The Efficiency of Robotics and Machine Automation vs.

Human Labor on Factory Production

Technology is continually changing as the years go by. Just like every technology out there, it
promises to change our lives for the better. Either, it will improve our performance in working at a faster
rate or further connect ourselves to the rest of the world. Evidently, whenever a new technology shows
up, fear will start lingering on their minds and from time to time, they tend to think more about the
disadvantages instead of its benefits. These fears will continue to grow together with the new
technology constantly being manufactured as new innovations have the potential to replace their work
with Automation Robots. Consequently, ​robot automation has become more efficient for manufacturers
than human labor than ever before​. They ​make everyday products cheaper and more abundant for the
rest of society. (pakisali nlng ng meaning sa automation sa intro

Technology has been continually changing as the years go by. One of the impending changes in
society is the robotic and machine automation technologies that manufacturers use nowadays. Robotics
and machine automation refers to software that can be programmed to do tasks similar to human
workers. The software can be taught a workflow to perform various tasks such as arithmetic problems,
filling forms, physical labor and so on. Just like every technology out there, it promises to change the
lives of every citizen for the better. Either it will improve their performance in working at a faster rate or
further connect everyone to the rest of the world. Evidently, whenever robotics and machine
automation become more efficient, fear will start lingering on their minds and from time to time, they
tend to think more about the disadvantages instead of its benefits. These fears will continue to grow
together with the new and updated software constantly being manufactured as new innovations have
the potential to replace their work with automation technologies (Brown, 2018). People overlooked the
fact that automation is making human labor more valuable. They make everyday products cheaper and
more abundant for the rest of society. ​Consequently, robotics and machine automation is far more
efficient than human labor in terms of productivity and cost-effectiveness.

Technology has been continually changing as the years go by. One of the impending changes in
society today are the Robotic and Machine Automation Technologies that manufacturers use nowadays.
Robotics and Machine Automation refers to software that can be programmed to do tasks similar to
human workers. The software can be taught a workflow to perform various tasks such as arithmetic
problems, filling forms, physical labor and so on. Just like every technology out there, it promises to
change the lives of every citizen for the better. Either it will improve their performance in working at a
faster rate or further connect everyone to the rest of the world. Evidently, whenever Robotic and
Machine Automation become more efficient, fear will start lingering on their minds and from time to
time, they tend to think more about the disadvantages instead of its benefits. These fears will continue
to grow together with the new and updated software constantly being manufactured as new
innovations have the potential to replace their work with Automation Technologies (Brown, 2018).
People overlook the idea that Automation is more likely to change their jobs, not eliminating it
completely. In fact, Robotic and Machine Automation is making human labor more valuable than ever
before. They make everyday products cheaper and more abundant for the rest of society. Consequently,
Robotic and Machine Automation is far more efficient than human labor in terms of productivity and
cost-effectiveness.

“Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the application of technology that allows

employees in a company to configure computer software or a “robot” to capture and interpret
existing applications for processing a transaction, manipulating data, triggering responses and
communicating with other digital systems. Any company that uses labor on a large scale for
general knowledge process work, where people are performing high-volume, highly
transactional process functions, will boost their capabilities and save money and time with
robotic process automation software. Just as industrial robots are remaking the manufacturing
industry by creating higher production rates and improved quality, RPA “robots” are
revolutionizing the way we think about and administer business processes, IT support processes,
workflow processes, remote infrastructure, and back-office work. RPA provides dramatic
improvements in accuracy and cycle time and increased productivity in transaction processing
while it elevates the nature of work by removing people from dull, repetitive tasks”. (Institute
For Robotic Process Automation, 2019)

Factory automation is far more work-efficient as they perform certain tasks at a faster rate
compared to humans. Machines that are automated speeds up the production without losing its notable
display of consistency and accuracy. Amazon is one of the companies that already added new machines
in warehouses that can fully load boxes in preparation for shipping. The people who are part of this
project said that these machines can process about 600 to 700 boxes an hour. This is about four to five
times faster than humans could do the job (Lynn, 2019). This makes it efficient for the performance of
most of the duties, especially where time is a limiting factor and will enable it to produce a lot of good
quality products or services within a short duration of time. With a machine, an organization will be able
to meet all deadlines and ensure that there are no delays to its customers.

Machines are cost-effective. Although they make an expensive purchase, this is an investment and
there is no need to pay for salary or a wage that could potentially lower labor costs. In a study
conducted by Chui 2016, says that bar-code scanners (a form of automated machinery) made labor cost
low up to 4.5%. These automated machineries do not need allowances and salary increments like
human beings. The organization reduces its cost of production by a high percentage as the machines will
replace the need for human labor and thus making it cheap for the organization to operate. The only
expenses for the machines are its acquirement and its maintenance which is far much less than what
would be the cost of paying employees if they were the ones working.

