Human Consideration

And what of the jobs that have been automated?

There is no doubt that if you have had a paid job which you have worked at all your life, and you are replaced by a robot and your employment is terminated, then you will be very unhappy about progress.

It does not have to be this way!

A progressive company will always make room to re-deploy a valuable employee. Good staff are the greatest assets that a company can have.

It is very important to encourage staff to buy into any new project. The driving force behind process development and automation is often the need to compete in the marketplace. If you don't do it and other companies do, the end game is usually much more painfull.

Lead rather than follow. Easily said but more difficult to make that leap of faith. A good engineering capability will make it so much easier to take those difficult decisions to reinvest. You can reduce your risk by carrying an adequate engineering staff rather than depending on your suppliers for advice and inspiration.