Let’s face it, automation rules the day. Give me a problem, and I’ll show you how automation is the answer.
However, with the dizzying array of automation solutions available, finding the right solution the first time isn’t so easy.
I always say “the first time is the hardest time.” I’m going to share 4 tips from my personal experience that should make life much easier for you:
#1: Take a Step Back and Align Tech Properly
You’ve decided you need an automation solution (or solutions). That’s great. But before you start scheduling demos and compiling RFI’s, take a step back and focus on the key business outcome you’re concerned about.
You need to start with the critical business problem and then work your way back from there. Your tech stack needs to align with your desired business outcomes, not the other way around. That seems obvious, but what we’ve seen happen so often is that automation projects are approached from a technology perspective first.
And I’ll tell you right now, that by focusing on the business-case first, you will end up with an orchestrated portfolio of alternative business automation solutions. Unfortunately with enterprise automation, there’s no silver bullet and no single-point solution.
Think About New Ways of Working
Your desired business outcome should include ideas like:
- New ways of working
- Additional services you’ll be providing
- New levels of engagement (both inside and outside your organization)
- New business outcomes that improve existing operations
In my opinion, the healthcare industry has some of the toughest challenges to solve. And it makes sense because modernizing these systems provides massive return on investment through better revenue cycle management.
First, clearly define what problems need to be solved, and the desired outcomes. Then next focus on automating the right process steps (rather than automating bad processes).
#2: Focus on the
Right Processes
What's the most ideal process required to solve the business objective? Starting with the process ensures you focus on the right things first. What process steps need to be enhanced, added, or eliminated?
Here’s where automation begins to take stage. For example:
- If you know early on in a process that you’re dealing with paper-based claims, you know you’ll need a solution to automate optical character recognition.
- If you're dealing with multiple login screens, you know you need RPA.
Let the process dictate the needs.
The best way to analyze processes is with the help of a business analyst (BA). Most seasoned vendors provide BA services during pre-sales and in implementation. They’ll ensure front-line workers are involved and help key business stakeholders define successful outcomes.
Many times, in process redesign, you’ll discover ways of integrating internal and external data systems to completely remove steps that human workers used to perform.
In healthcare for example, institutions streamline eligibility processes by eliminating manual data entry / look-ups, or by automating tasks in financial reconciliations with data extraction and verifications.
#3: How to Choose the Right Tools for the Job
As a vendor in automated intelligence solutions, I’ll be first to tell you there’s a lot of shady sales propaganda out there!
And we’ve seen it all... From sweeping claims about A.I. that "can solve it all," to easy robotic process automation that tackles any manual task.
BIG TIP:
The reality is that powerful business automation is actually extremely challenging
.
Automation, done right, will involve multiple business automation solutions and technologies all working in harmony.
Don’t be too quick to pull the trigger on a one-size-fits-all solution. They don’t exist. You really need to partner with vendors who are willing to go on a journey with you.
While outcomes may be similar within industries, the path to get there is always unique. I’ve found that the best outcomes come from a unified vision between the vendor and the customer.
Why You Need to Communicate Company-Wide
And the worst outcomes are certainly from mis-matched expectations and lack of adhering to a master data model. When multiple departments deploy solutions without communicating outside their own lines of business, it almost always spells trouble (or at the very least, missed opportunity).
The bottom line is that your organization’s executive team has got to be involved because automation solutions almost always requires redesign of core processes. What is the cost of failure? And what’s the definition of success in terms of revenue? You’ve got to be clear.
In order to choose the best tools, you need to understand a few key things:
#4: Remember These 3 Keys to Choose the Right Business Automation Solutions
Key 1: Your Workflow & The Human Element
What’s the intended workflow going to look like? You need a solid understanding of overall volume and the sources of information.
All too often we see technology "fail" because of something simple like a change in a form’s layout. Another big hang-up is workflow that changes based on logic or human decision-making. You’ve always got to factor in the human element.
Key 2: Your Data - It's Usually Hard to Get to
This is a big one. It is easy to assume that data is easy to get to. In reality, it most often isn’t.
There’s always going to be the problem of how to handle unstructured or variable (changing) data sets. This includes data in the form of paper, video, and audio. You might have an ongoing digitization problem that needs to be solved.
Different or alternative business automation solutions have different strengths and weaknesses. By understanding your data needs first, you’ll reduce the risk of surprises later on.
Key 3: Your Systems - How to Integrate & Train?
How will you integrate or enhance legacy systems? Is a pre-built solution a better choice than building something using existing tools? What about alternative business automation solutions
I think the most overlooked considerations in system decision-making are the costs to train and implement the solution. You really need to consider?
