Think You Know Industrial Robots? Think Again

Jim Lawton for Forbes:  Peter Drucker said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” and in my experience there’s no industry where that wisdom holds more true than manufacturing. I’m not a hardened cynic, just a pragmatist, having spent the majority of my career bringing technology that disrupts the status quo – from inventory optimization and managing risk in the supply base to collaborative robots. Manufacturers are among the most skeptical buyers and for good reason – what they do is hard, complex and things are done the way they are done because it’s been proven to work. There are times though when the opportunity to transform the business is so compelling that – as Drucker said – executives need to spend whatever time is necessary to tear down the cultural barriers that are getting in the way of the strategy that capitalizes on the moment.

In the category of robotics and industrial automation, now is one of those times. It’s been more than 50 years since Unimate went to work at a GM plant unloading heavy parts and welding them onto automobile frames. Manufacturing has changed a lot and today is on an evolutionary path toward the 4th industrial revolution. Unfortunately, while executives may be ready to move quickly toward the factories of the future for first mover advantage, many automation engineers remain entrenched in 20th century thinking about robots — when they were highly customized solutions, designed to perform one task over and over again, with a price tag to match.  Cont'd...

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

Horner Solutions Group - Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

Horner Solutions Group - Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

Horner Solutions Group offers a pre-programmed solution that is fast and easy to implement. No development on the user end, just a simple setup on the touchscreen and you can start monitoring and collecting data in minutes. With the ever-growing need for production data in the industry, we wanted to help bridge the gap for many production companies to be able to start collecting accurate and functional OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) data within just a few minutes of setup, as opposed to the weeks/months many companies spend developing their own solution from scratch. For any customers that may have a need outside of the typical product mold, we also offer engineering services for custom hardware and software solutions of various types.