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Contrary to many popular beliefs, the real work in automation is just getting started. The time for management to start is now. In general, there will be five challenges that executives need to concentrate on if an automation program is to take root and flourish:
- Commitment to be the best
- Building the team
- Tearing down traditional barriers
- Knowledge of the tools and philosophies that create excellence
- Leadership to execute the "strategies"
Commitment
The first step is a commitment. More precisely, a shared vision is the most important step. The vision that must be shared is that of being the BEST, and creating a road map for achieving that major goal.
There will probably be changes, and some major changes are often best effected from the top—by the general manager—whether he is the head of a stand-alone company or of a major manufacturing division. Only he can make the long-term commitment to being the best. This vision is shared, because it will require others to be committed to manufacturing excellence and to engineering excellence.
Building the Team
Successful automation can only result from a professional team effort. How can we get everybody pulling in the same direction? Part of the answer is education, the sharing of information about technologies that are galloping out ahead of the decision-makers. And where the general manager thinks the team is deficient, either internally or externally, he has to hire people who can do the job. He also has to be sure to adequately train the whole team, including the production workers, who too often are left out.
The technical demands may require a boost, at least temporarily, in engineering manpower or consulting. In many cases, the lack of adequately trained numbers of engineers limits our rate of improvement and increase the risk of failure.
Tearing Down Traditional Barriers
To build the team that is required, the general manager has to step up to the tasks of tearing down the traditional walls that have grown up and isolated the various functions that participate in manufacturing and engineering. He must build a strong partnership of equals: marketing, R & D, purchasing, production, engineering, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and after sales service—all the related functions working together as a closely knit team to achieve the overriding goal of being the best. These walls are barriers to not only that shared vision, but to the understanding and consensus of what information is needed to develop the strategy for automation.
Automation is Strategic!
There are numerous dimensions to the strategies in automation. All are driven by top management. Do you know any of these strategies? If not, then here are six of the more fundamental ones:
- Getting started—developing the plan
- Awareness of the opportunities
- The quality paradigm
- Recognizing the myths
- Understanding the prerequisites
- Avoiding the pitfalls
Automation is Tactical!
Likewise, there are numerous elements to the tactics in automation. If you are not aware of some of these, then here also are six:
- Focusing the factory
- Technologies to consider
- Implementing a manufacturing management information system
- Justification—learning to ‘pay as you go’
- Planning the steps/having a methodology
- Understanding how to integrate
Next: CIM and Automation Planning, Part 2: Six Principles of Automation
References
- CIM definition by CASA/SME.
- Wikipedia, computer-integrated manufacturing.
- Holden, H.T., "Complexity Factor C,” IPC Technical Review, March/April 1986.
- Wu, Bevan P.F., "Manufacturing Strategy Towards Integrated Automation," Taiwan Productivity Center Conference, December 1983.
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