Whether it’s a factory filled with connected systems or a sensor-equipped coffee machine, ‘smart’ is undoubtedly one of the most widely used phrases of the digital age. The term has also become nearly synonymous with agility, efficiency and productivity. But are industrial business leaders and plant managers focusing on the right areas of the smart revolution? Stephen Hayes, Managing Director of Beckhoff UK, explains why you might be looking at smart manufacturing in the wrong way.
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Two centuries and two industrial revolutions on from when they were first conceived, it is remarkable that many of today’s plants are still largely reliant on conveyor systems that have been mostly unchanged since the 19th century. In the age of robotic systems and automated guided vehicles, Stephen Hayes, Managing Director of Beckhoff UK, asks: is it not time for a revolution in materials handling?
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At the start of 2018, the BBC reported that the UK’s manufacturing output was at its highest rate for ten years. This increase can largely be attributed to the UK’s recovery from the global economic crisis and its uptake of automation technology. However, while the food and beverage industry has been slower than other sectors to embrace automation technology, this doesn’t have to be the case.
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Staubli’s robotic arm (TS2-60), HepcoMotion’s GFX Guidance System and the Beckhoff eXtended Transport System (XTS) are all cooperating in one cell to demonstrate the joint potential they offer.
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It’s a brave new world. Industrial automation and robotics are wiping out jobs across the board, swathes of people are roaming the streets unemployed and food is being rationed by artificial intelligence. This is what popular culture and national news media would have us believe. That’s why it was refreshing to see a more realistic view of the impact of automation presented in a recent episode of Doctor Who, says Stephen Hayes, Managing Director of Beckhoff Automation.
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