• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • BlueBotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power

Solving the talent component of the automation equation

September 4, 2020 by Liv Leave a Comment

Automation is key to the US competing on a global manufacturing stage, but we have work to do to train our workforce to be fluent in advanced manufacturing skills such as robot programming.

To enable more broad deployment of the automation that will power the future of manufacturing, it is imperative that we make automation easier to deploy. However, user-friendly automation technology isn’t enough on its own because we need a way to rapidly train more workers in the skills necessary to implement automation.

The future of US manufacturing requires that we democratize automation with a combination of technology and worker training/upskilling. One example of where success is being had is in Paintsville, Kentucky.

In the middle of coal country, Kathy Walker has built a model for the future at the Eastern Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI). eKAMI is teaching unemployed coal miners the advanced manufacturing skills that US manufacturing sorely needs.

“We are reskilling the region’s people for jobs in advanced manufacturing. This community needs it, and US manufacturing needs it.” says Walker. Proof that the skills eKAMI is teaching are in high demand is that eKAMI has trained over 100 students with a 100% job placement rate.

Most students accept job offers before they graduate their 16-week course. While their advanced manufacturing course teaches valuable skills, READY was excited by the opportunity to help eKAMI expand their curriculum to include robotics skills that enable eKAMI students to multiply their impact on the manufacturing floor.

“Robots are far too hard to program. So despite falling robot prices, the programming barrier has kept automation out of reach for many manufacturers. That’s why we built Forge/OS – to enable any manufacturer to deploy and own their automation.” says Kel Guerin PhD, Co-Founder and CTO of READY Robotics.

“We’re seeing incredible results from our customers who are powering their automation with Forge/OS, but we realize that the more we can train up workers skilled in automation, the more we can magnify the impact of Forge/OS. ”

Creating a reasonable path for workers to learn the skills necessary to design, program, deploy, manage and troubleshoot automation is critical to the health of US manufacturing. Our skilled labor shortage dictates that we must better leverage the existing workforce: reskilling existing workers, and training the next generation with the skills that manufacturing is starving for.

We need workers who can program a CNC machine, and then design, program and deploy the tools necessary to automate that workcell. READY’s 3 week add-on to eKAMI’s 16-week CNC course teaches these skills. The course goes far beyond just programming the robot. It includes cell design, robot and hardware evaluation, parts presentation, machine tool operation, programming peripherals and more.

A testament to the power of a cross-brand robot programming platform like Forge/OS, the eKAMI students were programming Yaskawa, FANUC and UR robots in one day.

By learning a single platform that enabled them to quickly program multiple brands of robots, the students were able to spend the bulk of their 3-week automation curriculum learning about the details of automation, and getting robots and machine tools to work seamlessly together.

This allowed all the students to program a lights out manufacturing task in just 2.5 weeks – when none had ever touched a robot before.

“We can’t hire our way out of our skilled labor shortage.” says Aaron Prather, R&D Evangelist at FedEx Express. “But, we can upskill our workers, and create a superhuman workforce with skills that make them orders of magnitude more productive than they otherwise would have been. I believe this has the potential to both increase manufacturing output, and create tens of thousands of high quality jobs!”

It’s not just thought leaders like Aaron Prather who are recognizing the importance of workers skilled in automation, but political leaders as well. On August 27th Senator Mitch McConnell visited eKAMI to tour the facility, and see their efforts to produce PPE for frontline medical professionals.

“We were excited to share with Senator McConnell what we are doing to help train a new generation of manufacturing professionals skilled in robotics.” says Ben Gibbs, Co-Founder and CEO of READY Robotics. “Having a workforce trained in robotics brings a host of benefits, including higher productivity, greater cost competitiveness, and more resiliency.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Features, Industry Tagged With: ready robotics, robot programming

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Reader Interactions

You must log in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • Is Robot-Assisted Laser Hair Surgery the Future?
  • AMD launches robotics starter kit to ‘kick-start the intelligent factory of the future’
  • Merits and demerits of investing in the crypto world
  • The real-world use cases for blockchain technology
  • Tips for picking a reliable crypto platform
  • Reliable tips for picking the right crypto wallet
  • How Additive Manufacturing Works and Provides Benefits
  • How is technology and innovation changing the field of photography?
  • How robots and RPA will change the business of the future
  • The Pros and Cons of Selling vs Trading in Your Vehicle

Most Read

  • Track your lost Android
    Track your lost Android
  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • Top 25 vertical farming companies
    Top 25 vertical farming companies
  • The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
    The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
  • Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
    Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
  • What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
    What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
  • Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
    Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
  • AMD launches robotics starter kit to ‘kick-start the intelligent factory of the future’
    AMD launches robotics starter kit to ‘kick-start the intelligent factory of the future’

Overused words

abb ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business china companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • Is Robot-Assisted Laser Hair Surgery the Future?
  • AMD launches robotics starter kit to ‘kick-start the intelligent factory of the future’
  • Merits and demerits of investing in the crypto world
  • The real-world use cases for blockchain technology
  • Tips for picking a reliable crypto platform
  • Reliable tips for picking the right crypto wallet
  • How Additive Manufacturing Works and Provides Benefits
  • How is technology and innovation changing the field of photography?
  • How robots and RPA will change the business of the future
  • The Pros and Cons of Selling vs Trading in Your Vehicle

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

September 2020
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  
« Aug   Oct »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT