If there is a more natural way to do something, why do it any other way? That is the exact basis of all invocations in automation.
The world of automation has helped make simple processes faster, increased production, and turn over higher profits. The use of robots and computer/app operated systems is the present and the future of this generation.
Automation has always had a love-hate-relation with the present-day world. Bill Gates once said that if you add automation to inefficient operations, you will just increase its inefficiency.
This is the reason automation is not for all domains. There is also the argument that automation will displace the working force and cause mass-scale unemployment.
The effects of automation have been overpowering in some sectors, while others are yet to warm up to the change. Industries that have embraced or absorbed automation have seen enormous growth in the last decade. Everything from healthcare to manufacturing is now investing in research and development to find innovative ways to increase productivity.
Think of the world we live in — time is money. And in this day and age of technology, there is no doubt that such a change is elementary.
Here are the top four sectors that have seen the most use from the world of automation.
1. Logistics.
From shipping to trucking, there has been a paradigm shift with the integration of automation. Automation is yet to replace human labor in the hand-on-work of logistics.
The efficiency of truck fleets and cargo transportation is still unmatchable by any form of technology. But the use of new automation systems has helped make the process faster and more effective.
The application for fleet management has enabled companies to keep a better record of their network. These applications track the movement of shipments at each and every step of the way.
They also help to calculate important information like fuel consumption, miles clocked, upcoming services, and much more.
The use of artificial intelligence has also made the job of the drivers relatively easier. By installing dash cameras and driver-assistance-systems, the stress of long-term driving has been substantially reduced. This hardware helps detect routes, keep a check on driver fatigue, and calculate obstructs on the course.
2. Food And Its Services.
From restaurants to food delivery, automation has painted the picture of the current-day food industry. Manufacturing of foods on a large scale has provided better quality products.
A machine cannot fall sick, slack-off in the workplace, or miss out on flaws in the products. This is one sure way to ensure safety. Even on an individual level, automation helps reduce the cost of production.
The reason the delivery of food has become so effective is thanks to the rise in telematics technology. In simple words, it is the amalgamation of all communication channels to a single point.
This means we can contact our food delivery service and track it’s the location, all using the same piece of software. The days of calling a restaurant and hoping the pizza delivery boy is on the way are behind us.
Apart from order collection and delivery, it can also enhance the inventory management systems. Even small restaurants and shops can use IoTs and RFIDs to scan items and register inventory. They can be linked to a software dashboard that triggers an alert to the manager the moment it notices a scarcity.
3. Customer Service
This is one domain where the change from automation has been the most evident. We all remember the time when each service issue took hours of hold on a phone call, with a recorded message asking you to hold. While some of these calls still exist today, most of the companies depend on applications and robots for problem resolution.
Most problems and troubleshoots are pre-fed into an application. If you shall have any technical difficulties, all you need to do is track the question on this application and find a step-by-step resolution.
Even raising companies and concerns can not be done at the click of a button. Even the most basic customer relations like bill generations, recurring payments, and confirmations, can be automated.
The use of “chat-bots” or communication robots are the next most significant innovation in customer relations. These are messenger-like applications that are pre-fed with all the issues that a consumer might need help with.
One can chat with these robots like any other human. These bots use machine learning, artificial intelligence, and pattern recognition to resolve simple issues in less time.
4. Agriculture
Even a sector as conventional as agriculture has seen a wide-spread implementation of automation. From supply-chain-management, irrigation to inventory — all of these actions have been automated.
This has helped the farmers produce a better yield with minimal costs. While some may argue that it has reduced employment, the expositional growth cannot be ignored.
These are also implemented in animal husbandry and livestock farming. The term “smart farms” is fast becoming a huge selling point.
Some techniques in agriculture are very sophisticated and help calculate soil moisture, water content, and map the area of plantation. All of these are hand-down and improvement to architect methods.
In Conclusion,
While we are only throwing the spotlight on these four sectors, there is a lot more that automation has altered. Industries like manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and energy management have all seen new highs with the onset of technology. Lesser resources and higher efficiency is the ideal situation to be in.
While automation might seem costly at first, the long term return on investment is very high. These systems do not just improve productivity, but they also help track it. Most of the applications that are available in the market keep a wholesome tab on the process and even provide insights and predictions.
Automation is the way forward. If you are in a business that has been on edge with this process, it is time to brainstorm on the possibilities.
New tech has always paved the path to a new beginning and new lifestyle changes. It is time to look at automation optimistically and help progress the economy and society.
