID-19 also has spurred increased interest in robotics, which can provide additional security for manufacturers. 机器人可以帮助在工厂车间保持社交距离，并在员工生病或被隔离时保持稳定的生产力, 威尔逊说.

开始

The decision to add 自动化 to a manufacturing facility isn’t one that’s made overnight. 要确定哪种类型的机器人对公司有利，需要时间和研究.

Wilson works with a variety of small- to mid-size manufacturers, 从那些刚刚开始使用机器人的人到那些已经知道自己想要什么的人. “Businesses all have different experiences, and I work with them where they’re at,他说.

当开始, 制造商需要一个可靠的商业案例来使用自动化，大多数制造商可以从低风险的项目开始.

“如果你有一个解决现有问题的方案——也许是一份没人想做的工作——你就能得到员工的支持,威尔逊说.

For manufacturers interested in starting out with 自动化, WMEP提供了几种服务来提供帮助, 包括对整个设施进行评估.

“我们在这方面是独一无二的，”威尔逊说. “We put together a priority chart looking for a quick-ROI, low-risk problem to start with. 我们会讨论他们可能想要从事的其他项目，并将它们放在一起，以便他们遵循.”

威尔逊说 information about 自动化 is in high demand right now.

“A lot of manufacturers are looking at 自动化. Finding and keeping workers remain a challenge,他说. “Adding 自动化 is a good opportunity for current employees to learn new skills, 哪些是公司可以讨论的.”

自动化并非没有挑战，包括保持机器运行，威尔逊说. “重要的是，员工中要有经过培训的人来维护机器和解决小问题，或者聘请能做这些事情的人,他说.

但是纵观全局, 尼古拉说 自动化 makes the work experience better for employees. 他表示:“这有助于提高招聘、留任和安全方面的底线。.