Robots need human intervention for maintenance and operating purposes, like robots, cannot
operate nor maintain on their own. The robots are also not flexible and cannot adjust themselves
accordingly to specific unexpected changes unlike humans, robots are fully dependent on the code
programmed onto them. This argument is supported by Ridley (1998), who stated that machines only
operate on commands alone, without commands, the operation would not be possible. Thus, meaning
that robots cannot move without orders and cannot adjust themselves accordingly to possible situations
that require changes and modifications. Shedletsky (2018) also stated that human operators and
workers are quick to adjust and are infinitely flexible to changes, while robots need to be reprogrammed
for a long amount of time in order to change their command and flow of actions. In another article by
SPTechnology (2018), the rise of industrial robots has increased over time but there is an underlying
premise that these technologies are only limited to tasks which they can perform. The initial setup of
robots also needs lots of expertise from an engineer, as the robot maintenance requires both factors of
training and experience. Therefore, factory robot automation needs human help in order to completely
maintain full operability and condition; this is all necessary in order for the robots to work efficiently and
effectively.

Robots are void of critical thinking and creativity compared to humans who can. While
technology has progressed to the extent that it can execute tasks with excellent speed and precision,
critical thinking is still far from the capabilities of a robot. Robots are often taught to do routine tasks,
but when confronted with eventualities that go beyond what it has learned, it can not make choices. A
human being can, for example, improvise or follow instincts, but a machine can not. Consider, for
example, a nurse or doctor who wants to make sense of separate pieces of data in order to determine a
patient's best course of action in a medical emergency. Another skill that provides an advantage over
robots to humans is strategic thinking, which is essentially the capacity to formulate initiatives. Similar to
critical thinking, strategic thinking needs that an individual can make choices based on data assessment,
including their complicated interactions with each other. Strategic thinking, which is fundamentally the
ability to formulate projects, is another skill that offers benefits over robots to humans. Similar to critical
thinking, strategic thinking requires people, including their complex interactions with each other, to
make decisions based on data evaluation.

Robotic and Machine Automation is far more efficient than human labor in terms of productivity
and cost-effectiveness. Based on the supporting arguments above Robotic Automation makes
production faster and is cost-effective. Also, robots don't have limits unlike humans they get tired.
However, Robotic Automation is not without its disadvantages. Robots cannot fix their own if there is a
malfunction on its parts and while robots are programmed to do tasks, humans, on the other hand, can
adjust and think rationally and critically which robots cannot do. So far most companies like Amazon
uses machines to operate their business than using human labor because of the efficiency it gives. In
today’s modern society automation has greatly improved the situation on businesses in terms of
production. It is undeniable that robotic automation is more preferred than human labor because
companies are using it. Hence, robotic automation is more reliable. Therefore, Robotic Automation in
factories is more efficient than human labor.

References:

https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/learningenglish.voanews.com/amp/4918141.html

The average annual wage for entry-level factory employees is around $25,000 a year. The robotic worker
Baxter, on the other hand, costs $32,000. Baxter costs little more to purchase than the cost of paying
the average human factory employee. Baxter doesn’t need breaks, won’t get injured, and doesn’t make
errors. On paper, it seems like robotic workers are significantly more cost-effective than human workers.

First, the purchase price with accessories and warranty is now $32,000, while just a couple of years ago
Baxter sold for $22,000. How many more enormous price increases will we see? How many new
accessories will you need? You can set the wage you’re willing to pay for a human worker, but Baxter is
a product, so the manufacturer sets the price.

The operating costs, counting $52/month in electricity, depreciation, and the initial purchase price —
work out to about $871 a month. This is quite a bit less than what’s paid to a human worker. But Baxter
robots can’t actually replace human workers. They require operators. The human operators at a plant
full of robots will not be entry-level. They’ll be more highly paid than the entry-level workers. There will
be fewer of them, but there will still need to be human workers to build, train, oversee, and maintain
the Baxter robots.

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Machines vs. Human Workers. Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/machines-vs-human-workers-business-essay.php?vref=1

Shedletsky. (2018). When Factories Have a Choice Between Robots and People, It’s Best To Start With
People. Retrieved from:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/annashedletsky/2018/06/11/when-factories-have-a-choice-between-rob
ots-and-people-its-best-to-start-with-people/#5f1d350a6d5f

SPTechnology. (2018). Disadvantages of Industrial Robots. Retrieved from:

https://www.sptechnology.co.uk/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-industrial-robots/