洞察力的出版物 |自动化辅助

 

每年, 马斯特斯画廊食品公司向食品店供应约2.5亿磅奶酪, 食肆及批发商. 为了跟上需求, 自动化是必要的，因为这家普利茅斯公司的53个机器人将产品放在包装薄膜上, package them into cases and place the cases onto pallets that are then moved into cold storage.

“为了安全, 机器人解决了举重的人体工程学问题, 弯曲和重复动作,蒂姆·伦茨说, 马斯特斯画廊的技术服务总监. “质量, 被处理的产品永远不会被人的手碰触, 哪种方法可以降低细菌感染的风险. 由于机器人的移动速度，生产时间也得到了改善, 比它们的人类同伴快得多.”

Masters Gallery is one of many manufacturers across the region using robots and 自动化 to keep up with consumer demand, 尤其是在许多公司难以找到足够的员工的情况下. 制造业, 总的来说, 尽管大流行和由此导致的经济衰退，但仍然表现良好.

“自动化是一种非凡的工具,科林·威尔逊说。, WMEP制造解决方案自动化高级顾问. “这有助于降低成本，推出更多产品. 自动化将帮助威斯康星州的制造商保持成本竞争力.”

制造商拥抱自动化有几个原因, 包括提高安全性和生产率. 在威尼斯注册送38元, CEO Michael 尼古拉说 using robots has allowed the company to improve the quality and consistency of its castings.

“机器人 offer precise, repeatable outcomes that help to recruit and train new workers,他说. “We have seen robotic applications transform undesirable tasks into interesting and appealing jobs, 从而提高员工的敬业度.”

制造商知道自动化工作. A 2018 PwC report found that nearly 60 percent of manufacturers already use some form of 自动化. Ninety percent of modern robotic equipment is found in factories and engineered to make production more efficient, 研究发现.

Another benefit — especially in food and beverage manufacturing where product safety is paramount — is that 自动化 can track products from raw materials to a final packaged product. 这种方式, 有缺陷的产品可以通过系统追溯，以查看错误发生的位置, 威尔逊说.

人才难觅

一些分析人士表示，自动化减少了制造业就业岗位的总数, 统计数据显示，事实并非如此. Manufacturers continue to struggle finding enough employees to fill their open positions and with employees retiring faster than they can be replaced, 这个问题不会很快消失, 根据威斯康星州政策论坛2019年的一项分析.

工人短缺并不是威斯康星州独有的问题. 德勤(Deloitte)和美国制造业研究所(Manufacturing Institute)估计.到2028年，将有600万个制造业工作岗位. 在这4人中.600万个工作岗位.由于缺乏熟练工人，将有400万人空缺.

威尔逊说 robots don’t take jobs from humans but rather help maintain productivity and create safer working conditions. “仍然需要合格的员工来维护和操作机器. Robotics are not necessarily job takers but are there to protect employees from tasks that could do them harm,他说.

Automation usually impacts manufacturing jobs that people may find boring or overly repetitive or present safety risks and cause ergonomic injuries, 杰罗德·奥斯本说, 威尼斯注册送38元的制造和工程副总裁, 哪个在所有的地点都使用自动化. 机器人, 例如, 打开托盘, 拿起原铸件，把它们送到数控机床上，然后进行包装.

“The robots remove the operator from positions that weren’t ergonomically the best and could cause injury,奥斯本说. “然后，人类会提供需要更高技能的工作. 机器人正在改变现有的工作和我们正在招聘的工作. 高技能的工作对求职者很有吸引力. 他们也看到了自动化并被它所吸引.”

因为机器人代替了一些工作, 威尔逊说，这使得制造业员工能够承担更高技能的工作, 越来越多的计算机程序员和工程师被雇佣.

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. He says the benefits of 自动化 allow Sargento “to use 自动化 as a complement to our workforce, 而不是作为替代品.”

Automation also allows manufacturers to increase the number of hours their machines are operating. 使用自动化, 制造商可以实行两班倒, 第二班处于“熄灯”模式, 这意味着工人每天都要检查机器, 但这些机器随后会彻夜运转, 威尔逊说.

一起工作

Sargento早在25年前就开始使用机器人系统, with initial applications in case packing systems to improve ergonomics for the company’s employees, Wisnefske说. 多年来, 这家总部位于普利茅斯的制造商将机器人技术扩展到包括产品拾取和放置, 包装对齐和拣选系统, 托盘包装, 自动存储和检索系统和订单挑选/分期系统.

