1.3 Automation

Automation replaces Humans

By way of example, one particular assigned project involved a business Owner that wanted to use as much Automation technology as possible in his labour-based factory that employed around 200 blue-collar Human workers. When our engineering team first walked through this somewhat archaic factory to try and understand what was going on, it became apparent the only technologies in the factory were the overhead lights and the worker's punch clock. It was also quite shocking to observe so many workers crammed in an environment with such bad OH&S protection. Given every project seen to date, this particular factory set a whole new benchmark for 'stupidly dangerous' workplace.

Well, it was a very difficult Automation engineering project for the team, but less than a year later, the entire factory ran using 1 very large Automated Machine with incredible computer vision systems. Our engineering team assisted the Owner with hiring 1 additional white-collar Human worker to technically supervise the Machine's operation, and the Owner kept 1 remaining blue-collar Human worker who was fork-lifting raw materials into the Automated Machine, and then fork-lifting finished boxed products out of the Automated Machine into trucks. Everyone else was made redundant by the Automation.

Personally rationalizing this Automation work and the assured outcome for so many workers was awful. Our boss would say it's the harsh price of staying in business versus competitors who will gladly step in and replace our Automation engineering team to do the project. But still, there's no question... it's Humanly brutal.

Well, as you might expect, the business Owner was gleefully ecstatic with this Automation because his return on investment was ridiculously large. All of the blue-collar Human workers absolutely hated it because they all had to find alternative work, except the fork-lift driver. From a pure business perspective for the business Owner, it was a very large one-off fixed capital cost going in, near total elimination of his OH&S risks and penalties including potential imprisonment for his blatant safety negligence, and a large continuous labor cost nearly gone. Never seen a happier business Owner.

This type of Automation work happened over and over again. Bleeding-edge Computers and Automated Machines, lots of robotics and other technologies, teams of skilled engineers, a really big invoice, ecstatic grinning Owners (except for when they were handed the invoice), threats of severe injury or death from hazardous industrial environments and MANY displaced Human workers. This is Automation.

The Hard Limit of Automation

Through years of Automation work it became very obvious that there was a definite Hard Limit on Automation’s ability to replace Human workers, that was essentially defined by just one thing; the level of Intelligence and specific Capabilities that were required to do the work. 

Of course, there are many different types of Intelligence, and some work requires a special type or level of Intelligence with associated Capabilities that cannot be Automated. eg. Driving a large fork-lift in a highly complex, hazardous and variable work environment without risk of damaging millions of dollars of equipment and seriously injuring or killing Humans. 

Notably, time and the advancements in Computer technology are changing this. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) have been used for more than 20 years and have recently become more Capable in the most complex fork-lift environments, however the Automation equipment overall generally still needs to be supervised and maintained in some way by specially skilled Humans. Not always, but usually.

Over the years, Automation technologies have advanced with increasingly more Capabilities in both the industrial environments and general office work environments. Today, there are many office jobs that are now fully Automated. The implementation of increasingly more Intelligent software systems has been been progressively replacing more complex roles in general office work environments across many industries including: 

• Automotive.

• Manufacturing.

• Mining & Minerals.

• Process Industries.

• FMCG.

• Consumer Electronics.

• Banking.

• Financial Services.

• Insurance.

• Legal Services.

• Healthcare.

• Life Sciences.

• Law Enforcement.

• Security Services.

• Information Technology.

• Government Services.

However, no matter what type of work environment and job, there has always been a Hard Limit to using Automation to totally replace every Human in every type of work environment. 

That is, Until now.