What Is an Industrial Automation System? [How Does It Benefit My Business?]

 

Not very much can be said about the nature of different industries, since they all deal in different aspects of products, field their own quality control concerns, and are governed by diverse regulations.

This, however, can be said. Regardless of the industry your organization operates in, it is in the best interest of your business to improve efficiency and diminish waste. If you can get a “job” done with two employees or two machines instead of three, it’s beneficial. If you can save time by adjusting a process, it’s beneficial.

In other words, we’ve all heard it said that time is money, and since efficiency is a product of time, efficiency costs money. The more efficient an industrial process is, the more money it can save, or make.

Industrial automation and monitoring systems, managed by an industrial automation system, may be able to help with the efficiency of your organization’s processes. Industrial automation systems help to streamline industrial processes, improving efficiency, saving time, or both, thereby saving money.

Industrial Automation and Industrial Automation Systems

Industrial automation is a blanket term for any type of automation that takes place in industrial settings and helps to streamline processes. For example, industrial automation systems could be used to control the lighting or temperature of a setting or location or could be used to manage machinery or robotics. Industrial automation systems are often controlled or improved via the use of software that manages them.

Some industrial automation systems actually operate the equipment in an industrial setting, using a system of feedback loops or special sensors. These systems thereby require less manual oversight and supervision, diverting human resources to where they would be more beneficial and profitable.

Types of Industrial Automation Systems

There are two main types of industrial automation systems, which are fixed automation systems, and programmable automation systems. Sometimes, a third form of automation system is recognized, which is called flexible automation, although this is sometimes classified under programmable automation.

Fixed automation, which is also called hard automation, is the most basic form of automation, wherein fixed machines or equipment repeat the same basic processes. Fixed automation systems can be used to significantly improve production and efficiency, but once they are implemented, they can be cost-prohibitive and time-consuming to alter, upgrade or replace. This form of automation may be suitable for systems that manage processes of consistent volume that do not change significantly over time.

Programmable automation is more suitable for processes that change slightly over time, or seasonally, depending on the product being manufactured or the process being managed. As the name suggests, these systems can be reprogrammed as needed in order to adjust the process to manufacture different parts, materials, or products, even if the equipment used is the same. Flexible programmable automation systems enable a higher degree of flexibility over the automation of the system, making them suitable for frequent product or process changeovers.

Regardless of the type of automation system used by a facility, automated control systems typically result in the improvement of efficiency in processes and can deliver a significant number of benefits.

Benefits of Industrial Automation Systems

Implementing an industrial automation system can have a wide range of far reaching benefits for many industries and organizations, that can save time and money and potentially even human capital costs.

• Higher efficiency and improved productivity

Though automated facilities may not run their processes 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, that is potentially an option for continuous flow. Automated processes can run more quickly, more precisely, more efficiently, and more efficiently than human specialists, significantly boosting productivity, output, and efficiency, increasing production volumes.

• Getting products into the supply chain more quickly

Because automated equipment runs processes that are quicker and more precise than processes that have not been automated, organizations can get products to market more quickly when they have implemented them.

• Cost-cutting benefits

Installation and configuration of an industrial automation system might be expensive, but in the long run, they enable more cost-effective processes than those that are not automated or are run by human operators, cutting labor costs.

• Improved consistency and quality of finished goods

Automated processes are effectively identical through each iteration, which can improve the quality of the finished goods (which is valuable for quality assurance) and will certainly improve consistency.

• More efficient allocation of human resources

is this supposed to be "automated controlS the rellocation of human resources"?

, cutting down on the expense of human capital and shifting human attention to higher-priority, more critical tasks.

• Improved safety

Because automatic processes are precise and consistent, they can improve the safety of the workplace by helping to eliminate human error. In addition, automation can remove the human element from hazardous processes, protecting human resources.

Contact Us for Help!

Here at Major Electronix, we offer a wide range of parts for automation, including power connectors, lighting and fixtures, heating and cooling control, industry-specific tools, cable carriers and much more.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our products as well as our customer service. Call us and you’ll get a person on the phone - give us a call at 800-966-2345 and let us know how we can help!