Manufacturing Magazine February 2021 | Page 43

mention the corresponding impact to manufacturers ’ bottom lines -- another key advantage is this reinvention of the employee experience . Again , while technology may replace jobs as employees currently know them , it will ultimately open roles up to more meaningful work . But this is just the first step . As true automation takes hold , we will see new jobs and opportunities crop up – just like all the other paradigm shifts throughout history ,” Rocky added .
However , it should be noted that while the ambition of big tech companies isn ’ t necessarily to turn the current human workforce into a Star Trek-inspired character , the is a great advantage to the concept of augmentation . “ At their core , augmentative systems are tools that enable greater worker efficiency , safety and productivity . Augmentation technologies are quite versatile and can range from biometric sensors that alert workers to potential danger , to data aggregation tools that help relieve an employee ’ s workload . With that in mind , I ’ d argue that augmentation technologies are already essential to meet growing demands on manufacturers .
Consider the last ten months , for example . When having employees on-site — whether at factories or warehouses — suddenly became a safety issue in light of COVID-19 , manufacturers were forced to contend overnight with the reality of managing operations remotely or risk shutting down . After a rocky few months , many have successfully executed their return-to-work strategies , but the road to recovery highlighted the enormous opportunity that advanced analytics tools -- and other augmentative technologies -- hold for their business long term .”
43 manufacturingglobal . com