Was the automation decision good for improving productivity?

Automobile companies improved their global competitiveness and achieved economic success with the use of computer-integrated manufacturing. Was the automation decision good for improving productivity? Was the automation decision defensible on ethical grounds (job losses)? Be sure to make a good argument for your position.

First Post: Enter your original response to this question. Support your response with evidence from the readings or other resources. It is not necessary to provide formal citations, but you should give the sources of your information.

Subsequent Posts: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ discussion posts. Further the discussion and make it interesting. Support your response with evidence and provide your sources, at least informally.

*UPON COMPLETION MUST RESPOND TO 2 CLASSMATES POST, PRICE INCLUDED.

Week 1, Mod 1 Discussion

Kenneth Leiker

Automation in the automobile industry is definitely a positive for the industry as a whole, but it certainly doesn’t come without a price…typically jobs!  Really though looking at the enterprise level, any of the major manufacturers had no real choice other than doing this…all comes down to competition and making the most efficient operations possible to grow the bottom line of the company.

Through research, I found it interesting that the auto industry has been automating for decades!  “The automobile industry is no stranger to automation. It is, in fact a pioneer in this area, having started out on its journey in the 1960s. There is very little in the assembly line or supply chain that is not fully optimized, and even less left to gain.” (Infosys, 2019).  This obviously has been done in a stepped approach over the years so the worker, consumers, and the company had ample time to grow with these changes, it is none the less very impactful to the most important resource of the company…the workers.

Overall, I view the automation as a positive, although the negatives are quite disturbing as well!

Ken

Reference:  (Inofsys, 2019)  https://www.infosys.com/insights/ai-automation/Pages/what-more-can-automation-bring-to-the-automotive-business.aspx

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Week 1 Module 1 Discussion Question

Preston Garris

Classmates,

Today’s flexible plants incorporate such a high level of automation, including robots, conveyors, fixtures and other equipment. This is a must in order to remain competitive in the automotive industry because they must be able to analyze data and correlate information in a very quick manner in order to make the necessary changes quickly. The goal is always to optimize production to in order to ensure the customer is happy and the business continues to make a profit. Automation facilitates this process. Though with so much automation in some instances it causes less of a need for humans which decreases human error. Though humans are still necessary, and it requires them to be more technically savvy and computer smart to be able to operate the equipment. This requires a varied skill set. both the assets and employees can be reprogrammed or reconfigured to build vehicles with vastly different designs-such as a four-door sedan versus a pickup truck. Today’s customers demand more and more customization which requires changes and automation captures the needs in a faster manner with a larger information set in a shorter period of time. Automation does reduce jobs in some instances though it is necessary to be able to compete within the automotive industry. There are still jobs available the individual’s skill set may have to increase to obtain those jobs. That’s why I would argue automation is a necessary to compete within this field and ethically it is acceptable due to the ever changing customer demands.

 

Teresko, J. (2006). maximize production by automating for safety. Industry Week, 255(11), 18.

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