How Automation and Human Expertise are Shaping Future Factories

Abstract

The factory of the future is typically portrayed in black-and-white contrasts between one that is completely automated and void of humans on the other hand, and an old-fashioned factory that resists automation on the other hand. The reality is that neither of these pictures depicts the path being taken by progressive manufacturers. Rather, the factory of the future is evolving into a judicious blend of automation and human skill, each used in those areas where each can best contribute. The understanding of how this blend is working and what it means to the enterprise, its people, and its competitiveness is critical.