According to a report by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, the manufacturing industry will need 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, and it is likely that more than half of these jobs will go unfilled. While manufacturers continue to bridge the skilled labor gap through a variety of recruiting, training and workforce-development efforts, technology is increasingly becoming part of the solution. It can supplement current workers and simultaneously prepare the organization for the future. One of the most impactful technologies that manufacturers can utilize to solve for labor challenges is robotics.
Rather than viewing robotics as a replacement for employees, manufacturers should see them as tools that perform specific tasks and optimize their current workforce. When deployed strategically, robotics can help organizations maximize existing labor resources, improve safety and increase productivity while creating opportunities for employees to develop new skills.
From machine operator to machine administrator
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding robotics is that they eliminate jobs. In reality, many manufacturers are using robotics to address labor shortages by shifting employees into more valuable roles.
Consider a worker whose primary responsibility is focused on repetitive tasks like driving screws into a critical component on the assembly line. By automating the process with a robot, the employee is instead freed up for higher-level work like overseeing production, monitoring for quality issues, or managing other tasks.
Workers get the benefit of moving from repetitive, manual tasks to becoming robot supervisors, machine administrators or production specialists. As the adoption rate of robotics increases, these roles create opportunities for upskilling and career advancement, and they can help companies to retain valuable employees.
An aging workforce and preserving tribal knowledge
Challenges associated with labor shortages are further compounded by the retirement of experienced workers. The “tribal knowledge” developed over years of hands-on experience often only exists in the minds of veteran employees. This poses a substantial risk as companies contend with a significant and sudden loss of expertise. Increasingly, emerging technologies make it possible to harness the information and experience that would otherwise be lost.
Digital twins, AI-powered wearable devices and other technologies can record both the physical actions and decision-making processes of experienced workers. This information can be delivered to new employees via interactive training materials or used to program robots. This approach creates a much-needed bridge between generations of workers while helping manufacturers to retain and transfer knowledge.
Automating the three 'Ds': Dirty, dull and dangerous
When evaluating opportunities to use robots across the plant floor, the best candidates are those that fall into the three “D’s” – anything involving dirty, dull and dangerous work.
This is most obviously relevant in hazardous environments. Consider a scenario at an aluminum recycling facility. Employees are typically required to enter chlorine rooms daily to inspect controls, gauges and wiring associated with critical gas systems. This can be extremely dangerous, and requires specialized safety equipment and multiple personnel. By deploying autonomous mobile robots to perform these tasks, the facility can eliminate the need for workers to enter the hazardous area altogether while still maintaining critical operational oversight.
Repetitive tasks are also a prime example of where robots can impact worker safety. Machine loading and unloading, part handling, material movement and assembly often involve little variation and can be performed reliably by robots. For human workers, however, these activities can contribute to repetitive stress, ergonomic injuries and worker fatigue.
But it’s not just the physical strain. Employees performing the same task for hours may experience reduced attentiveness, sometimes referred to as "highway hypnosis," increasing the likelihood of mistakes or injuries. Unlike humans, robots are not subject to these same concerns and can offer a practical way to offload these risks.
Embracing collaborative robots to amplify production
Not every robotic application involves reassigning a human entirely. Collaborative robots, or cobots, are designed to work alongside skilled employees and enhance their productivity. These systems excel in instances where human judgment and dexterity remain essential, but physical strain needs to be reduced.
For example, in lifting applications, a cobot can support the weight and positioning of a large component while a technician performs detailed assembly or finishing work. In deburring operations, the robot may hold or manipulate the part while the employee focuses on precision tasks. This collaborative approach improves productivity while reducing the physical burden on workers. It also helps address retention challenges by creating a more comfortable and sustainable work environment – a critical factor in keeping skilled laborers on the job.
Ensuring success with robotics
Simply implementing robotics to handle key tasks on the plant floor does not guarantee success. Employee acceptance and adoption remains one of the most important factors for any technology implementation. Manufacturers that understand and communicate that robotics are part of a workforce-enablement strategy rather than a workforce-reduction strategy are more likely to gain support. Communicating that robotics can remove undesirable tasks and create opportunities for skill development and advancement helps to garner more acceptance.
For companies concerned about adoption, pilot programs can be an effective starting point. Implementing robotics at a smaller scale through a single process or department allows employees to experience the benefits firsthand while giving organizations time to develop internal expertise.
As labor shortages continue and experienced workers retire, robotics will become an increasingly important component of any manufacturing workforce strategy. The most successful manufacturers will not be those that replace people with machines, but those that use robotics to empower employees, preserve critical knowledge, improve safety and maximize the value of the workforce they already have.
