When you’re thinking about installing automated machines into your manufacturing lines, a lot of questions come up. How much will it cost? Will I actually see value, or will this cost more than it’s worth? Should I get one machine or a full production system?
Automated machining equipment is new to many manufacturers, but the benefits to using a full production line are clear. Increased production, decreased labor costs, and less accidents all contribute to the value of automated machinery.
Below, read some of the benefits that machine automation can provide your business.
Reliable Labor is Hard to Come By
One of the biggest problems that manufacturers have these days are finding people to work on their production lines.
This isn’t news – since the mid-seventies, factories have struggled to fill workstations in an unstable labor market. With a need for reliable workers and no pool to draw from, finding good workers is harder than ever.
This leads to costs from several angles: not only are you focused on workers’ salaries and benefits, but a lot of money has to be poured into a human resource department that is trying to draw talent when none is available. Trying to hire for these positions may resolve short term problems, but they don’t foment long-term solutions.
Contrary to popular belief, automated machines aren’t taking away jobs – they’re filling vacancies. A machine doesn’t call in sick, get hurt on the job, or ask for higher wages. Machines simply perform their assigned tasks, day or night, with occasional maintenance.
Machines Aren’t Humans
Automated machines are designed with efficiency first. Press a button, and it starts moving, performing work that typically translates into the labor of multiple workers. While you might need to pay a higher initial cost, the operating costs tend to be much lower.
Particularly in times like this when fears of Covid-19 are at a high point, conditions for workers become more of an issue than before. While solutions like Plexiglas barriers are a godsend for laborers on the factory floor, a fully automated production system takes that out of the equation entirely.
If you’re baking homemade pastries for a potluck brunch, you want the human element. If it’s a little burnt on the edges or you put in too much sugar, that’s okay. But when you’re operating large-scale bakery manufacturing, those are the exact mistakes you don’t want. Machines are programmed for consistency and efficiency – they place the exact amount of ingredients with precise measurements.
Manufacturers who adopt automated tools find:
- Reliable consistency
- Greater efficiency and productivity
- Lowered operating costs
- Improved worker safety
Getting Started With Automated Machines
There is a growing fear that machines are all going to run us out of a job. Maybe in 100 years, but not today.
You don’t have to buy a full production line, like our Terminator Production System, to start seeing the benefits of automated components. Machines can fill dangerous or tedious jobs, the choke points where your efficiency is the lowest, while keeping manual positions open down the line.
Single lane production systems are extremely efficient – ours can produce 50 pizzas in one minute – but the decision to go all-in or one machine at a time depends on your budget. What is guaranteed is the benefits that you will see. Even one machine can greatly reduce your labor costs over time. It is the competitive choice that will keep your business on top.
Short-Term and Long-Term Solutions
While we are focused on offering affordable automated machines to our customers, components like automated sauce, cheese, and meat applicators are going to have a higher up-front cost than hiring a worker. But in no time, these machines will pay for themselves.
Food production is a tough market to be in, and it’s hard to know what the future holds. But the one thing we can say with absolute certainty is that automation isn’t going away any time soon. The future of manufacturing is now, and larger manufacturers that vie for this equipment have a staggering edge over the smaller manufacturers.
Contact us and we can talk you through the best ways to optimize your production line. Whether you assemble an automated line piecemeal or all at once, the results are clear – manufacturing is entering a brave new world, and we are ready to help you take the next steps.