Process automation in engineering setups can be defined as the process of bringing IT-driven automation to engineering jobs ? whether in manufacturing, heavy equipment, aerospace, or other industrial units that rely largely on human labor.
Companies strive to bring together a broad range of operations ? costing, quality control, supply, administration, and management teams ? in an efficient manner. Process automation in engineering setups makes this possible for both SMBs and businesses, as well as provides a faster reaction to market demands. It’s no surprise that they’re keen to automate processes.
Let’s get into the specifics of these advantages, as well as industry perspectives on why using process automation in your engineering setup can benefit your company.
Engineering Automation Is Necessary
Every organization is impacted by technology, and engineering firms are quickly adopting technologies like RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and IIoT (Industrial IoT) to boost productivity.
The fact that minor automation can boost individual process productivity by 80 to 100 percent is one of the most compelling arguments for businesses to use process automation technology without worrying too much about the cost of tech integration.
“All “set-ups” need process automation for all of the standard reasons: cost management, speed to market, scalability, and quality control, among others,” says Steve Andriole, Thomas G. Labrecque Professor at Villanova University. Process automation, regardless of vertical application, can achieve significant efficiencies if correctly conceived and implemented.”
According to Antonio Grasso, Founder, and CEO of Digital Business Innovation Srl,
Automation and Robotics engineering
“Automation is a broad phrase that refers to a machine that can mimic human actions and execute repetitive activities without human flaws such as exhaustion or boredom.” Nonetheless, the engineering sector employs a great deal of industrial automation, which aids in the effective and error-free execution of procedures. These procedures, also known as Operational Technologies, are a sequence of repetitive operations carried out by machines.
“In recent years, the convergence of IT and OT has resulted in the creation of more powerful automation: Smart Automation. Smart Automation may also help engineering firms by supplementing their issue resolution in process execution with a cognitive approach that ensures operational preparedness while doing activities efficiently at scale. Productivity increases and cost reductions at the product level can improve competitiveness and profitability.”
“What’s changed is the capabilities of process automation technologies led by hard and soft process automation suppliers, whose services are now available outside proprietary solution sets in the cloud and from a select number of specialized vendors,” says Andriole. Domain expertise is still required to optimize automation technologies in engineering design, manufacturing, supply chain management, and other soft process automation-ready sectors (Robotic Process Automation). The same can be said for robotics-based automation (hard automation). Domain knowledge usually takes precedence.”
In light of the foregoing viewpoints, it’s evident that process automation for engineering firms also aids in:
- Ensure that the workplace is safe.
- Allow remote teams of global manufacturing units to be managed and production output to be changed in response to market demand or as indicated by the company’s administration and/or senior management.
- Using a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) strategy, implement an iterative, lean, and agile process in designing engineering automation software.
- Collaborate with diverse ecosystems to improve output and offer more value for consumers as automated processes get more precise.
- Reduce costs while improving product quality.
How do engineering firms identify the need for automation?
engineering automation
Automation may design, create, develop, and manage systems that can run on their own or with little human interaction. However, it is up to organizational stakeholders to determine the best moment or stage of production for automation depending on their financial resources, business objectives, vendor availability to meet their needs, and other variables.
Antonio and Steve, for example, both think that process automation is a continual activity.
“Like it’s been said, ‘The race for greatness has no finish line,’ managers need to seek the innovative road every day,” Antonio says, quoting a renowned quotation. I’d rather talk about what kind of value the existing automation can offer to my processes than which level it’s at. A periodic evaluation that aligns corporate objectives with the most recent available process automation technology might reveal areas of operations that require automation.”
“Engineers ? and any professions, for that matter ? should constantly examine possibilities and dangers,” Steve agrees. It would be naive to believe that engineering stakeholders, broadly defined, are uninformed of process automation prospects. Automation engineers, for example, are aware of possible applications in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, and fulfillment, to name a few, where machinery (hard automation) and procedures (soft automation) are currently in use.
The greatest method for stakeholders to encourage “automation” at the companies to which they’re connected ? presuming they’re in a position to do so ? is to provide employment and financing. “Automation,” both hard (robotic) and soft (software), is now a recognized field that improves production and delivery in a wide range of product and service industries. There are a few
Process automation has shown to be beneficial in the engineering automation industry.
The number of applications available to aid human activities is continually growing. Organizational tools such as computer-aided design (CAD) software and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software are now based on computer-aided technologies (or CAx). The engineering sector has benefited from CAx’s enhanced design, analysis, and manufacturing of goods.
Automation and control engineering systems can be designed, implemented, and monitored with the help of automated industrial gear and processes. Today, ANN (Artificial Neural Network), DCS (Distributed Control System), HMI (Human Machine Interface), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), and PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) are used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events, as well as Instrumentation, Motion Control, and automation and robotics engineering.
How can IT managers start automating processes in engineering automation setups?
Even after your company has opted to implement process automation, there are still many slips between the cup and the lip. So, how can IT managers or other stakeholders make this process go more smoothly? Here are some technical and non-technical considerations:
Have you figured out what you’ll get out of process automation? Have you examined to see if it’s for high-volume, repetitive manual jobs to obtain the best return on investment?
- To eliminate resistance and establish openness and trust, explicitly define the responsibilities of people and automation before deploying.
- Instead of dictating that automation is a management choice that they must follow, emphasize the importance of automation to the teams involved.
- Maintain contact with the human handlers of automation technology to check that they are adapting successfully and to provide assistance when necessary.
- Before adopting, test both automation and people to determine their preparedness.
- Continuous and regular communication is required until all systems are up and running well, and even then, periodic checks should be performed.
