Manufacturing & Warehouse Distribution equipment, service, rentals & support from Abel Womack, Raymond forklift NE Distributor

Skip to content
  • Online Catalogs
  • Contact
  • Locations
  • Customer Login
  • Cleanrooms & Controlled Environments
  • FANUC Industrial Robots
  • Automated Storage and Retrieval Warehouse Systems
  • Manufacturing Solutions
  • Modular Building Systems
  • Raymond Forklifts
  • Mobile Storage Systems
  • About Us
    • Careers
    • Customer Service Policy
    • Customer Testimonials
    • Discover the Difference
    • Our Locations
    • Management Staff
    • Raymond Solutions & Support Center
  • Forklifts
    • Used Forklifts and Equipment
    • Forklift Rentals and Leases
    • J1-TSV Task Support Vehicle
    • Raymond Basics
    • Power Solutions
  • Parts & Service
    • Equipment Maintenance & Repair
    • Forklift & Conveyor Parts
    • Forklift Safety Training
    • Shop Warehouse Products
    • Tennant Sweepers and Tennant Scrubbers
  • Optimization
    • Fleet and Warehouse Management Solutions
    • Lean Management
    • Labor Management
    • Asset & Maintenance Management
    • Operator Assist Technologies
    • Real Time Location System
  • Robotics
    • Industrial Robots
    • ROBOXX
    • FANUC Robot M-20iA
    • FANUC Robot M-710iC
    • FANUC Robot M-410iB
  • Integrated Systems Solutions
    • Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)
    • Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems
    • Conveyor Systems and Sortation
    • Deep Lane High Density Pallet Storage
    • Pallet Racking and Shelving
    • Mobile Storage Systems
    • Warehouse Automation and Software
    • Indoor Vertical Growing
    • Modular Building Systems
    • Cleanrooms and Controlled Environments
  • Engineering
    • Automated and Robotic Simulation
    • Facility Design and Layout
    • Project Management
  • Information
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • Industry Solutions
    • Videos
    • Media Kit
You are here: Home / Blog / To Automate or not to Automate, that is the Question

Blog: To Automate or not to Automate, that is the Question

March 29, 2021 – 

In the immortal words of William Shakespeare (and taking a little poetic license), “To To Automate or Notautomate or not to automate, that is the question.” That is, if he was still alive today, that’s probably what he’d be asking.

A growing number of warehousing operations and manufacturers are considering automation. There are numerous reasons for this, including increasing competition, the soaring demand for eCommerce and faster shipping, labor challenges, and social distancing requirements. Many companies have already invested in some form of automation, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down.

No matter the industry, application or complexity, here is a simple guide to automation that even William Shakespeare could understand. Let’s start with the pros and cons of using people versus machines.

Automation vs people comparison

Now, let’s drill down into each of these categories a little further.

  • Accuracy – People will tend to deviate from a repetitive task for various reasons.
    • Tired
    • Bored
    • Physical fatigue
    • Mood
      • Machines will not deviate from repetitive tasks, achieving low error rates.
  • Speed – People will slow down as the day wears on, but machines will keep a steady programmed pace of productivity.
  • Cost – People are a forever cost. You will pay them every year, whereas automation is a one-time cost plus yearly maintenance costs and generally pay for themselves quickly.
  • Scalability – Both can be added to. However, with the labor market as volatile as it is today, sometimes you can’t fill that need with qualified personnel.
  • Flexibility to change function – People, for the most part, can be trained to accomplish other tasks, whereas automation is more limited but can be reprogrammed.
  • Reliability – Automation doesn’t call in sick, quarantine, go on vacation or strike, ask for a raise, need medical leave, take workman’s comp, or require retirement benefits.

Automation Empowers

In addition to these benefits, automation also improves safety, efficiency, and FANUC-robot-palletizing-pelletsergonomics. It’s ideal for physically demanding and monotonous jobs that can lead to turnover or potential injuries. Automation allows businesses to reallocate or reduce labor in their operations. It also minimizes the cost of labor turnover, all giving a boost to your bottom line.

So, to sum up the question, “to automate or not to automate,” it’s clear there are many compelling reasons to take a serious look into automation. With the help of an experienced automation specialist and a specialist for all automation choices like Abel Womack, we’ll help you make the best decisions for your specific business needs.

About the Author

Ron Coan brings more than 30 years of sales and service experience in the material handling industry to customers throughout New York City and the greater metropolitan area. He has worked at Abel Womack for more than two decades and has been a National Account Manager for the past 18 years.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Everything
Subscribe to our Blog
Get a weekly email each time a new blog post is published.


 

Archive
Featured Post

Robots – Staying Ahead of the Game

February 13, 2023

Universal robot

We have been extremely busy for the last few months at Abel Womack working on enhancing our robotic … Read More

More Posts
  • Little Leaf Farms Raises Efficiency & Space with Radioshuttle
  • The Importance of Picking Accuracy and Operational Improvement in your Warehouse

All Blog Posts

Raymond_ASASC_2020

Abel Womack - Discover the Difference - logo
1 International Way
Lawrence, MA 01843
800-554-2887

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Linkedin
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Forklifts
  • Careers
  • Fleet Management Solutions
  • Professional Design & Engineering Services
  • Parts
  • Service
  • Forklift Training
  • Pre-Owned Forklifts
  • Forklift Rentals
  • Products
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
Offices In
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New York
Maine
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont

Copyright © 2023 · Abel Womack 2.0 on WordPress