- Is the training going to be painful?
- Will you need new specialist skill-sets to ensure success?
- If the solution uses machine learning, for example, will you be able to build a single rules-based model that doesn’t change? Or will you need to build new models on the fly?
A Few of
My Final Thoughts
on Choosing Automation Solutions:
By answering these kinds of questions you’ll be able to achieve much better alignment with your technology selections. Here are 3 final thoughts:
- You’ll need to
plan to invest a significant amount of internal resources to ensure success
. This is because many powerful automation platforms, including our own, are basically “blank slates” that require stakeholder input to achieve desired business results.
Above all, build a culture
that focuses on combining the best functionalities from multiple technology platforms to solve business problems in the best way possible.- Commit to continuous improvement and proactively (and regularly) assess business processes and desired outcomes.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Reader Question:
We have been shopping automation solutions for a few of our machines to keep up with production. The company we’re working with has many options of robots, cobots, pallet systems and even robot-loading pallet systems. Can you help us differentiate these options and where we might use each?
Miller’s Answer:
Of all the advancements in our industry, I find the proliferation of automation to be one of the most interesting for shops. What used to be reserved for higher volume manufacturers, is now available in compact, flexible solutions that are adaptable to any platform or controller type.
Historically, what hasn’t changed in the space is our means to get work in front of spindles. Even when automation was reserved for only the highest volume manufacturers, you either had a transfer system, which shuttled a workpiece on a dedicated fixture to many process steps, or you had a robot, which tended to a machining center one part at a time. So, to keep this decision simpler for your shop, and frame future automation decisions, there are essentially only two types of automation solutions: workpiece handling and pallet handling.
Workpiece Handling vs. Pallet Handling
A workpiece-handling solution is one where the automation is taking the raw material and loading it directly into a common workholding device. This could be done through a robot arm, a gantry arm or even a bar feeder, while the machine side will have chuck, air vise or even a custom hydraulic or pneumatic solution to receive the material for processing.
A pallet-handling system shuttles the workholding — with the workpieces already loaded — to the machine through a common connection type. This is often accomplished through retention studs that firmly hold the pallet to the machine, with a very repeatable connection so work offsets are consistent from load to load.
A workpiece solution requires a little more attention to how the part is loaded, the logic between machine and robot and attention to chip control. However, something like a collaborative robot can be very flexible for a shop loading a mill on Monday and a lathe on a Tuesday. A pallet-handling solution can consume a lot of cost upfront due to the extra workholding in the same way you would need to fill a tool magazine on a new machine, but these pallets are then setup in perpetuity, available on-demand as they are needed.
There are distinct advantages to each type that make both appealing options for shops. To make the best decision, the broader shop picture should be considered. The goal is to find the payoff of set up time vs run time. For example, a robot may require some time to work out the motion and logic for each run, while a pallet system will require a lot of time finding work offsets for each incoming pallet but is a one-time activity. Each of these is time not cutting metal, so the productivity benefit to taking time away for these activities should be considered.
If the bulk of your work is longer runs that can be fed into a common workholding system, such as vises for Op1 and soft jaws for Op2, a workpiece-handling solution makes sense. You get the productivity of automation without the unnecessary expense of extra pallets and the workholding for them.
If your work is very diverse and runs are short, like a prototyping shop, a pallet system will make more sense. Setting up a robot in this instance may feel cumbersome for each run, but you can set up your most common workholding solutions once on a series of pallets, knowing that when you need them, they will repeat. The advantage here is virtually eliminating setup times for future projects.
Another thing to think about is what implementation your shop prefers. With modern solutions, a pallet system can do a single part cost effectively, and a workpiece handler can absorb some mix of parts efficiently, so even if one solution may be more ideal than another when focused on part and process, things like floorspace, ease of implementation and operator expertise, become equally valid decision points. Modern pallet systems have become very compact and are tightly integrated into the machine’s controller, which means the learning curve is very low. Modern robots can easily change grippers and are programmed in a simplistic way. Therefore, two shops with similar incoming work may come to two equally productive and profitable solutions in their own way.
The nice part about modern automation that I haven’t discussed yet is that none of it needs to be permanent. Meaning, a decision you make to satisfy today’s constraints can likely be refitted or redeployed for future needs. A workpiece solution can easily flex from machine to machine, and a pallet solution can solve the solution of high-volume or high-mix work with just workholding changes.
Do you have a machining question? Ask the expert. John Miller leans on more than a decade of industry experience to answer machining questions from MMS readers. Submit your question online at www.mmsonline.com/zc/mms-millers-edge-column