INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION- A THREAT TO HUMAN LABOR

Industrial automation was primarily introduced in the 1970s and after 50-plus years, we humans have seen many innovations regarding automation. During those times there was a need for the reduction of cost for the manufacturers. So later they found the solution to their problem. The solution was industrial automation. Industrial Automation is the process of manufacturing done by machines with less human mediation. Thereby reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the products. 

How does automation help manufacturers?

 Nowadays technology plays a vital role in our development. We hear the news, take online classes, connect with people who are away from us and many more. As our personal preferences and personal goals are growing through technology, what about the industries around us? Speaking how we act is the reflection of the change around us. The industry around us is changing rapidly. Automation uses logic and programming codes to tell the machine how or what tasks to carry.

The use of automation is taking place everywhere. Mainly in industries machines are working more than humans. Manufacturers can have large profits as the laborers are very few and thereby reduce the cost of labor. Industrial automation uses machines, sensors, processors, actuators, etc. to perform various tasks. This will help the manufacturers to increase production and reduce the cost. Also, there will be improvement in the quality as they are machines and the results will be precise. The main problem of any industry is the wastage of resources. Automation makes it by making the resources use efficiently. Also, productivity increases as the machines will not get tired and there will be a reduction in errors.

Affecting human labor

The fear of machines replacing humans has been raised since the Industrial Revolution. In recent decades this fear has been reflected in our daily lives. As industrial automation takes place in the industries it started to replace machines over humans. This is a huge topic to discuss. Industrial automation mainly affects the lower educated workers. There will be an unequal income as the jobs that were replaced by machines tend to be of lower cost while the jobs created by automation need specialized training and skills.

Conclusion

Industrial automation has both positive and negative impacts. It is a job creator as well as a destroyer. It creates efficiency, increases profits, and improves reliability. Automation reduces the cost of production and waste of resources. Also, it opened job opportunities in robotics, automation, and technology. On the other side, it results in many job market issues. Many people lost their jobs as automation occurred, mainly in manufacturing and assembling. An efficient economy must be able to solve all these problems. Technology should be improved for better humanity and not for unequal income and development. Then only a moral economy develops.