Patrick Medlin, COO, Amada America Inc.
April, 2024: Face Time
Q: How can fabricators capitalize on the prevailing reshoring trend?
A: The pivotal step is to embark on the automation journey now. Companies demonstrating rapid capacity scaling and cost control to clients will be able to seize upon reshoring opportunities. Automation, once synonymous with large-scale operations, now benefits firms of all sizes, enhancing efficiency, expanding the workforce and fostering growth. It’s a misconception that automation is all or nothing; it’s a flexible spectrum tailored to individual needs, minimizing risks and disruptions while maximizing benefits. Moreover, investing in workforce development is paramount. As more skilled workers become available to tackle new challenges, it’s essential to invest in their education and training. Apprenticeship programs at high schools, community colleges, trade schools, as well as leadership and management training, can be invaluable for both near-term and long-term growth and development, both for companies and their workforces. It is equally important to ensure that your entire workforce receives soft skills training and to recognize that the upcoming generation communicates using diverse methods and platforms. Numerous recent articles and books highlight the necessity for younger generations to feel connected to a larger collective purpose that surpasses the individual experience.
Q: What guidance would you offer to companies hesitant about embracing automation?
A: Begin with simplicity. Introducing collaborative robots to automate specific tasks in fabrication, like low-mix, high-volume bending or welding, offers tangible results. Similarly, starting with load/unload blanking automation paves the path for parts picking and sorting, aiming for seamless solutions. These approaches are cost-effective, userfriendly and ideal for resource-constrained companies. By automating repetitive tasks, productivity rises, errors diminish and
skilled resources focus on value-added work. The next natural step entails transitioning more complicated processes to automation, alongside the integration of autonomous mobile robots to enhance and optimize logistics operations. It all comes down to strategic scalability.
Q: What are some of the secondary benefits of integrating automation?
A: Shorter lead times, elimination of bottlenecks and more streamlined processes are probable outcomes. Through the automation of critical tasks like material handling and pick-and-place operations, companies experience smoother workflows and reduced delays from manual intervention. This leads to shorter lead times and faster turnaround
while elevating customer satisfaction. Additionally, the reduction of work-in-process inventory allows companies to optimize floor space usage and enhance cash flow. As companies advance from simple to more sophisticated automation solutions, they unlock additional benefits. They gain the capability to handle high-mix, low-volume jobs
efficiently, while continually reducing lot sizes.
Q: What reassurance can you provide to workers concerned about automation displacing their roles?
A: Workers faced comparable anxieties throughout the Industrial Revolution. Today, the demand for skilled workers and adept problem solvers has intensified. Automation serves as a force multiplier, amplifying the capabilities of production workers. Metal fabrication companies now harness automation to create a virtual workforce that operates tirelessly, even in the absence of human supervision, enabling them to unlock the potential of lights-out operations. This strategic integration of automation significantly bolsters production capacity without the expansion of the labor force, thereby amplifying overall efficiency. Moreover, automation reshapes the nature of work by reallocating mundane, repetitive tasks to machinery, thus liberating skilled workers to concentrate on addressing intricate challenges. This not only enhances productivity but also fosters a safer work environment, as machines assume tasks prone to human error or physical risk.
Q: Would you like to add any further insights?
A: Despite recent economic growth, the U.S. manufacturing sector remains 25 percent smaller than at its 1997 peak. Automation is transforming metal fabrication processes for companies of all sizes, unlocking opportunities to boost efficiency, expand the workforce, and drive growth. A gradual automation approach allows for manageable progression. Partnering with proven solution providers offering flexible, modular systems ensures a smooth transition. With automation evolving rapidly, embracing it strategically promises significant benefits. Despite recent supply chain challenges, optimism abounds for North American manufacturing. The convergence of reshoring initiatives and substantial infrastructure investments signals a promising future for the manufacturing sector.
With almost 30 years of manufacturing experience, two decades of that working with machine tools, PATRICK MEDLIN was appointed chief manufacturing officer at AMADA AMERICA Inc. in 2018, and assumed the COO role in April 2022.
