WHAT IS PROCESS AUTOMATION? - TECHNOLOGY - 2024

The process automation is defined by the Ford Motor Company as the art of applying mechanical devices to perform tasks synchronized with the production team.

This allows the production chain to be totally or partially controlled through the use of control tables located in strategic places within the company.

Process automation can also be understood as the replacement of the workforce through the use of machines. It seeks to make the daily tasks of a company easier.

By applying process automation in a company, productivity is increased, the cost of production is reduced and therefore the cost of the product in the market is reduced.

This does not mean that the company loses, on the contrary now it sells more because it produces more, which allows it to sell at a price accessible to the customer. In the time it took to make one product, now hundreds or more can be made

Process automation also refers to those systems that are not intended for manufacturing.

Those programmed devices that can function semi-independently of human control. For example: autopilots and global positioning systems (GPS).

History of process automation

Process automation originally referred to the control of industrial processes and over time it was adapted to other activities that are not related to production.

It has always been framed in the search for innovation in order to increase economic strength. It dates back to the 18th century and intensified with the onset of the industrial revolution.

During this period, humans began to create machines and tools that facilitated the performance of difficult and repetitive tasks to increase production.

Among them is the creation of the automatic loom, patented in 1801 by Joseph Marie Jacquard. Over the years, automation spread and by the twentieth century, most industries had adopted this way of working.

However, automation was still carried out on a small scale. It used simple mechanisms to perform the simple tasks of the manufacturing industry.

Now, automation begins to have more boom when it is used in the automotive industry, specifically in the Ford Motor Company.

Automation was used by the Ford Company to compete in the market by making their company produce more cars than its competitors, and by producing more they could adjust their prices to make them accessible to the community.

The Ford company managed to automate the production process through the use of the division of tasks, the specialization of labor and the inclusion of machines.

As time passed, the rest of the companies began to use Ford's idea and were adapting them to the technological advances of the time.

Phases of process automation

The automation of processes as it is known today had to go through different phases, which are: the division of labor, mechanization and feedback. Each of them will be detailed below.

The division of labor

The division of labor consists of separating a manufacturing process into small tasks. It emerged in the 18th century and allowed for increased productivity.

The division of labor made the workers automata, since they only performed one task during the entire working day.

Mechanization

As the years went by, when seeing the results obtained through the division of labor, companies began to look for new ways to increase their productivity and increase their profits.

For this reason, machines are designed and created that can carry out the activities carried out by humans to incorporate them into the production process. With them, human errors are avoided and a work system is created that does not need so much rest.

Mechanization, on the one hand, displaced the unskilled labor force and, on the other hand, made way for the specialized. It was necessary from him to be able to carry out the maintenance of the machines.

Feedback

Feedback is an essential element in process automation. It refers to the ability given to machines to perform self-correction.

Objectives of process automation

-Minimize production times.

-Use repetitive processes to increase productivity.

-Reduce manufacturing costs.

-Reduction of human errors.

Disadvantages

The automation of processes consists of the use of a system capable of executing actions established in a given space and time, without the need for human intervention or with minimal intervention from the human being.

It influenced the increase in unemployment, since it replaced the labor force with machines.

Another disadvantage is the technological dependence that companies have.

Advantage

- Increase in the production of companies.

- It allows the reduction of production costs.

- It influences the reduction of pollution and the impact on the environment. Most companies are looking to create automation systems that are green. However, some companies do not fully comply with the care of the environment.

- Allows the rational and efficient use of raw material.

- Process automation is also used to increase worker safety and protect facilities.

- Increase company profits.

- Allows the products to be available to a greater number of people.

- It is adaptable to technological changes.

References

1. What is process automation ?, Retrieved on October 12, 2017, from abb.com
2. Business process automation, retrieved on October 12, 2017, from wikipedia.org
3. Process automation, retrieved October 12, from trailhead.salesforce.com
4. Assembly line, retrieved on October 12, from wikipedia.org
5. Innovation: 100 years of the moving assemby line, retrieved on October 12, 2017, from corporate.ford.com
6. Reinventing manufacturing with the latest technologies, retrieved on October 12, 2017, from automation.com