Manufacturing industries relying on a skilled but aging workforce know they have a problem. Dependence, however, on educational systems, support organizations, third-party service providers, recruiters and, in some cases, even sheer luck is ill-advised and won’t keep them out of long-term trouble. The time to act is now.
Combating the workforce shortage is a multi-faceted process requiring a thoughtful, multi-step approach. Knowledge transfer is the first step in mitigating risk. Engineers will have to make operational decisions based on experience backed by data analytics. The factory of the future will rely on this “knowledge worker.”
Enter Today’s Knowledge Worker
Analytics and strategy will define the knowledge worker.
The new automation professional is more of a “knowledge worker,” no longer performing low-value or repetitive tasks but focusing on high-level, information-driven decision-making and strategy.
Whether working with legacy equipment or in a modern digital factory, knowledge workers are key to productivity and growth. They must be skilled in handling both historical and process data to improve the manufacturing process knowingly and methodically. As they move out of the day-to-day operational routine, they will make situational decisions based on process insights provided to them in real time by modern digital control systems. This more flexible, informed and enabled automation worker brings the company many benefits, not the least of which is improved workplace safety.
In addition, a knowledge worker freed from tasks that machines now perform can think strategically and become more of a visionary. The factory of the future will need people who can connect the dots and extrapolate from the available data and digital insights to make quality decisions and operational improvements as conditions inevitably change over time.
Modern-day advanced analytics pave the way for more intelligent, enterprise-wide decision-making based on improved operational data. The knowledge worker will become the new norm, making key decisions based on more accurate information sourced from knowledge transfer and directly from the manufacturing process.
Adapting Operations Lowers Risk
Modernization mitigates the risk posed by the workforce skills gap.
To attract and retain new automation workers and achieve sustainability, manufacturers must modernize operations and invest in the right tools. A thoughtful well-executed technology modernization plan will enable companies to move fluidly into a future that relies more on the knowledge worker and less on the undocumented historical knowledge of a few key people.
Modern state-of-the-art systems that provide a safer, more intuitive environment will help attract new engineers to the workforce. Although legacy workers have grown up in the industrial environment we see today, modern workers are conditioned to mobile devices and digital applications. They expect to work in that same smart and intuitive environment with fast access to the right contextualized data, in the right place and at the right time. Providing this ease of use will encourage longevity and creativity, allowing them to use their talents to drive manufacturing business objectives.
Workers also look for a career path and a connection to the larger enterprise. A strong culture where employees feel valued, empowered and enabled is important to encourage their dedication to their personal goals and to the company. The more flexibility can be offered through cross-training programs and career development opportunities, the higher the chance that employees will stay with the company even if they decide to change job functions.
Finding the Future
Where is the knowledge worker?
The biggest issue facing industrial manufacturing facilities is the lack of new hires. Highly qualified automation professionals are difficult to recruit and retain. An aggressive, innovative recruiting plan uses multiple sources and programs to find enough candidates to fill staffing needs.
Active recruiting must cast the net widely to search for talent in various areas. Programs for recruiting must include tactics such as bringing back retirees, hiring ex-military, taking on newly graduated engineers and adding graduates of 2-year tech schools. Consider recruiting from related high-tech industries such as computer science or research and development. A workforce with a diversity of talents, backgrounds and skill sets gives the company a stronger foundation for the future.
Without enough senior people available to fill the workforce gap, it’s important to create programs that grow the right skill sets in-house. People don’t grow on trees but consider using senior automation professionals to mentor and train new hires. Let them learn
first-hand the foundational principals they’ll need as they experience operational situations with an experienced senior person there to help and advise. Mentoring by multiple stakeholders helps the new workers find their niche while giving them better overall knowledge of operations. Consider using third-party automation service providers that can augment your staff, provide workforce learning and provide senior engineers to mentor new hires.
In addition to mentoring and on-the-job training, high-tech virtual training systems can walk employees through abnormal situation management and other operational challenges in real-time simulated environments. Workers can receive specialized training and testing before they ever go on-site. Safety and quality are enhanced through virtual training scenarios that provide the look and feel of the job without the risk.
Automation is a highly specialized and technical field, and there’s no one educational path that covers it all. Manufacturers must strive to give new hires every opportunity to learn what they must to help their company – and themselves – succeed.
Summary
Mitigating the problem of the workforce skills gap in automation requires a practical and realistic plan to maintain operations and achieve sustainability. Here’s what we can do right now:
1. Capture, institutionalize and transfer historical knowledge
2. Modernize our enterprise systems for the incoming “knowledge worker”
3. Use an aggressive multi-sourced recruiting plan
4. Offer intensive training and mentoring programs
5. Consider third-party staff augmentation and trainers to bridge the gap
As we modernize our factories, we must find, train and welcome the new generation of “knowledge workers” and provide them with a work environment designed for their success. Because their success is the key to the success of the larger enterprise.
In industrial automation, the work we do is inherently dangerous. Get The 5 keys to a Safety Mindset.
