Should your business invest in automation?

It is obvious that the automation of processes not only makes sense for every business to invest in from a certain point but is also crucial for further growth, stability, and efficiency. 

But when is said point reached? When do repetitive and administrative tasks have such a serious impact on everyday life that innovation and the actual motivations of the business begin to fall by the wayside? And why is it smarter to automate, instead of simply growing your team?

Automation could give your business the edge. 

Harnessing the latest advancements in technology to automate repetitive industrial processes can give your business significant operational advantages.

That’s why it’s being implemented across the world in a variety of operations, ranging from social media content moderation all the way to fast food restaurants.

Yet automation isn’t without downsides and it’s no stranger to controversy either. More importantly, not every business’ operations are suitable to reap the rewards of automation. 

All of which begs the question: should your business invest in automation? In this article, we’ll explain why and when you should start integrating automation into your business. 

What is automation? 

Automation is the control of machinery, appliances, and processes through the use of technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, machinery, and computer software.

A wide variety of different industries implement automation to increase business productivity and precision while reducing costs. The use of a machine or a program cuts time and in addition, eradicates the possibility of human errors drastically.

What are the pros and cons of automation?

You will likely have heard discussions on automation through the media. 

On one side of the conversation, it is hoped that utilizing the strengths of technology will help yield substantial opportunities for humanity in the future. On the other, there’s concern that the widespread use of automation could lead to society being dependent on, or even subjugated by, technology.

Yet you shouldn’t let these conversations put you off. Polarised views such as these are the norm when it comes to advancements in technology. 

Instead, you should focus on the most significant pros and cons your business is likely to experience, which are as follows.

Pros

Automation offers a number of key benefits to businesses, including the following.

• Increased productivity: Industrial control systems allow industrial processes to be controlled either locally or remotely. Increasingly advanced industrial control mechanisms allow businesses to operate round the clock, significantly increasing output. 

• Greater precision: Automated systems typically perform processes with lower levels of variability than employees, resulting in fewer errors and greater consistency in product quality. 

• Lower long-term costs: Greater precision leads to lower levels of waste, helping your business save money. Moreover, automating processes reduces the number of employees that your business is reliant on – allowing you to reallocate resources that would usually be used for wages and benefits. 

Cons

• Up-front expenses: Automated equipment typically isn’t cheap, meaning that your business will need to have the resources available to invest in the relatively high setup costs of automation.

• Worker displacement: Replacing employees with automated machines can cause them a significant amount of emotional distress. Even though workers can often be retrained to fulfill other roles within your business, they might still need to relocate in order to do so. 

When should you consider automation? 

Implementing automation can be extremely beneficial for businesses in general. Yet if you’re considering this step, you need to weigh this decision against the particular challenges your business is facing. 

As a rule of thumb, for automation to be a viable option for your business, consistent and repeatable processes need to make up a high proportion of your operations.

In particular, repetitive and mindless tasks are the perfect candidates for automation. Aside from highly industrialized settings such as manufacturing plants, these types of activities often occur in core business areas such as logistics, HR, and documenting client data and are taking away a good chunk of time in your available daily budget. 

If these tasks are taking time and energy away from your employees that could be better applied to more critical tasks, you can reap a large return on investment through automation, whilst at the same time freeing up potential innovative hours for your employees, to help grow within the business.

Give your business the push it might need.

Businesses in a range of industries have already begun implementing automation, leveraging the latest technology to improve output and quality, as well as streamline their finances over the long run. 

If your business is consistently losing resources to repeatable processes, it’s probably time for you to explore which areas of your operation are most suitable to automate. The further along we go, the more it will become a mandatory requisite for future employees to join your business, too. Knowing that your employees will be able to focus their energy, concentration, and time on what is important to them and what your company stands for, instead of wasting them on easily automated and repetitive tasks, will be a relevant yay or nay argument for potential candidates in the very near future.