In the workshop of a modern factory, the robotic arm accurately completes the assembly task,
the automated assembly line smoothly conveys the materials, and the large screen in the central
control room displays the production data in real time. Behind this scene of efficient operation
is the great value created by industrial automation technology. Industrial automation has long
exceeded the “machine for man” simple concept, to promote the transformation and
upgrading of the manufacturing industry, enhance the core competitiveness of the
strategic pillar.
The qualitative leap in production efficiency
The most direct value of industrial automation is reflected in the significant increase in production
efficiency. Compared with the traditional manual operation, automation systems can achieve 24-hour
uninterrupted operation, breaking through the human physiological limits, and significantly improve
equipment utilization.
In the automobile manufacturing industry, automated production line will be the whole car assembly
time from tens of hours compressed to a few minutes; in the field of electronic assembly, high-speed
mounter can be completed tens of thousands of times a minute component placement, precision to
the micron level. This efficiency improvement is not only reflected in the production speed, but also
in the stability and predictability of the production beat. The automation system eliminates production
fluctuations due to personnel fatigue, shift changes, and other factors, allowing production schedules
to be accurate to the minute level.
More importantly, the automation system reduces the waiting time between processes by optimizing
the production flow. The automated warehousing and logistics system realizes the precise distribution
of materials, making “zero inventory” production possible. This whole process of efficiency optimization,
help enterprises to significantly shorten the order delivery cycle, rapid response to changes in market demand.
The revolutionary improvement of product quality
Quality control is another core value of industrial automation. Automation system by eliminating the instability
of human factors, to achieve a high degree of consistency in product quality.
In the field of precision manufacturing, automated processing equipment can maintain long-term micron-level
processing accuracy, which is difficult to reach by manual operation. The vision inspection system can inspect
dozens of quality indicators at the same time, and the inspection speed and accuracy far exceeds that of manual
labor. More importantly, the automated system realizes the full number of inspections, replacing the traditional
sampling inspection.
sample inspection, to ensure that each factory product meets the standard.
The automated system also establishes a perfect quality traceability system. Through product coding, automatic
collection and analysis of production data, it is possible to quickly locate the root causes of quality problems and
realize precise quality improvement. This “preventive” quality management approach, the quality of the problem
found in the front, nipped in the bud, significantly reducing quality costs.
Strategic optimization of operating costs
Although the automation system requires a large upfront investment, the cost optimization effect it brings is
continuous and far-reaching. First of all, in terms of labor costs, automation not only reduces direct production staff,
but more importantly, optimizes the allocation of human resources, freeing employees from repetitive labor to
higher-value equipment maintenance, process optimization and other work.
In terms of energy management, the automation system realizes the fine management of energy through
intelligent scheduling and optimized control. For example, the intelligent control system can automatically adjust
the operating status of equipment according to the production load to avoid no-load energy consumption; the
central monitoring system can analyze the energy consumption data in real time, discover abnormal consumption
and make timely adjustments. This kind of refinement of energy management is particularly important in the
context of continuously rising energy costs.
The reduction of material costs is also significant. The automation system minimizes material consumption by
accurately controlling the amount of feed, reducing the amount of processing allowance, and lowering the scrap
rate. Especially in the field of precious metal processing, high-end material applications, material cost savings
can often quickly recover the automation investment.
The fundamental guarantee of safety production
Industrial automation plays an irreplaceable role in enhancing the level of safety management. Automation
systems can replace the manual completion of high-risk operations, such as high temperature, high pressure,
toxic and hazardous environments under the operation, fundamentally eliminating the safety hazards of the
relevant positions.
In terms of safety protection, the automation system integrates a multi-level safety protection mechanism.
Including equipment-level emergency stop devices, safety relays, system-level safety interlocks, regional
monitoring, as well as management-level authority control, operation traceability and so on. These measures
form a three-dimensional safety protection network to ensure the safety of personnel, equipment and the
environment.
In addition, the automation system reduces safety accidents caused by human misuse by standardizing the
operation process. The system can enforce the implementation of safety confirmation procedures to avoid
illegal operation; real-time monitoring of equipment status, early warning of potential failures, and realize
the transformation from “passive protection” to “active prevention”.
Continuous empowerment of enterprise competitiveness
beyond cost and efficiency, the deep value of industrial automation lies in the comprehensive enhancement
of the overall competitiveness of enterprises. First of all, the automation system produces a huge amount of
production data, providing strong support for enterprise decision-making. Through data analysis, enterprises
can optimize production processes, improve product design, predict equipment maintenance cycles, and achieve
data-driven refined management.
Secondly, the automation system enhances the flexible manufacturing capacity of enterprises. Modern
automated production lines can quickly switch production varieties to adapt to the market demand for small
quantities and multiple varieties. This flexibility helps enterprises seize market opportunities and maintain an
edge in fierce competition.
More importantly, the level of automation is directly related to the sustainable development ability of
enterprises. In the context of the gradual disappearance of the demographic dividend, automation has
become an inevitable choice for enterprises to cope with labor shortages. At the same time, automation
systems help enterprises realize green manufacturing and meet increasingly stringent environmental
requirements by optimizing resource utilization and reducing waste emissions.
Future Outlook: A New Dimension of Value Creation
With the advent of the Industry 4.0 era, industrial automation is developing in the direction of intelligence.
The integration of artificial intelligence, big data, digital twins and other new technologies will further
enhance the value creation capability of automation. The future intelligent automation system will have
self-learning and self-optimization capabilities, and achieve advanced functions such as predictive
maintenance and adaptive production.
Intelligent automation will also break down enterprise boundaries and achieve supply chain-level
collaborative optimization. Through cloud collaboration and data sharing, the entire supply chain can
realize real-time response and dynamic optimization, further improving the overall operational efficiency.
Conclusion
The value creation of industrial automation is a continuous deepening process. From the initial tool to
improve efficiency, to now become the engine of enterprise strategic transformation, automation technology
is redefining the rules of competition in the manufacturing industry. For manufacturing enterprises, in-depth
understanding and excavation of automation value, systematic planning of automation upgrade path is
no longer a leading choice in competition, but an inevitable requirement for survival and development. In
the wave of the era of intelligent manufacturing, industrial automation will continue to serve as the core
driving force to promote the manufacturing industry to a more efficient, smarter and more sustainable
direction.