May 2025 Volume 7

AUTOMATION

Whether it’s automated part positioning, robotic handling, or in-line quality inspection, automation improves repeatability and accuracy. Two things human operators, no matter how skilled, simply can’t deliver 100% of the time. The Labor Market Has Left the Chat As we covered earlier, the new generation is dismissing industries where work is too manual. They’re glued to smartphones 24/7, rely on automation in every corner of their lives — rides, food, schedules, social interactions — and they expect that same level of tech integration in the workplace. To them, pulling levers and loading parts by hand feels outdated. It's kind of like asking someone to send a fax in 2025. And here’s where it starts to hurt: labor isn’t just hard to find. It’s getting more expensive. Wages are rising, turnover is high, and training someone to do physically demanding work that they’re likely to quit in six months? That’s a losing equation. According to data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost per hire is nearly $4,700. And if you're hiring for a job that pays $60,000, you may spend $180,000 or more to fill that role when you factor in the hard and soft costs.6 Now let’s talk turnover. According to an article by Inc., “For lower-wage, hourly positions, turnover is currently running at an average of 1.0 (hiring anew for each position an average of once a year), and some roles are turning over even more quickly.” A real money drainer, right? So, when you factor in the cost of recruitment, onboarding, training, injuries, sick days, and churn, especially in roles that rely heavily on manual processes, which are common in manufacturing, the real price of human labor balloons fast. And that’s before you even count the productivity losses that come from skill gaps or the constant need to re-staff. Automation, on the other hand, doesn’t call in sick. It doesn’t leave after six months. And once it’s in place, it doesn’t need retraining every time you launch a new product. Green Is the New Lean We hear it all the time: Go green. Be sustainable. You know the drill. And let’s be honest: most of the time, it goes in one ear and out the other. It’s mere background noise. But it shouldn’t be. Because sustainability isn’t just about saving the planet (though that’s a pretty big deal). It’s about running smarter, leaner operations that waste less and cost less. According to the Institute of Sustainability Studies, “Ignoring sustainability in business operations can lead to substantial environmental costs. Businesses that do not implement sustainability practices, for example, generally have higher carbon emissions. This accelerates global warming and climate change. Unsustainable practices also often lead to the overexploitation of natural resources such as minerals, water, and fossil fuels. This

causes not only resource scarcity but an increase in costs over time.” Translation? Wasteful operations aren’t just bad for the environment. They’re bad for your bottom line, too. Modern automated systems give manufacturers more control over energy consumption and resource usage than ever before. Smart systems power down during idle times, run presses at optimal force or speed, and reduce waste heat. They minimize material waste, reduce scrap, and ensure every part is produced with precision. And when you multiply those savings across every shift, every machine, every month? That’s not just being green. That’s being efficient. Fix it Before it Breaks Wouldn’t it be nice to predict the future? In manufacturing, you actually can. At least when it comes to your equipment. Automation enables condition-based or predictive maintenance, replacing the old “run-it-’til-it-breaks” approach with something a lot smarter, and far less costly. Fewer emergency repairs. A leaner spare parts inventory. Fewer surprises that bring production to a standstill. And the payoff? It’s not just smart. It’s cost-effective. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, implementing a functional predictive maintenance program delivers a 10 times return on investment. We're talking about a 25–30% reduction in maintenance costs, 70–75% fewer breakdowns, 35–40% less downtime, and a 20–25% boost in overall production.7 Not bad for simply knowing what’s about to go wrong before it actually does. A Real-World Application Real-world examples of advanced automation are no longer theoretical. They’re already in motion. Take one recent project from a major North American press manufacturer. The client? A global company headquartered in Japan, known for pushing the limits in advanced tech sectors. The project? A fully automated, lights-out production cell centered around four 10,000-ton hydraulic presses designed for forging and swaging applications. Each press cell operates autonomously, from die changes to part handling to isolating non-conforming parts without any operator intervention. Even the movement and storage of parts outside the press cells is fully automated. The hydraulic system powering it all? Four high-power pump motor groups, delivering a combined flow of 625 gallons per minute at 7,250 PSI. The presses themselves are engineering giants, each built with six steel plates measuring up to nine inches thick. Altogether, one press — including its frame, cylinder, bolster, and hydraulics — weighs in at 2.5 million pounds. But what truly sets the system apart isn’t just its physical scale,

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