Driving efficiency should be a key priority manufacturers

1. Implement a long-term strategy

While embracing Industry 4.0 is essential, automation won’t happen overnight but requires a measured and considered approach. Manufacturers can start by evaluating their existing business, understanding areas of digital strength or weakness, and determining which systems or mechanisms can be improved and built upon, or which need to be replaced. They should identify specific end-to-end processes where the implementation of new technologies will achieve the greatest long-term benefits, rather than looking for short-term wins. When implementing new technologies manufacturers should explore a variety of solutions and weigh up the specific costs and benefits to the business, rather than simply following industry trends, and should then employ continuous testing to ensure the transition stays on track. A gradual transition will help build workforce trust in new technologies and create understanding of why they are necessary.

2. Focus on training and development

Working alongside new technologies will bring different skill requirements, and the changing nature of job roles in automated factories will inevitably require an emphasis on retraining and upskilling workers. Manufacturers will need to implement continuous training and development programmes, taking into account that the workers most significantly impacted by automation may well be feeling de-motivated, and need to retrain from a basic level. By providing appropriate and realistic retraining as well as social support to workers whose jobs have disappeared or dramatically changed will be a key responsibility for manufacturers.

3. Put the right people in place

Transitioning to new technologies requires commitment from all levels of the business, so appointing an individual at exec-level to lead and champion digital transformation is essential. While upskilling the existing workforce to operate alongside new technologies should be the key focus, outside expertise in specific technologies will almost certainly need to be brought in. This will be either permanently or temporarily, to allow the sharing of knowledge and new skills and to make the most effective use of innovation.

Industry 4.0 brings exciting opportunities to the UK manufacturing industry, and while emerging technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence will undoubtedly have a disruptive impact on the workforce, this doesn’t necessarily mean widespread job loss. By taking a measured, long-term approach to automation, upskilling employees to work alongside machines rather than being replaced by them, and bringing in the necessary expertise, manufacturers can create more efficient, productive factories without making their workers obsolete.