There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to robots. In fact most people think that if a robot enters a plant, a lot of people will lose their jobs.
Yet, in all the plants where we’ve seen automation happen, management has not cut jobs, but rather transferred personnel to other work that requires more dexterity and more “thinking” than repetitive redundant tasks. Remember those tasks that were difficult to automate, for example logic based or fine assembly tasks? This is where people end up working.
The effect of robotics is often increased production. So, keep in mind that you will need more people further down the line to handle the production increase. This means moving employees to jobs that are more challenging and motivating.
The idea of robots on the production floor should be introduced through the many benefits that they will bring to the workforce. The robot is not there just for the bottom line: it is a coworker that can take care of the difficult or boring work, so that overall work becomes more interesting.
Once the first robot is installed, the workers will immediately understand their advantages and often go on to give them nicknames as the robot becomes one of the team.
Targeting an application that can be done with the robot, has a great ROI and can solve an ergonomic issue (dust, carpal tunnel syndrome, bad posture, repetitive motion, etc.) is a great way to get people on board.
Want to know more? Subscribe to our 5-part email series on Getting Started with Collaborative Robots. You'll learn how to go from the idea of automation, to having a real plan, to integrating your first robotic project.