“我们意识到使用自动化有很多好处，”Wisnefske说. “Most applications where we utilize robotics are in areas where the operational speed makes it more efficient to utilize robotics versus manual systems. 除了, using 自动化 opens opportunities for employees to shift from repetitive tasks to positions that add even more value to our operations.”

在马斯特斯画廊, 哪家公司从2011年开始使用机器人, 机器人在封闭的单元中自主工作，提高了安全性, 质量和生产时间, 楞兹说. 员工们启动和停止机器，并根据需要更改配方.

That’s a common setup in manufacturing facilities with robots working on their own with some human guidance. 在某些情况下, 人们与协作机器人一起工作, collaborative robots intended for direct interaction between workers and robots within a shared space.

当投资自动化时, 威尔逊说 it doesn’t need to be a full system installation or even a fixed-base piece of equipment. 有很多低成本的选择, 例如机器视觉系统或零件送料机, 这可以将自动化引入单个生产单元. 这些小步骤可以为制造商提供一个机会，看看机器人如何为他们工作.

机器人和相关的自动化是威尼斯注册送38元的关键资本投资战略, 尼古拉说. The company’s 2021 Mid-term Management Plan includes key 自动化 projects predominantly in foundry mill rooms devoted to processing and cleaning iron castings.

“从2019财年到2021财年, 5300万美元已经并将投资于机器人和自动化,他说, adding Waupaca铸造 works with Fox Valley Technical College to train employees to work with robots and also has its own training program.

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. The robots work in cells that are interconnected with other cells and eventually will start communicating with one another and other processes in the factory. 使用人工智能, the computers running the robots collect and process data to make decisions and communicate with other machines.

“如果有什么不对劲，他们可以给员工发短信，”奥斯本说. “We expect to see more advancement in the next few years with how they communicate with each other.”

威尔逊说，制造商通常从几个机器人开始，当他们看到好处时再增加. 威尼斯注册送38元(Waupaca铸造)的情况就是如此，该工厂一年前有125台机器人，现在有135台.

“我们看到我们拥有的机器人数量正在逐步增加，”奥斯本说. “除了安全和人体工程学, 我们还发现机器人可以帮助保持社交距离, 哪些是应对COVID至关重要的.”

大师画廊为顾客生产数百种奶酪产品, 无论是在杂货店寻找奶酪片, 酒吧, 碎片和棍子, 5- and 10-pound packages of cheese for its foodservice operators or cheese blocks (some weigh up to 640 pounds) for its industrial customers.

机器人 that can adapt to changes easily are essential in managing that volume and diversity of products. 伦茨说，由于失业率居高不下，该公司可能还会增加更多的机器人. 他说:“工人很难找到，而这种技术有助于弥补这一点。.

威尔逊说，随着越来越多的制造商努力寻找合适的人才, 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也激发了人们对机器人的兴趣, 哪些可以为制造商提供额外的安全保障. 机器人 can help allow for social distancing on plant floors and keep productivity at stable levels if employees are sick or in quarantine, 威尔逊说.

开始

在生产设施中增加自动化的决定不是一夜之间做出的. It takes time and research to determine if and what types of robots would be beneficial for the company.

威尔逊与各种中小型制造商合作, from those that are just starting out on their journey using robots to those that already know what they want. 他说:“所有企业都有不同的经历，我在他们所在的地方与他们合作。.

当开始, manufacturers need a solid business case to use 自动化 and most can start out with low-risk projects.

“If you have a solution that solves an existing problem — perhaps a job no one wants to do — you can get buy-in from workers,威尔逊说.

对于有兴趣从自动化开始的制造商, 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. “我们整理了一个优先级图，寻找一个快速投资回报、低风险的问题作为开始. We discuss what other projects they may want to work on and we put it all together in a document for them to follow.”

威尔逊说，目前对自动化的信息需求量很大.

“很多制造商都在考虑自动化. 寻找和留住工人仍然是一项挑战. “增加自动化是现有员工学习新技能的好机会, 哪些是公司可以讨论的.”

Automation does not come without its challenges, including keeping the machines running, 威尔逊说. “It’s important to have someone on staff trained to maintain the machines and fix small issues or to bring in someone who can do that,他说.

但是纵观全局, 尼古拉说，自动化使员工的工作体验更好. “That can contribute to the bottom line with recruiting, retention and safety improvements,他说.