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In the process industry, technology is advancing at full speed. More and more production processes are being automated, creating highly technical machine parks. This does not alter the fact that the supply chain can sometimes be quite erratic. And therefore the need to be able to respond ad hoc to unexpected variations and nuances in the streamlined, almost automatically running production. It is precisely then that it is essential that people can make adjustments or intervene. It requires a lot of new knowledge about the way modern machines think and work.
In order to achieve strategically set goals and achieve maximum results, people, machines and processes must perform in optimal balance. For years, this was a matter of precisely recorded process descriptions and good coordination between people and knowing the operation of the largely analogue, mechanical machinery through and through. Where in particular, process operators and their direct colleagues literally had control of the processes with their hands on the machine.
Increasingly, machines equipped with high-quality technology and ingenious automation do the work themselves. Machines can think for themselves based on data and smart software and can also 'talk and switch' with each other. But there's no sitting back. People will have to keep a grip on the process and the decisions to be made at all times, literally and figuratively. Especially at crucial moments when things go slightly differently than planned and pre-programmed somewhere in the supply chain.
As an example, let's look at the sudden moment when one or more machines decide to stop. It is therefore essential to know what a machine 'thinks' based on what it has been taught. Why doesn't it trust the quality of a raw material? Or why does it reject an end product and not follow the path towards logistics and the customer? The question then is what action is needed to ensure that the production process restarts as quickly as possible. Is the machine right? Should it be set up slightly differently? Compare it to the smart heating thermostat that is installed in more and more households. The thing automatically thinks and does a lot itself. In principle, you don't have to worry about it. But you still have to understand how it works, why it does what it does and how you can keep a grip on the comfort in your home if you wish.
The innovative process industry is therefore about searching and finding the new balance between man and machine. The best of both worlds. A very simple, practical example proves that. Imagine: a piece of broken wood protrudes from a pallet with raw material to be included in the process. Smart sensors in a machine then stop the process. To prevent problems, jams, loss of quality or even dangerous situations. You understand the decision of the machine immediately. But you will have to remove the lump of wood or remove the pallet from the process. Enough moments when the naked eye and the mind of man are still indispensable.
It is important for the entire organization to find the optimum in confidence. The optimum between being able and daring to leave tasks and processes to technology and automation on the one hand and the people who are and remain responsible for the end result on the other. The speed. The efficiency. Safety. The final product. The quality of it. And customer satisfaction. The old adage that automation makes people's work less important, fun and engaging does not make sense. On the contrary. It requires new competencies and different ways of thinking and looking. And so the training and further development of people is essential and offers them plenty of new challenges.
So on to the new balance between man and automated machines. Of course, we must not forget that this same automation also brings other wonderful benefits. Data provides new insights that people previously could not develop or only with a lot of effort. Data enables people at all levels to steer even more accurately and on a more detailed level. A highly automated machine park, years of knowledge and experience built up within the organization and the aforementioned healthy and trained sense of people together form the basis for success in the modern process industry.
Jan-Pieter Kuipers
Principal Consultant ARV Group
‘Automated machinery, knowledge, experience and the healthy, trained mind of people together form the basis for success.'