MT Magazine January/February 2023

FEATURE STORY

AUTOMATION ISSUE

16

that some companies are automating addresses, in part, two of them, conveyance and motion. So that provides a productivity improvement for those companies. Who doesn’t want to eliminate waste? Reshoring, but ... While reshoring, bringing back production from overseas to the United States, is certainly a real thing, according to the 2021 Kearney Reshoring Index, which is bullish on reshoring, “79 percent of the manufacturing executives who have operations in China have either already moved part of their operations to the United States or plan to do so in the next three years. An additional 15% are evaluating similar moves.” But then the other shoe drops: 22% of CEOs, Kearney found, aren’t considering reshoring. The point is simply this: A cost-effective and long-proven means to increase productivity is the deployment of robots. The Kearney interpretation: “This difference between manufacturing executives and CEOs might indicate that those closer to the daily challenges in the supply chain evaluate different manufacturing options as they try to find short-term relief, while CEOs are looking at it from a longer-term overall company strategy perspective and are perhaps not yet convinced that reshoring is the answer.” Let’s roll back to the start. The biggest global competitor to the United States, China, is installing a significant number of robots. Robots enhance productivity. Improved productivity can lead to reduced costs and improved profits. So maybe some of that 22% are looking at these numbers and figuring where they might get the best deal. The point is simply this: A cost-effective and long-proven means to increase productivity is the deployment of robots. There is an entire suite of robotics, from padded-armed cobots that can safely work along with people to massive six-axis robots that can move 5,000 pounds more than 12 feet. The ease of use is ever-increasing. The applicability is greater than ever.

Having tools like these leverages one’s ability to be globally competitive. Take that productivity and add the logistics advantages of on-shored operations, then U.S. manufacturing can gain a considerable edge.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.