Myths About Robotics - Real Answers

1. Robots Cost Jobs

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The reality is, that robots are used to do jobs that are difficult for people to do - or hazardous to do. 

Example:  Case Packing of Eggs.

Finding people to do case packing is difficult, because it is grueling, back breaking work.  Most egg farms suffer from exceedingly high turnover, because the work is hard on the body, and must be done 7 days a week.  By using robots to pack, the workers are still there, they just feed boxes to the robots - instead of packing by hand.  And the turnover is greatly reduced, the workers are happier, and the employer is happier.

Another example:  Bomb Disarming.  No worker wants to do that one.

A Third Example:  Welding.  Robots not only do a faster and better job, but removes the hazardous part of the job from the welder - who runs the robot.

Bottom Line:  Very rarely does a worker lose his job to a robot.  Most employers will do anything to hang onto good workers.  Instead, the workers are reallocated to less difficult, less hazardous work - which usually makes the worker, and the employer happy.

2. Robots Are Expensive.

Labor for most companies, is their highest cost of conducting business. In the U.S., labor costs have risen 44% in the past 10 years!.  According to the National Coalition on Health Care, in 2007, employer health insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent - two times the rate of inflation.   

In 2006, over 1,183,500 injuries with days away from work were claimed against U.S. companies as reported by the U.S. Dept. Of Labor. Sprains and strains accounted for 472,740 of those reported cases; most of which involved the upper and lower back.  Hand case packing and palletizing is to blame for many of these back injuries. Workers are prone to repetitive motion injury and stress.

Even the best workers get tired, sick, injured, or take a family vacation.  It is a fact of life and business.  During work hours employees need breaks, get distracted or even bored throughout the day, productivity suffers, material is wasted, and overall operational efficiency and quality is diminished.  and need to take a break. They get distracted or bored. Productivity directly impacts the profitability of your company.

 Robots don't get tired, take vacations, and are never sick.  They work as you need them, 365 days a year!  Robots used in case packing and palletizing typically have a 60,000 hr. Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF).  That is almost 7 years!

Robotic Palletizing commonly reduces labor costs by 75%, with the benefit of known, fixed costs.

Robotic automation makes the workplace safer and can reduce the cost of injury to your business.

3. Robots Will Eventually Put Everyone Out of Work.

Hard to answer that one - but as long as there are tasks that have to be done that are difficult, hazardous, or even dangerous, then robots will have a place.  And the truth is, someone has to feed them, program them, maintain them - just like any other piece of equipment.  Those jobs tend to be more rewarding, pay more, and are sustainable.  And with more and more jobs moving offshore, robots can actually keep jobs here!

Find out more about how robots can actually save your job and your factory!

Click Here for more information on Case Packing.

Click Here for more information on Palletizing.