5 Key Industrial Automation Trends in 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: Listen to our Automation Chat podcast, “9 Industrial Automation Trends in 2023,” with Executive Editor Theresa Houck. She discusses use of more-accessible automation, automation & sustainability, no-code automation, additive manufacturing, AI, VR, AR, robots & cobots, blockchain, 5G, wearables and more. Listen on your favorite podcast app or on the web.

Many industrial automation trends become trends because manufacturers and producers are using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies and strategies to improve agility, productivity and performance. Considering that you’ve had to face the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and the skilled labor shortage, you need every advantage you can get to mitigate these obstacles.

All these trends revolve around digital transformation. And digital transformation is all about data. So, let’s dive in and examine 5 key trends in 2023.

1. Increasing use of automation to deal with the skilled worker shortage.

The increased use of automation focuses on boosting productivity and getting more done with fewer workers. Many companies are turning to robots. This includes autonomous robots, collaborative robots, called “cobots,” software robots, called “bots,” and mobile robots. They all can be configured through software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate routine tasks.

For example, cobots can work next to humans to increase their productivity. Cobots can perform a range of tasks, such as assembly, packaging and machine tending. They increase production-line efficiency and decrease labor costs.

Autonomous robotics are helping in many ways. For example, robotic arms can spray fabric in clothing-manufacturing processes, or sew stitches in fabric. Or they can replace workers in hazardous environments to minimize accidents. And robotic arms that improve dexterity and precision can be used to streamline welding, picking, placing and 3D printing workflows.

Of course, using automation won’t solve all skilled worker shortages, but it gives industrial firms more options to deal with them.

2. Artificial Intelligence.

This trend is one of the most dynamic in the field of automation. AI is disrupting manufacturing in amazing ways. It allows machines to learn, adapt and make decisions on their own. Manufacturers use it to identify asset patterns and anomalies for optimizing production and reducing downtime.

For example, implementation of AI in industrial robots and drones improves their precision, and helps with tasks like inspection, maintenance and material handling. This reduces the need for human intervention and lowers the risk of accidents, and improves maintenance efficiency and prolongs equipment life.

More and more operations technology (OT) engineers familiar with operations and equipment utilize modern AI tools with visual, point-and-click user interfaces (UI). The availability of prebuilt machine learning (ML) apps is also accelerating this trend.

3. Immersive technologies, including VR and AR.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are immersive technologies that support real-time information-sharing to help with worker training, reduce manual errors, and improve performance. That means VR and AR can provide meaningful business value through improved worker safety, increased productivity and reduced downtime.

AR, especially, can benefit industrial firms by providing return-to-work measures such as remote collaboration; helping with functions like remote assistance; augmented work instructions; and 3D training. AR is also helping with longer-term, future-of-work strategies designed to close the skills gap and drive step-change improvements.

In fact, AR is becoming critical to the way employees work. Here are some examples of how operators and service technicians are using AR:

• See streaming IIoT and sensor data, while improving condition monitoring, troubleshooting and repairs.
• View immersive 3D work instructions for assembly, inspection and service procedures.
• Access step-by-step instructions and on-demand help from tenured experts.
• Pass feedback about the conditions they’re seeing in the plant or field, back into the connected digital thread, allowing closed-loop feedback across the organization.

4. Edge computing and cloud computing, sometimes in complementary roles.

Edge computing systems support activities such as gathering, analyzing, processing and storing data locally in real time at or near the collection site. It’s ideal for people who don’t have on-site IT expertise, and most edge platforms are built to run indefinitely without professional on-site or remote IT support.