Automation has the power to serve society. Are we still building it that way?

Automation in general has helped society do things faster, quicker, and better. It will continue to serve society. For example, with predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence, you can now predict the problem before your machine stops.

But technology used in different areas of society is also creating problems. Look at the effect of social networks on mental wellbeing. Automation is also making it faster and easier to produce different models. However, this technology has also created a social dilemma where only consuming more will make people happy. At one point in time, if you had two pairs of sneakers, you were happy with it. But now even if you have 20 pairs, you're still unhappy because the latest model just came out.

As said, the original idea of automation for OMRON was always to contribute to a better society. Now the way the society is evolving is a different ballgame altogether. The world is becoming more and more complex. To find simplicity is going to be a big challenge. People will be demanded to do many things faster. 

Will AI continue to change the world? It will. Will it create new social issues? I think it will. But the human race is very adaptive. We will find a way to coexist and evolve it into something even better. I believe that at some point the lines will blur. We will have automation, technology, AI, robots, humanoids, everything bundled into one. That is the direction we are heading, and if we continue to innovate with purpose, the future looks remarkably bright.

While AI is often used as the latest buzzword, truly understanding the power of AI and using it is a completely different story. There are so many layers to it, so many areas that need to evolve. So, when I see the word AI, I take it with a pinch of salt and want to know a little bit more. What are you using it for, and what benefits does it bring? Will it reduce costs, or improve productivity, safety? When somebody talks about implementing AI, I try to ask deeper questions.

At OMRON, we need to be clear on how AI is integrated into our product and solutions, and how it will help the customer and the consumer. If it is helping the factory shop floor with predictive analytics, knowing when to replace parts, avoiding downtime, improving productivity and saving costs. Then yes, a product with AI is actually helping you.

A plant manager has many responsibilities and goals, and automation can help make the working environment safer for people, reduce rejects, and save money, time, and effort. Automation also helps improve quality.

Labour shortage is going to become a problem in most societies, so automation is essential for compensating that. While automation will help your factory in many ways, a completely new set of talents will be required to manage this with skilled workers. As a factory, in order to attract people that really enjoy engineering, you will have to have automation on your shop floor. Only then can you attract employees who enjoy the thrill of working with technology and making it even better.

Manufacturing is going through a tremendous transformation, and the speed of transformation is becoming faster than most people expect. What used to take ten years now takes three. That cycle will keep shortening.

Are we still building automation to serve society? For OMRON, the answer has to be absolutely, every time. That is what we were founded to do. Start with a real problem, find the technology to solve it, and try until your solution works.

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