Embeddedadvisor
US
APAC
EUROPE
  • Home
  • Insights
  • Whitepaper
  • Conferences
  • Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • About us
Go to...
  • Home
  • Insights
  • Whitepaper
  • Conferences
  • Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • About us
  • Categories

  • IP Design
  • Telecom
  • Wearables and Sensor
  • Consumer Electronics
  • IoT
  • More
      • Industrial Computing
Go to...
  • Categories

  • IP Design
  • Telecom
  • Wearables/Sensor
  • Consumer Electronics
  • IoT
  • Industrial Computing
×
#

Embedded Advisor Weekly Brief

Be first to read the latest tech news, Industry Leader's Insights, and CIO interviews of medium and large enterprises exclusively from Embedded Advisor

Subscribe

loading

THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING

  • Home
  • Insights
  • PCB Design and Engineering
Editor's Pick(1 - 4 of 8)
left
ECM - Ease of Storage is the New Challenge

Douglas Duncan, CIO, Columbia Insurance Group

The Inflight Connectivity Conundrum

Chris Moore, Former EVP & CIO, Sun Country Airlines and CIO Consultant, Freelance Consulting

Hiding in Plain Sight: The DNA Molecule as Next-Generation Cyber-Physical Network Security

Judy Murrah, CIO, Applied DNA Sciences Inc

Telecom's Top 6 Trends: What You Should Know

Cam Ewoldt, Manager, Transport Networks, Great Plains Communications

What's New in PCB Design? Time to Explore the Low End of the EDA Tool Market written for Embedded Advisor

Randall Restle, Digi-Key Electronics Vice President, Applications Engineering

The Growing Importance of Supply Chain Collaboration in Life Science

Gustavo Salem, Group President, IDEX Health & Science LLC

Chained to Your Desk? Not Anymore, Thanks to Workplace Technology

Mike Marusic, COO, Sharp Electronics Corporation [TYO:6753]

Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection: Stronger Deterrence Helps but Isolation and Mitigation Are Essential

Bruce J. Heiman, Partner ‑ Public Policy and Law, K&L Gates

right

The Age of Average is Over

By John McGee, Director, North America Operational Excellence, BASF

Tweet

John McGee, Director, North America Operational Excellence, BASFJohn McGee, Director, North America Operational Excellence, BASF

One of the biggest threats to manufacturing prosperity U.S. companies face today is talent. As the global economy grows and manufacturing evolves into Industry 4.0, the American workforce must have the skills and capabilities to thrive, not just survive. At BASF, solutions and best practices have been implemented to address several industry trends challenging retention of a skilled and qualified workforce including: automation, Baby Boomer retirement and change agility.

As an industry in the midst of the fourth manufacturing evolution known as Industry 4.0, cost effective solutions are being sought that couple increased manufacturing with unique workforce development demands. Historically, the first industrial revolution leveraged mechanization through water and steam power. The second scaled up production through the assembly line and electricity. The third introduced computers and automation. Now, the fourth is driving further automation by interconnecting computers and robotics with more computers and robotics to form the “smart factory.”

According to the International Federation of Robotics, between the years 2010 and 2014, the average sales of robots increased 17 percent per year (CAGR), the largest robot installations increase in history. Between 2005 and 2008, the average annual number of robots sold was about 115,000 units. Between 2010 and 2014, the number rose to about 171,000 units. This is an increase of about 48 percent and a clear indicator of the significant rise in demand for industrial robots worldwide.

"As the global economy grows and manufacturing evolves into Industry 4.0, the American workforce must have the skills and capabilities to thrive, not just survive"

So where does the growth in robotics leave the human worker? Companies, like BASF, are radically shifting staffing methods. Industry 4.0 introduces concepts like the Internet of things (IoT), big data and augmented reality. There will be more demand by manufacturing companies to hire people with a combination of IT and mechanical skills to accommodate the need for automation. Also, the Industry 4.0 workers will need to be able to efficiently analyze large amounts of data to provide customer-based solutions for these factories. In an automated world, the human worker still plays an important role, but training, workforce development and the overall education system are integral to their success.

