Maura Falk, Associate Editor This article originally appeared in IMPO’s April 2015 print  issue . There is a shift taking place in the manufacturing industry towards more advanced technologies on the plant floor. However, implementing significant change — such as investing in automation — can be daunting. But in this day and age, it is worth it. Successful automation has the power to improve efficiency, profits and can even diversify a workforce for companies of every size. It is no longer only a trademark of large-scale manufacturers, but instead the result of progressive thinking and a desire to remain competitive. “Small manufacturers are beginning to realize that buying this high piece of automation is actually a benefit,” says Aaron Corcoran, an Account Executive at Westfalia Technologies, Inc. “It offers a return on investment and a justification that they can live with.” Trends in Automation Automation can appear in many shapes and sizes, but there are a few noticeable trends that are worth noting. First, is the expansion of automation into the warehouse. “Many large companies are seeing that the only way to increase the return on their investments for shareholders is to actually automate the warehouse and distribution side of their business,” says Corcoran. “They are really taking a lot of the automation that they implement on the manufacturing side and are now expanding their approach to automation.” Corcoran indicates by doing this, companies are able to more efficiently distribute products and manage high density storage situations. Another interesting trend described by Corcoran is the development of automation that can provide mixed loads of multiple skews. He explains, “What is happening in the manufacturing space is that they need to provide mixed loads of multiple skews based off of the lower volumes. Ones so you are seeing what in […]