RPA is changing the manufacturing process for the better

We were early adopters of best-in-class business process management software that allows us to plan, capture, track, automate, and report at scale, enabling teams to move from idea to impact with data insights that would have been near impossible without these tools. Regardless of its vendor status, to the best of my knowledge, TPC was Smaratsheet's first enterprise customer in Korea.

Manufacturing is again at the forefront of automating routine production tasks. It increasingly relies on robotic process automation (RPA) to optimize complex back-office production processes like vendor communications, payment processing, reporting, and more to take advantage of even unskilled labor. Physical industrial robots can streamline assembly processes, but manufacturing companies still struggle to maintain control over their back-office and operational processes.

Our focus on becoming more efficient with our workflow processes led me to this article about RPA in the manufacturing industry. This blog explores how RPA can improve manufacturing processes in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Let's dive in.

What Is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

With RPA, the software can simulate human interactions with a computer to perform repeatable data processing and business processes. Among the most popular methods for automating manufacturing-related tasks, it allows businesses to automate data entry and simple transaction processing.

RPA differs from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning because they aim for software to develop human-like capabilities such as natural language understanding and prediction. RPA, on the other hand, focuses on automating specific tasks to free up human resources for more strategic tasks.

How Does RPA Function?

A bot, also known as a digital worker, is a component of RPA software. These bots can be programmed to perform human-like actions like opening an email or copying data from one application to another. They can also be programmed to follow specific rules and make sound decisions. RPA can help you not only work faster and more accurately but it can also help you scale your operation. As your manufacturing company expands, you can strengthen your team with more bots to handle the increased workload.

Bots can interact with applications the same way humans do, using graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and application programming interfaces (APIs). This enables them to automate tasks that would typically necessitate human intervention.

"Time is money," as the saying goes, and this is especially true in manufacturing. In a fast-paced, ever-changing industry with room for improvement, automating processes can help you operate more efficiently and save time for more strategic initiatives.

RPA Advantages

RPA has numerous potential advantages, including

1. Enhanced efficiency: RPA can help automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing employees to focus on more strategic tasks.

2. Improved accuracy: By explicitly following rules and instructions, RPA can help reduce errors and improve accuracy.

3. Greater adaptability: RPA works with many different applications and systems, so it is more adaptable than many traditional automation tools.

4. Faster turnaround times: Using RPA, tasks that would otherwise require human intervention can be automated; RPA can help speed up processes.

5. Increased throughput: Instead of requiring human intervention, RPA can help businesses process more transactions in a given period.

RPA's Difficulties

Despite the potential benefits, there are some drawbacks to RPA, including

1. Choosing the right platform: There are numerous RPA platforms, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Selecting a platform compatible with your current IT infrastructure and providing the required features and capabilities is critical.

2. Find the right service provider: Many providers are out there, making the selection process difficult. It is critical to conduct due diligence and ensure that the service provider you select has a good reputation and experience implementing RPA solutions.

3. Implementation challenges: Implementing an RPA solution can be difficult, and it is critical to understand your business processes before you begin thoroughly. Having the right team in place is also vital to successful implementation.

4. Change management: RPA can cause many organizational changes, and it is essential to manage these changes.

5. Governance and security: RPA solutions must be managed appropriately and secured to protect sensitive data. Before implementing an RPA solution, it is critical to have the appropriate policies and procedures in place.

RPA is a powerful tool that can assist businesses in automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks. RPA can help increase efficiency, improve accuracy, and shorten cycle times when adequately implemented. As mentioned above, RPA comes with some challenges, which one must understand before implementing. [1]

Business Areas In Manufacturing That Could Benefit From

To better understand robotic process automation in manufacturing, let's examine some key business areas that could benefit from it. There is a need in manufacturing for breakthrough technologies such as robotic process automation, which can help companies focus more on product innovation and key selling points rather than mundane, repetitive tasks that are important but trivial. The new age of smart technology necessitates innovative automation solutions, driving manufacturers to transition from physical robots to software-based robotic equivalents. Manufacturing RPA is essential for digital transformation. It automates and digitizes critical operational areas, such as invoicing and accounts payable automation, as well as supply chain automation, to improve process agility, speed, and quality. The goal is to have robots perform tasks that humans currently complete, which can be automated, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and creative tasks.

1. Order processing: Order processing is a time-consuming and critical task. Many steps include entering customer orders, configuring products, checking material availability, calculating prices, and confirming orders. These steps can be automated with RPA, making the process more efficient.

2. Supply chain management: RPA can automate tasks such as procurement, inventory management, transportation management, and supplier relationship management. This will result in cost savings and increased efficiency.

3. Manufacturing process management: RPA can be used to automate tasks like quality control, production planning, and scheduling. This will aid in improving quality and productivity while lowering costs.

4. Customer service: RPA automates warranty claims processing, customer support, and field service. This will aid in increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Finance and accounting: Robotic process automation (RPA) can be used to automate tasks like invoicing, accounts payable, and financial reporting. This will increase accuracy and efficiency while decreasing costs.

6. Human Resources: RPA can be used to automate employee onboarding, performance management, and compliance tasks. This will help to increase efficiency while decreasing costs.

7. IT: RPA can be used to automate tasks like system administration, application development, and data management. This will help to increase efficiency while decreasing costs.

8. Marketing: RPA can be used in marketing to automate tasks like customer segmentation, lead generation, and campaign management. This will help to improve effectiveness while also lowering costs.

9. Sales: RPA can be used to automate tasks such as lead qualification, opportunity management, and contract generation in the sales industry. This will help to increase effectiveness while decreasing costs.

10. Compliance: Robotic process automation (RPA) can be used to automate tasks such as audit preparation, regulatory submissions, and risk management. This will help to improve compliance while also lowering costs.

RPA in manufacturing has the potential to transform business processes and free up resources for companies to concentrate on their core competencies. It can aid in cost reduction, quality and productivity improvement, and process flexibility. When considering using RPA in manufacturing, it is critical to concentrate on the tasks that are most critical to the business and can be automated. Companies can improve their operations and competitiveness by automating these tasks. [2]

CONCLUSION

Looking at the issues in manufacturing from a multifaceted perspective, as I have in previous articles, RPA is a key enabler of digital transformation initiatives in manufacturing, from the global labor shortage and how we can improve our SCM to the importance of the impact of technology in manufacturing. RPA can improve business agility, speed, quality, and competitiveness, including accounts payable automation, invoice processing, and supply chain automation.

RPA can be a massive boon for long-ignored back-office operations in the manufacturing industry. The shift toward RPA provides critical technology for manufacturers who now require efficiencies to remain competitive and scalability later to succeed in the face of innovation and competition. It is an excellent time for the manufacturing industry to capitalize on the next wave of non-core process automation via RPA and reap the benefits of lower costs and increased productivity.

RPA comes with challenges. However, I believe the benefits far outweigh the challenges for the right companies in manufacturing if implemented correctly and the companies have the resources to handle it.

Connect with me on #LinkedIn or visit www.tpcpage.co.kr to learn how we are innovating factory automation with collaborative robots (the hardware side of RPA) and how you can also lower your production costs.