Public and private partnerships will be critical to fund training programs that lead to job placement in this new work environment. At BASF, we are in the early phases of Industry 4.0 starting with incorporating some of the augmented reality tools into maintenance organizations. BASF is partnering with local community colleges and universities to ensure robust pipeline of talent is being properly trained to meet the growing demand. Along with the complexities of 4.0, the industry faces a tremendous shift in the age, experience and tenure of the workforce as Baby Boomers begin to retire. According to Sixth Annual Update on the Retirement Preparedness of the Boomer Generation by IRI, there are about 76 million Baby Boomers in the U.S., more than 40 million of whom are already age 65 or older. They will retire at a rate of 10,000 per day through at least 2030, when almost 73 million Americans, comprising more than 20 percent of the U.S. population, will be age 65 or older.

Companies will need to overcome the shortfall in manpower and properly transfer knowledge to the next generation. Many organizations, including BASF, have succession plans in place to address this issue from the factory floor to the executive level. BASF is being proactive in this effort through a program called “Transitions at Work.” Prospective retirees are backfilled one year ahead of retirement to provide time for proper knowledge transfer. We are also improving the skills and capability of our workforce through manager skill build series, revamped learning and development programs with an emphasis on diversity hiring practices.

Lastly, the most critical skill needed across these complexities is change agility. Regardless of globalization, automation, or economic conditions, human innovation is still key. Our workforce has to be able to quickly accept and adapt to change. Within change agility, individuals will need continuous improvement tools as well. Learning and applying the techniques of LEAN, Six Sigma, TPM, etc. are critical for success of both the business and the individual. We know these tools work as evidenced by successes at companies like Toyota, Procter & Gamble, AutoLiv, GE, etc. In my experience, overall the benefits for the organization can be measured in “hard” terms: 50 percent reduction in overall supply chain cycle time, 25 percent increase in customer order accuracy (delivery and quality), and 30 percent reduction in inventory. Additionally, in “soft” terms, these tools boost employee morale and give them a new skill set that is transferable in any market. BASF launched its continuous improvement program, OpEx, in 2011 with a primary focus on manufacturing. OpEx contributed 60 percent improvement to run rate savings that affect the bottom line. We now have launched OpEx 2.0 in 2016, which broadens “end-to-end” customer centric approach with heavy emphasis on people and culture development.

So, yes, the age of average is over. The American workforce will need to evolve to keep up with industry trends and not just be good at one thing but great at several. BASF, along with many industry leaders, are finding the necessary solutions and best practices to not only adapt to the changing environment, but excel and prosper.

CIOReview Client’s: PROFITECT, Flagship, PCMI, Beqom

Check Out Review Of CIOReview: Crunchbase, Glassdoor

Check This Out: CIOReview Overview, Muckrack

tag

Industry 4.0

inventory

Robotics

Read Also

What's New in PCB Design? Time to Explore the Low End of the EDA Tool Market written for Embedded Advisor

What's New in PCB Design? Time to Explore the Low End of the EDA Tool Market written for Embedded Advisor

Randall Restle, Digi-Key Electronics Vice President, Applications Engineering
The Growing Importance of Supply Chain Collaboration in Life Science

The Growing Importance of Supply Chain Collaboration in Life Science

Gustavo Salem, Group President, IDEX Health & Science LLC
Chained to Your Desk? Not Anymore, Thanks to Workplace Technology

Chained to Your Desk? Not Anymore, Thanks to Workplace Technology

Mike Marusic, COO, Sharp Electronics Corporation [TYO:6753]
Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection: Stronger Deterrence Helps but Isolation and Mitigation Are Essential

Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection: Stronger Deterrence Helps but Isolation and Mitigation Are Essential

Bruce J. Heiman, Partner ‑ Public Policy and Law, K&L Gates

Weekly Brief

loading
Top 10 PCB Design and Engineering Solution Companies - 2019

PCB Design and Engineering Special

Featured Vendors

  • ACS Design: Simple, Elegant Electronic Designs
    ACS Design: Simple, Elegant Electronic Designs
  • DISHER: Creating a Positive Ripple in the PCB Industry
    DISHER: Creating a Positive Ripple in the PCB Industry
  • PARPRO: A One-Stop Shop for Design in Manufacturing
    PARPRO: A One-Stop Shop for Design in Manufacturing
  • Sunstone Circuits: Redefining Customer-Centricity in the PCB Landscape
    Sunstone Circuits: Redefining Customer-Centricity in the PCB Landscape

I agree We use cookies on this website to enhance your user experience. By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. More info

Copyright © 2021 Embedded Advisor. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
follow on linkedin follow on twitter
This content is copyright protected

However, if you would like to share the information in this article, you may use the link below:

pcb-design-and-engineering.embeddedadvisor.com/cxoinsights/the-age-of-average-is-over-nid-11.html