Three New Year’s resolutions for manufacturing professionals

December 21, 2020

1 min read

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New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity to turn the problems of the previous year into the opportunities of the next one. Here are three suggestions from us.

1. Automate routine tasks

Why?

• Cope with the usual amount of work, plus extra tasks such as daily deep cleaning
• Facilitate social distancing — robots could replace humans in repetitive tasks
• Maximise productivity and make up for lost income

How?

• Consider investing in advanced robotics solutions. These don’t have to be cost-prohibitive — there’s a robot for any budget.
• Visit EU Automation’s online learning platform for countless resources on how to choose the best robot for your application.
• Research industrial cleaning robots — a great ally for a safe and productive 2021.

Bonus tip: Good New Year’s resolutions need clear objectives — if you decide to automate, establish specific KPIs and research the best solutions to reach them.

2. Improve your supply chain

Why?

• 2020 has revealed the shortcoming of long, complex supply chains

How?

• Eliminate single-source dependencies
• Add local and regional suppliers to your approved suppliers list
• Invest in inventory management solutions that provide visibility across all nodes of your supply chains, beyond tier-1 suppliers

Bonus tip: To predict demand, move away from historical statistical models. These consider unpredictable events as anomalies and discard them from their data: in 2021, this is no longer an option.

3. Produce sustainably

Why?

• Improve your public image — consumers are paying more attention to the sustainability practices of the companies they buy from
• Save money in the long-run — sustainable processes are less energy-intensive

How?

• Improve your plant’s energy efficiency by installing variable speed drives and optimising your HVAC system
• Visit EU Automation’s Knowledge Hub — we have a dedicated section on sustainability and the circular economy to help you out

Bonus tip: get your employees on board — nominate a sustainability champion who will provide feedback on how the company is progressing towards its sustainability targets.

While 2020 was the year of challenges, 2021 might be the one of rebirth — EU Automation has stood by manufacturers’ side during unprecedented times, and will continue to do so in the new year.