Machinery, robotics and tools of tomorrow's factory
Factory Automation, factory automation or rather Industrial Automation.
It is the set of all tools and all machinery capable of implementing and/or replacing human labor throughout the supply chain that leads to obtaining a finished product.
The fields of application, automation and robotics
Industrial automation is applied in a wide variety of industries, from automotive to chemical, food to electronics, and mechanical to pharmaceutical. At the same time, different applications can be automated within the same industry.
Assembly
Screwing, splicing, construction-these are all processes frequently encountered in some industries such as automotive and mechanical engineering. The automations involved include both robots and machines.
Material handling
These are to be understood as all those applications that involve moving product from one location to another: thus packaging activities, palletizing, end-of-line logistics.
Quality control
Automated quality control solutions will make online metrology accessible, versatile, and easy by enabling accuracy in industrial conditions and manufacturing environments. A software architecture that provides clear and rapid results in a format that supports preventive and corrective actions.
The goals of industrial automation
It is estimated that 70-80% of business processes can be automated with robotics, through tools that simplify tedious, stressful, repetitive tasks. By automating low-level manual tasks, humans can focus on quality tasks, improving productivity and, at the same time, reducing stress.
The targets of companies that are open to this kind of intervention are:
- Faster services (3 to 5 times) and streamlined business operations;
- Reduction in operating costs from 25 to 40 percent;
- Reduction of human beings and, consequently, reputational and financial risks;
- Reduction of defects and non-conformities;
- Ability to make accurate process predictions since machines are constantly tied to the same algorithms.
Implementing automation in industry
Converging all these needs into a high-performing automated solution is primarily the task of system integrators, who are able to thoroughly analyze a pre-existing condition, find its critical issues and leverage the features of automation to make a positive change in the specific process.
In the past, industrial automation used to put many companies in awe. Today, the perception has changed. The opportunities offered by an automated solution, from a robot to a simple press, are more within everyone’s reach and not the exclusive preserve of companies able to make very large investments. Today, a robotic island, for example, has an average payback of less than a year.
In particular, we at Whitech put maximizing customer efficiency and productivity with customized and usable plants at the center of our studies, designs and productions every day.
The future of factory automation
Despite the uncertain economic climate, automation is a growing trend. Robotics is a booming trend with a growth rate of 36.3 percent over the past five years, a phenomenon that COVID-19 has accelerated in the short and long term. Therefore, investing in robotics means investing in the future.
